The Long and Winding Road

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The Long And Winding Road is a song off The Beatles' 1970 album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon/McCartney.

Contents

Writing

Paul wrote The Long and Winding Road while in Scotland in 1968. Paul recorded a piano demo during the sessions for The Beatles, but they did not attempt to properly record it until 1969. This demo has not been released on legitimate album or bootleg, making it one of the most sought-after Beales outtakes. Paul commented in his authoized biography, Many Years From Now, "I was a bit flipped out and tripped out at that time. It's a sad song because it's all about the unattainable; the door you never quite reach. This is the road that you never get to the end of." Paul had written it in Ray Charles style, although Paul has said that it does not sound like him. "It doesn't sound like him at all, because it's me singing and I don't sound anything like Ray, but sometimes you get a person in your mind, just for an attitude, just for a place to be, so that your mind is somewhere rather than nowhere, and you place it by thinking, Oh, I love that Ray Charles, and think, Well, what might he do then? So that was in my mind, and would have probably had some bearing on the chord structure of it, which is slightly jazzy. I think I could attribute that to having Ray in my mind when I wrote that one."

Recording

The Beatles first played this song during the Get Back sessions in Twickenham Film Studios in early January 1969. They were familiar with the song when they entered Apple Studios to finish Let It Be, recording it on January 26. This was little more than a rehearsal, with John messin up the notes on the bass several times throughout. This version was included on Anthology 3. They again recorded it on January 31, 1969, the day after the Apple Studios rooftop concert, when songs unsuitable for being played live were recorded for the album. They recorded seven takes, the last of which was included on early Get Back acetates compiled by Glyn Johns. However, the take from January 26 was used on the album. Once Phil Spector had been brought in to produce the record, he overdubbed stings and choir onto the earlier take to cover up the mistakes on the original version. However, to do so, there were some technical issues they had to get around. Technical engineer Brian Gibson recalls, "On The Long And Winding Road he wanted to overdub orchestra and choir but there weren't the available tracks on the tape, so he wiped one of Paul's two vocal tracks in order to put the orchestra on." Paul received an acetate of the Phil Spector version and was extremely dissatisfied, demanding that changes were made to the recording. Paul told the London Evening STandard in April 1970, "The album was finished a year ago, but a few months ago American record producer Phil Spector was called in by John Lennon to tidy up some of the tracks. But a few weeks ago, I was send a re-mixed version of my song The Long And Winding Road, with harps, horns, an orchestra and women's choir added. No one had asked me what I thought. I couldn't believe it. I would never have female voices on a Beatles record. The record came with a note from Allen Klein saying he thought the changes were necessary. I don't blame Phil Spector for doing it but it just goes to show that it's no good me sitting here thinking I'm in control because obviously I'm not. Anyway I've sent Klein a letter asking for some of the things to be altered, but I haven't received an answer yet." This letter was reproduced in The Beatles Anthology book.

"Dear Sir,

In future no one will be allowed to add to or subtract from a recording of one of my songs without my permission.

I had considered orchestrating The Long And Winding Road but I had decided against it. I therefore want it altered to these specifications:-

1. Strings, horns, voices and all added noises to be reduced in volume.
2. Vocal and Beatle instrumentation to be brought up in volume.
3. Harp to be removed completely at the end of the song and original piano notes to be substituted.
4. Don't ever do it again.

Signed

Paul McCartney

c.c. Phil Spector
John Eastman"

Even though Paul complained about the orchestration added to it, Let It Be was released a month later with Spector's instrumentation unchanged. George Martin agreed with Paul, saying that it was added without their permission and that the sounds were "so uncharacteristic" of The Beatles. Martin said, "That made me angry - and it made Paul even angrier, because neither he nor I knew about it till it had been done. It happened behind our backs because it was done when Allen Klein was running John. He'd organised Phil Spector and I think George and Ringo had gone along with it. They'd actually made an arrangement with EMI and said, 'This is going to be our record.' EMI came to me and said, 'You made this record originally but we can't have your name on it.' I asked them why not and they said: 'Well, you didn't produce the final thing.' I said, 'I produced the original and what you should do is have a credit saying: "Produced by George Martin, over-produced by Phil Spector".' They didn't think that was a good idea." Paul used this incident as reason to leave The Beatles in their court case to dissolve The Beatles beginning in February 1971, claiming that Allen Klein's company, ABKCO, arranged for the alteration of this recording without consulting McCartney. Spector, despite this, defeneded his orchestration, saying, "Paul had no problem picking up the Academy Award for the Let It Be movie soundtrack, nor did he have any problem in using my arrangement of the string and horn and choir parts when he performed it during 25 years of touring on his own. If Paul wants to get into a pissing contest about it, he's got me mixed up with someone who gives a shit." Paul had finally gotten his way in 2003, when the album Let It Be... Naked was released. It included the January 31 version originally considered for Get Back without Spector's overdubs. This version was also used in the Let It Be film.

Recording Sessions


Single Release

The Long and Winding Road was released as a single in the US, backed by For You Blue. 1.2 million copies sold in the first two days of it's release, making it a number one single. It would turn out to be The Beatles' last in the US.

Personnel

The Beatles

Guest Musicians

  • Unknown: 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, harp, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitarists, and 14 female vocalists

Production

Available Versions

Available On

Cover Versions

  • ABBA
  • David Archuleta
  • Tony Bennett
  • George Benson
  • Ray Charles
  • Cher
  • The Corrs
  • Chris de Burgh
  • The Four Tops
  • Peter Frampton
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Tom Jones
  • Barry Manilow
  • Maureen McGovern
  • Olivia Newton-John
  • Billy Ocean
  • Kenny Rogers
  • Diana Ross
  • S Club 7
  • Leo Sayer
  • Regine Velasquez
  • Will Young and Gareth Gates

Source

Retrieved from "http://www.beatleswiki.org/wiki/The_Long_and_Winding_Road"
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