It’s one of those songs that feels like it has existed forever. You hear those first few piano chords, that steady C major grounding, and you immediately know where you are. But if you’re asking who sang Let It Be, the answer is both incredibly simple and surprisingly layered depending on which version of history you’re looking at.
Paul McCartney wrote it. Paul McCartney sang it. He’s the one sitting at the piano, pouring his soul into a lyric that sounds like a hymn but started as a dream about his mother.
But saying "Paul McCartney" is only the beginning. The song is the title track of the final Beatles album released, yet it was recorded during a time when the band was basically screaming at each other in a cold film studio. It is a song about peace recorded in a room full of tension.
The Dream That Changed Everything
Paul was exhausted. It was 1968, and the "White Album" sessions had been a total grind. The Beatles were drifting. Ringo had briefly quit. John was increasingly preoccupied with Yoko Ono and his own creative pivot. In the middle of this chaos, Paul had a dream.
His mother, Mary Mohin McCartney, had died of cancer when Paul was only 14. In this dream, she came to him. He hadn’t seen her face clearly in years, but there she was, reassuring him. She told him, "It will be all right. Just let it be."
He woke up feeling blessed.
He sat down and started writing. People often mistake "Mother Mary" for a biblical reference to the Virgin Mary. Paul has never really fought that interpretation—he likes that it means different things to different people—but for him, it was literal. It was Mary McCartney. It was a son looking for his mom when his world was falling apart.
The Studio Version vs. The Spector Version
While Paul is the one who sang Let It Be, the song you hear on the radio might sound different depending on the day. There isn't just one "Let It Be."
The version released as a single in March 1970 was produced by George Martin. It’s cleaner. It has a softer guitar solo by George Harrison. It feels like a prayer.
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Then you have the version on the Let It Be album. Enter Phil Spector.
John Lennon, who was pretty much "over" the whole Beatles thing by 1970, gave the raw tapes to Spector to see if he could save them. Spector did what Spector did: he added a "Wall of Sound." He layered on a choir, a brass section, and a much more aggressive, distorted guitar solo.
Paul hated it.
Honestly, he loathed what Spector did to his song. He felt it was over-produced and schmaltzy. Decades later, in 2003, Paul finally released Let It Be... Naked, which stripped away all that extra production so you could actually hear the band playing. If you want to hear the rawest version of who sang Let It Be, the Naked version is where Paul's vocal is most exposed.
Who else is on the track?
It wasn't just Paul. While he’s the lead vocalist, the support is vital.
- John Lennon: He played six-string bass. To be blunt? He didn't do a great job. Some critics and fans point out a few "clams" or missed notes in the bass line because John wasn't a natural bassist and wasn't particularly invested in Paul’s "granny music" at the time.
- George Harrison: He provided the backing vocals and that iconic solo. Whether you prefer the "mellow" single version or the "stinging" album version, George’s touch is what makes it a rock song.
- Ringo Starr: Reliable as a heartbeat. He keeps that funeral-march-to-celebration tempo perfectly.
- Billy Preston: This is the secret sauce. Billy was brought in to play the Hammond organ. He’s the "Fifth Beatle" on this track, adding that gospel soul that makes the song soar.
The Misconceptions About the Breakup
A lot of people think Let It Be was the last thing they recorded because it was the last thing they released. That’s actually wrong. They recorded the bulk of the Let It Be sessions in January 1969. They actually went on to record the Abbey Road album after that.
The Let It Be project—originally titled Get Back—was so miserable that they shelved the tapes for a year. They couldn't stand to look at them. When you watch the Get Back documentary, you see the tension. You see Paul trying to hold it together, John staring into space, and George literally quitting the band for a few days.
When you listen to who sang Let It Be now, you’re listening to a man trying to convince himself that everything would be okay, even as he watched his life's work dissolve in front of him.
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Famous Covers: Who Else Sang Let It Be?
Because it’s a modern standard, everyone has tried it. Some worked. Some... really didn't.
Aretha Franklin actually released her version before The Beatles released theirs. Paul had sent her a demo. Her version is pure church. It’s drenched in soul and feels much more like a traditional gospel track.
Joan Baez did a notable version. Bill Withers took a crack at it. Even Ray Charles put his spin on it. In 1987, a charity ensemble called Ferry Aid (including Boy George and Kate Bush) took it to Number 1 in the UK.
But none of them quite capture that specific "Paul" quality. There is a slight crack in his voice on the original takes that tells you he isn't just singing lyrics; he’s pleading with the universe.
Why It Still Works in 2026
We live in a loud world. Everything is "breaking news" or a "crisis."
Let It Be works because it is the ultimate "stop and breathe" song. It doesn't tell you to fix the problem. It doesn't give you a 10-point plan for success. It just tells you to sit in the moment and wait for the light to show up.
It’s a song about acceptance.
When Paul sang those lines in the studio in 1969, he was 26 years old. Think about that. A 26-year-old wrote a song that people now play at funerals, weddings, and graduations. It has this ancient wisdom that feels like it came from someone who had lived a thousand years.
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Deep Tracks and Trivia
- The "laughing" intro: On the album version, you can hear John Lennon joking around before the song starts. He says, "I dig Pygmy by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf-Aids... Phase one, in which Doris gets her oats!" It was a bit of Lennon sarcasm to undercut the "seriousness" of Paul’s ballad.
- The 1985 Live Aid performance: Paul sang it as the grand finale. His microphone failed for the first two minutes. He was singing to 70,000 people and a billion TV viewers, and no one could hear him. He just kept going. Eventually, the tech kicked in, and the crowd roared.
- The chords: It’s a simple I-V-vi-IV progression in the key of C. Anyone who has played guitar for three days can play the basics of this song. That’s the genius of it. It’s accessible.
Finding the Best Version
If you really want to experience the song, don’t just stick to the "1" hits collection.
- Listen to the Single Version (found on the Past Masters collection) for the most "Beatle-esque" experience.
- Listen to the Album Version if you like George Harrison’s guitar work and want more "edge."
- Watch the Get Back Documentary (the rooftop era footage) to see the actual moment the song was being wrestled into existence.
The next time someone asks you who sang Let It Be, you can tell them it was a guy named Paul who was missing his mom and watched his best friends drift away, all while the tape was rolling.
Actionable Insight for Music Lovers
If you're a musician or a hobbyist, try playing the song in a different key. Most people find C major a bit "bright" for the lyrics. Dropping it to B major or even A major changes the entire emotional resonance of the vocal. It goes from a shout of hope to a quiet whisper of survival.
Also, take a moment to look up Billy Preston’s solo work. Without his input on that Hammond organ, the song would lose its "Mother Mary" spiritual backbone. He didn't just play the notes; he provided the atmosphere.
Stop looking for the "perfect" version. The beauty of this track is in its flaws—the squeak of a drum pedal, the slight strain in a high note, and the history of four guys from Liverpool who were about to say goodbye.
Next Steps for Deep Diving:
- Compare the Solos: Listen to the single version (George Martin) and the album version (Phil Spector) back-to-back. Note how the guitar tone changes your perception of the lyrics.
- Explore the "Naked" Project: Check out the 2003 Let It Be... Naked album to hear the songs as the band originally intended, without the orchestral overlays.
- Watch the Documentary: Spend time with Peter Jackson’s Get Back on Disney+ to see the literal hour-by-hour creation of the track.
The song isn't just a recording; it's a historical document of the end of the 1960s. Whatever you're going through, just listen to the advice Paul got from his mom. It'll be all right. Just let it be.