When I find myself in trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
You will all recognise these lyrics instantly. You will hear the tune in your head. If you hear the record, you will probably sing it right through with Paul. If you hear it at a concert, you will be on your feet. This is one of his signature songs, similar in vein to ‘Yesterday’. A Paul special.
He wrote this song in the troubled times of 1968. Troubled for The Beatles, that is. ‘The White Album’ sessions were ongoing; there were tensions in Abbey Road studios. While Paul was living alone in St. John’s Wood, the other three Beatles were living further out of London, so after the recording sessions, Paul often found himself partying out and about on the town. One night, Paul tells how he had a clear dream about his Mother, Mary, which he found very comforting. The dream visit inspired the song and the title says it all. Let It Be! Paul was lost in troubled times, in ‘an hour of darkness’. His mother speaks ‘words of wisdom’…let it be, Paul. He then moves on from his personal troubles, to include other ‘brokenhearted people’ and reassures them that ‘there will be an answer’ and ‘a chance that they will see’. Even when ‘the night is cloudy’, Mary has shown Paul that the ‘light still shines’.
Some people see a religious element to ‘Let It Be’, which Paul accepts, saying that having any faith can only be a good thing. But he does say alongside that, that Mary is his Mother, not the Mother of Jesus.
An interesting facet of this dream is that Paul sees his Mother’s face very clearly, for the first time in a long time. Paul says, “It was lovely. I woke with a great feeling. It was like she had really visited me at this point in my life and gave me this message. Be gentle, don’t fight things, just try and go with the flow and it will all work out.”
This is really beautiful. Shortly after the dream, Paul met Linda.
‘Let It Be’ was released as a single in 1970 and of course, it became the title of the final album, also released in 1970. It has become a modern classic.
Beatleweek may or may not happen this year. It may be real, it may be virtual. But it already has a title….’Let It Be Liverpool’, as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the single. It is already on the front cover of the main programme. If this festival does not take place at the end of August, it will be due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
I would like to add a note here, from a young Beatle fan, who is very astute. I asked him to tell us what ‘Let It Be’ means to him and this is what he sent to me:
‘I first heard Let It Be when I was 7. My Dad was playing it on his piano and I thought it was a lovley song. I think the words mean that if you feel sad about anything, then everything will be ok. This is why I like the song at this moment and is now my favourite Beatles song’.
This is very apt for these troubled times. Thank you, William.
William Cook, aged 9. Florence Melly Primary School, Liverpool
Julia Baird is John Lennon’s half-sister, she is also a director of the Cavern Club, Honorary President of the Strawberry Field project and a passionate ambassador for the city of Liverpool.