When Paul McCartney brought the idea for “Let It Be” to the studio in 1969, John Lennon was notably unimpressed. Lennon later spoke about the process in a 1980 interview with writer David Sheff, describing it as “going through hell.”
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McCartney proposed “Let It Be” to The Beatles in January 1969, eight months before Lennon would begin his split from the band. At this time, Lennon and McCartney were at odds in their writing partnership, disagreeing more often and beginning to resent the other’s expectations.
Seemingly, this came to a head for John Lennon when McCartney proposed “Let It Be.” The song was inspired by a dream McCartney had in which he saw his late mother. But when he launched into the now-familiar verses in the studio, John Lennon felt that it didn’t fit The Beatles’ style.
John Lennon’s Issues With One Of The Beatles’ Most Popular Songs, “Let It Be”
“That’s Paul. What can you say? Nothing to do with the Beatles,” John Lennon explained to Sheff in their 20-hour interview. “It could’ve been Wings. I don’t know what he’s thinking when he writes ‘Let It Be.’”
Clearly and retrospectively, Lennon felt that “Let It Be” sounded more like Paul McCartney’s band Wings than anything The Beatles ever did. He also revealed that he felt McCartney was trying to emulate Simon & Garfunkel as well.
“I think it was inspired by ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters [sic],’” said Lennon. “That’s my feeling, although I have nothing to go on. I know he wanted to write a ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters.’”
However, the timing on that comment doesn’t quite match up. While “Let It Be” was released in May 1970 and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in January 1970, the recording times are actually opposite. “Let It Be” was recorded in January 1969, while “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was recorded between August and November 1969.
Considering the timing of it all, it seems that John Lennon was simply looking for a way to call “Let It Be” derivative. Still, there was yet another reason for Lennon to be unimpressed with the song.
The reference to “Mother Mary” in the lyrics also managed to rub Lennon the wrong way. He was notably against organized religion, and felt that the lyric could be misconstrued as relating to Christianity. McCartney insisted that it was a reference to his mother, Mary McCartney, who died when he was 14. Still, Lennon made his distaste for the song known.
Photo by Andrew Maclear/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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