**Behind the Music: Untold Truths and Unexpected Twists from The Beatles’ *Let It Be* — A Raw, Restless Farewell Album That Wasn’t Meant to End It All but Somehow Did Anyway**
Released in May 1970, just weeks after The Beatles’ split was officially announced, *Let It Be* carries the weight of a goodbye the band never explicitly gave. But despite being their final release, it wasn’t meant to be a swan song—it was a chaotic project born from hope, strained by ego, and reshaped by time.
Originally conceived as *Get Back*, the idea was bold: strip everything down and return to the roots—no overdubs, no studio polish, just four guys playing live. What they got instead were tense rehearsals, creative clashes, and film crews capturing it all. The sessions were shelved, and the band retreated to create *Abbey Road*, a more cohesive—and secretly final—studio album.
Enter Billy Preston. Brought in by George Harrison, Preston’s joyful keyboard playing and calming presence momentarily thawed icy tensions. His soulful fingerprints are all over the standout tracks, including “Get Back” and “I’ve Got a Feeling,” making him one of the only musicians ever credited on a Beatles record.
The rooftop concert that closes the film and the era was improvised. Grand ideas like performing in an ancient Roman amphitheater were abandoned. Instead, on a gray January afternoon in 1969, the band climbed to the roof of Apple Corps and played what would be their last public performance—unannounced, unapproved, and unforgettable.
*Let It Be* was eventually assembled by producer Phil Spector, who layered strings and choirs onto tracks like “The Long and Winding Road,” infuriating Paul McCartney. For over 30 years, he publicly criticized the result, eventually overseeing *Let It Be… Naked* in 2003 to restore the album’s original spirit.
Messy, melancholic, and strangely beautiful, *Let It Be* remains The Beatles’ most misunderstood farewell. Not perfect—but d
eeply human.
