“Let It Be” debuted in the Hot 100 higher than any song in history. It’s first week on the chart it was number six. However, due to popularity of the powerhouse before it, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” it took three more weeks to get to number one.

“Let It Be” was the next to the last number one the Beatles had. There would only be one more before the band separated and all went their own ways later in 1970. Paul wrote this song and he sings it. The others just provide backup and some harmonies. The so-called “fifth Beatle,” Billy Preston, also plays the organ on “Let It Be.” When the song was adapted for the album, also called Let It Be, Phil Spector changed the arrangement quite a bit, so if you hear the album version, it sounds quite different. He inserted brass instruments and a choir.

Paul wrote the song for his late mother, Mary, who had died of cancer when he was fourteen.. The reference to “Mother Mary” in the song refers to her, not to the Virgin Mary as most people have assumed. Paul says that his mother came to him in a dream when he was going through some personal crisis. She told him everything would be all right , just let it be. And that was the beginning of the song. Paul is easy going, however. When asked in an interview if the reference is to the Virgin Mary, he said that the listener can interpret the words in any way they want to.

The Beatles were already showing signs of going their own way. The same week that “Let It Be” hit number one, John Lennon’s “Instant Karma” which he recorded with his wife Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band was number three. Paul, however, was the first of the four to announce that he was leaving. That was on April 10, 1970, almost exactly the day “Let It Be” hit number one, which was the week of April 11, 1970.

“Let It Be” entered the Hot 100 at number six on March 21, 1970 and three weeks later, it was number one where it stayed for two weeks.