“Let It Be,” the Beatles’ sweeping 1970 single, came to Paul McCartney in a dream. The term “Mother Mary” is literal in the song, referring to the bassist’s mother, Mary McCartney, who died of cancer when her son was 14. The Fab Four were in turmoil during recording sessions for 1968’s The White Album, and McCartney was feeling the strain. During that time, his late mother appeared to him in a dream, urging her son to “let it be.” McCartney woke up the next morning and started writing what would become one of the Beatles’ most timeless hits. Now, that hit is getting new life in the form of a music video.
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[RELATED: Paul McCartney Shares Which Historical Figure Helped Inspire The Beatles Hit “Let It Be”]
More About ‘Let It Be’
Let It Be was the title track from the Beatles’ final studio album, released in 1970. Video footage of the band rehearsing and recording the album became the now-famous documentary of the same name. Let It Be, directed by Michael Lindsey-Hogg, was released alongside the album, just a month after the group’s public split.
The film has not been available on home video since the 1980s — until now. As of Wednesday (May 8), diehard fans can stream a restored 4K version of Let It Be on Disney+.
The Beatles Announce New Music Video For ‘Let It Be’
The documentary isn’t the only piece of Beatles lore getting new life. The band recently announced plans to drop a new video for “Let It Be” Friday (May 10.)
The video will feature clips from the restored Disney+ documentary, along with previously unseen outtakes.
“Let It Be” holds a bittersweet place in the band’s history. It was the final single released before McCartney announced his exit from the legendary foursome.
Therefore, a pall has long hung over the song, the album and the documentary. Fans saw the documentary, especially, as witnessing their favorite artists falling apart in real time.
“And so the people went to see ‘Let It Be’ with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see The Beatles together again. I will never have that joy again,’ and it very much darkened the perception of the film,” said Lindsey-Hogg, the documentary’s director.
With the restored version now available globally, Lindsey-Hogg hopes fans will see his film in a new light.
“”But in fact, there’s a great deal of joy and happiness and creation going on, and ‘Let It Be’ is — especially when you get to the roof, and you see the exchange and the way that they look at each other — essentially a happy and ‘up’ movie,” he said.
Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
