“The Long And Winding Road” #1 6/13/1970

The 20th and final #1 single in America from the Beatles was likely what convinced Paul McCartney to finally leave the band. As first envisioned and recorded in 1969, it was an uncluttered piano ballad of his with very few overdubs. However, when Phil Spector got involved he added strings, a female choir and even a harp - 38 musicians and singers in all. He even eliminated one of Paul’s two vocal parts. McCartney, kept in the dark almost until the end, thought Spector totally ruined his song and was able to block the single’s release in the UK. (The “Let It Be...Naked” LP issued in 2003 has a bare-bones version much closer to Paul’s vision.) John uncharacteristically played bass here and to be charitable, his shortcomings on that instrument were highlighted. George and Ringo’s parts were virtually buried in the final mix. It was a melancholy farewell to the greatest rock band ever.

Were they a product of hype in the beginning? Of course. Beatlemania was a PR concoction for sure early on, but their talent, creativity and songwriting soon transcended the hype. It’s not an overstatement to say the Beatles changed pop culture and almost every form of music for all time.