1970 Soft Rock Classic Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All-Time’ Was a No. 1 Hit 56 Years Ago
1970 Soft Rock Classic Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All-Time’ Was a No. 1 Hit 56 Years Ago
Melinda LorgeSat, April 11, 2026 at 3:59 AM UTC
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On April 11, 1970, 56 years ago today, The Beatles scored their 19th No. 1 Hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart with their beloved ballad “Let It Be.” The chart-topping song would go on to be the last of the Fab Four to reach the top spot before their public breakup later that same year.
By the time The Beatles, made up of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, earned their 20th No. 1 hit — “The Long and Winding Road” — on that same chart, they had already officially disbanded.
McCartney and Lennon Share Songwriting Credits
Released on March 6, 1970, and appearing on the album of the same name, which was also the final project the group recorded together, “Let It Be” was written by McCartney, with additional songwriting credits going to Lennon due to the Lennon-McCartney partnership. According to American Songwriter, which attributed its source to The Salt Lake Tribune, the spiritually-sounding tune was inspired by a dream the singer-songwriter, 83, had about his mother, Mary McCartney.
What Paul McCartney Said
“I think I was getting, like, a little bit over the top with [the party fashion] – getting pretty tired and pretty wasted. And I went to bed one night and had a kind of restless night. But I had a dream where my mother, who had been dead at that point for about 10 years, came to me in the dream, and it was as if she could see that I was troubled,” McCartney said, per the outlet.
“And she sort of said to me, she said, ‘Let it be.’ And I remember quite clearly her saying, ‘Let it be,’ and, ‘It’s going to be OK. Don’t worry.’ You know, ‘Let it be.’ I woke up, and I remembered the dream, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s a great idea,’” he added. “And I then sat down and wrote the song using the feeling from that dream and of my mum coming to me in the dream.”
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The lyrics of the tun are simple, with the message standing out over delicate piano and McCartney’s signature vocals.
“Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be / There will be an answer, let it be / Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be / Whisper words of wisdom, let it be,” the repetitive chorus of the song ranked in 2004 at No. 20 on Rolling Stone's list of '500 Greatest Songs of All Time' before leaving the list, goes.
The Beatles’ single “Let It Be” held the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, while the album of the same name held the top position on the U.S. Billboard chart for four weeks.
Related: 1965 Classic Was a No. 1 Hit 61 Years Ago Today
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
