'Let It Be' : Story Of A Song Trivia Quiz

Answer: Paul McCartney

The song is officially credited to Lennon and McCartney, but Paul wrote it alone. Lennon, disparagingly, said of the song: "That's Paul. What can you say? Nothing to do with the Beatles. It could've been Wings. I don't know what he's thinking.... I think it was inspired by 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters.' That's my feeling, although I have nothing to go on. I know he wanted to write a 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters'." In fact, 'Let It Be' was written a year before 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters'.

Answer: Paul McCartney's mother

McCartney's mother, Mary, died when he was 14. He later recalled: "One night ...I had a dream, I saw my mum, who'd been dead ten years or so. And it was great to see her because that's a wonderful thing about dreams, you actually are reunited with that person for a second...

In the dream she said, 'It'll be alright.' I'm not sure if she used the words 'Let it be' but that was the gist of her advice, it was 'Don't worry too much, it will turn out okay.' It was such a sweet dream I woke up thinking, 'Oh, it was really great to visit with her again.' I felt very blessed to have that dream." [Source: Beatles 'Anthology']

Answer: False

The single reached number one in the USA, but peaked at number 2 in the UK.

Answer: You Know My Name (Look up the Number)

'Let It Be' was released as a single in March 1970. Other tracks on the album included 'Maggie Mae' 'The Long and Winding Road' and a live version of 'Get Back'.
Billy Preston played Fender Rhodes electric piano and Hammond organ on the LP.

Answer: George Harrison

In 1969, the Beatles met to record an album - also entitled 'Let It Be' - at Twickenham studios for a movie. In November 2003, Ed Masley, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, recalled: "After nine days of jamming in front of the cameras, George Harrison, tired of being told what part to play or not to play by McCartney, walked out on the project, threatening to quit the group."

Answer: Brokenhearted

'Let It Be' - the album - was overdubbed by Phil Spector, who gave it his trademark 'wall of sound' effect. That proved to be controversial. Some say he was not true to the principle. Neil Aspinall, head of Apple Corp., recalled "I'm not sure that anybody told him, 'It's got to be what a four or [with keyboard player Billy Preston rounding out the lineup] five piece band could do, Phil. No overdubbing and orchestras.' They just gave the tapes to him, and so he did what Phil Spector does and overdubbed and put orchestras on and all the rest of it.

In a sense, he did a really good job. It's a great album, but it wasn't what the concept was in the first place." However, George Harrison, is quoted in "Anthology" saying, "Paul ... didn't want Phil Spector involved or didn't like him overdubbing orchestras on 'The Long and Winding Road' and other tracks.

But I personally thought it was a really good idea." [Source: Review by Ed Masley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 2003]

Answer: Tomorrow

The album 'Let It Be' was released May 1970. It was produced by George Martin and overdubbed by Phil Spector. More than 30 years later a new 'de-Spectored' version appeared, entitled 'Let It Be - Naked' - with many of Spector's strings and overdubs removed. Ed Masley, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reported: "McCartney says the project sprang from conversations with director Michael Lindsay-Hogg about releasing 'Let It Be', the film, on DVD. 'And the more I thought about it,' he says, 'I realized that the music in the film is unadorned, or sort of naked as I was calling it, thinking of it without the overdubs that Phil Spector had been brought in to do. That was OK; I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it.'" Massley also noted that on the The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney said: "I heard the Spector version again recently, and it sounded terrible."

Answer: No 20

The top five in that 'Rolling Stone' list were: 1, "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan;
2, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones; 3, "Imagine" by John Lennon; 4,"What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye' and 5, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin.

Answer: Lesley Garrett

The Yorkshire-born soprano Lesley Garrett included her version of 'Let it Be', on her album 'The Singer'. Born in 1955, Garrett was appointed CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 2002 for services to music.

Answer: Across The Universe

More than 30 Beatles songs were used in the movie, which starred Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturges. It was the story of an Englishman (Jim Sturges) who travelled to America in the 1960s to find his estranged father and, naturally, fell in love with an American girl (Evan Rachel Wood). They became involved in the anti-war movement when her brother was drafted to serve in Vietnam. Actors Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum sang the song. The movie was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and the soundtrack for a Grammy.
'Across The Universe' was the title of another track on the 'Let It Be' album.