The Legacy of ‘Let it Be’ and the Art of Saying Goodbye - Maya Alexander

This past May 8th marked the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ last album, “Let It Be”. Of course, as most Beatles fans know, the “last” in that statement is subjective. While “Let It Be” was the last of the band’s work to be released, technically the album was already in the books before the recording for the band’s magnum opus “Abbey Road” even began. Despite that, “Let It Be” seemed to mark finality in all aspects of the band’s career. It was the last album that had all of the Beatles in the recording studio at the same time, it was the last album the band performed live, and its release was accompanied by the final Beatles film, “Let It Be”. 

In all practical and emotional senses, this album is a goodbye album. This swan song was completed before the world or the band even knew. The songs on this album breathe an air of finality that even though it was completed a year before its release, the band had all the sensibilities of understanding that they would never be doing something like this again. 

No song highlights those sentiments better than, “Two of Us”. Written by Paul McCartney (credited as a Lennon-McCartney piece) this song is an ode to the relationship of McCartney and John Lennon, friends and partners since 1957, created some of the greatest songs of all time with the greatest band of all time, and now their friendship personally and professionally is waning. “You and I have memories/Longer than the road that stretches out ahead” it’s a goodbye song, one of many on this goodbye album. It’s truly gut-wrenching lyrical content is offset by the jovial melody in classic McCartney fashion. The song ends with this outro, “We're going home/Better believe it/Goodbye” McCartney would go on to marry his wife Linda and start his own band Wings. Lennon similarly married his wife Yoko and began his solo career. The two crossed paths only once in 1974 before Lennon was murdered in 1980. 

Not only did 1970 mark the release of the Beatles’ final album, but it also produced the final Beatle film with the documentary, “Let It Be” (1970). The documentary showcased how drastically different the bands’ relationship had become. The first Beatles film, “A Hard Day’s Night”, was released in 1964 at the height of ‘Beatlemania’ and introduced the world to four affable and witty young men. They played pranks with each other, they went to parties with each other, they conquered the world together. And every young person wanted a friendship like theirs. The bands’ final film stripped away the blinders of camaraderie. The band of brothers that were supposed to stick together forever was breaking apart, showing that even the Beatles are not resistant to change. 

I think what’s most striking about the Beatles’ final projects is the actuality of it all. There were no warnings, there wasn’t any fanfare. It’s the “we should hang out sometime” and never do energy of it all. It’s nothing, and that’s reality. After the breakup, George Harrison would go on to have the best selling solo Beatles’ album, “All Things Must Pass” (1970). Ringo Starr would find success with singles like “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen”. Paul McCartney’s and his band Wings would become one of the best selling artists of the 1970s. And John Lennon would become the poster child for peace and anti-war movements of the 1970s with his activism and the pseudo anthem “Imagine”. Each meeting and working with one another on songs a few times. All four were never in the same room again. 

“We're on our way home

We're on our way home

We're going home”