(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
The Beatles - "The Long and Winding Road"
Hit Number 1: June 13, 1970
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
Everyone at this point knew that the Beatles were going to break up. It was just a matter of how soon and how ugly it was going to be. Things had been falling apart since 1966, when John Lennon and Paul McCartney started disagreeing on which of their songs should be on the A-sides of new singles. They were becoming too popular for their own good. McCartney knew that the end was coming, and he was trying to process everything that happened between 1964 and the present-day. He was inspired by the surroundings of his property High Park Farm in Scotland, and the growing tension between his band and came up with "The Long and Winding Road". The song's title was inspired by a road "stretching up into the hills" and the lyrics were inspired by McCartney's own nostalgia regarding the Beatles' history.
Said McCartney: "I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing and came up with that song. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration." McCartney didn't have any intentions on making it his own though. He said that while he was writing the song, he imagined someone like Ray Charles might sing it. He offered it to Tom Jones instead, who had to turn it down because his record company was about to release Jones' new single "Without Love", a cover of a Clyde McPhatter hit. (Jones' version of "Without Love" made it to #5 on the Hot 100. It's a 4. Jones' highest charting single "She's a Lady" peaked at #2. It's a 6) Without pursuing another taker, McCartney figured the song would work as the next Beatles single. Allegedly, Lennon, who usually played the rhythm guitar for the group, played bass on the song and made several mistakes. It's thought that it might have been intentional as a sort of jab at McCartney, but it's more likely that they were indeed accidents.
The first recordings of the song were done in January 1969, but a year passed without the song ever being released. In early 1970, the recordings were sent to none other than Phil Spector, in hopes that something could be salvaged here. Spector did exactly what you'd expect. He added a bunch of grand orchestrated type instrumentation, with the only Beatle even having a part in it being Ringo Starr, who played the drums. McCartney absolutely hated what Spector had done to his song. He sent a letter to the Beatles manager, Allen Klein, about how he felt everything was way overdone, and he wanted the harp to be removed, and everything else to be turned down. When Klein received McCartney's letter, he tried to call him but could not reach him, as he had changed his number. When he finally got a hold of McCartney via telegram, McCartney told him that he was not going to change his mind, and his letter "spoke for itself." Spector's edited version ended up being released anyway, and that's the version we hear today.
Beatles' producer George Martin didn't like Spector's version either, and thought it sounded nothing like a Beatles record. McCartney, who says that no one ever asked him what he thought of the final song, asked Klein to dissolve the Beatles. Klein denied his request, and McCartney took it to court. He named Klein and the other Beatles as the defendants. His argument was how no one ever asked him what he thought of the song, which Starr denied. Starr said everyone received the final version of the song from Spector, with requests for feedback if any of the Beatles felt the need to give some. Starr also said that McCartney initially did approve the song. He said that when he spoke to McCartney on the phone, McCartney said "It's OK, he didn't put it down." Starr said that all of a sudden McCartney changed his mind, and wanted it to be canceled. In 2003, Spector slammed McCartney, saying that McCartney was a hypocrite, and had no problem picking up the Academy Award for the Let It Be movie soundtrack, or using Spector's own arrangement of the string, horn and choir parts when he performed it live while touring on his own. Afterwards, Spector stated "If Paul wants to get into a pissing contest about it, he's got me mixed up with someone who gives a shit."
So now that all of that drama is out of the way, it's fair to say that "The Long and Winding Road" is the reason for the Beatles break up. Again, people knew it was coming, but the screwing around by Spector was the final straw for McCartney, and he called for the band's breakup. I have to say that I'm with McCartney here. I also think that the orchestral music was way overdone. For God's sake, you can't even hear McCartney for part of the track, because the instruments are so damn loud. McCartney's lead vocal is the only real thing I like about the song, and he sounds sincere when he sings. Of course, when you can actually freaking hear him! The instruments are lush, but way too powerful. The choir belts out what's supposed to be background vocals, but instead they overpower McCartney. It's just a hot mess of gloop. There's no excitement or any emotion at all to be had from the record. It's Spector's ego at work, and that's pretty much it.
The only lasting power that "The Long and Winding Road" has is that it's the Beatles' final #1 hit, and the song that announces the end of an era. The song's somber nature likely captured the feelings everyone had when they heard of the Beatles' breakup. When it hit #1, it became the Beatles' 20th #1 hit on the Hot 100, which still remains a record today. (We can rest easy knowing they have one more #1 hit than Mariah Carey, who has 19. Considering Carey is now 50, I doubt we'll see another #1 song from her. No matter how many times the god-awful "All I Want for Christmas Is You" hits #1.) I would say that this is the last time we'll hear from the Beatles, which is true, but it's also not. All four of the members had successful solo careers, and each of them had more than #1 hit while they were solo, which is pretty damn remarkable if you think about it. It's just too bad their final #1 hit in the U.S. was supposed to be a lovely song inspired from McCartney's farm's surroundings in Scotland and instead it was turned into a giant gloop show.
GRADE: 4/10
Oh yeah, and "The Long and Winding Road" hit #1 alongside "For You Blue", but with the giant backstory that came with "The Long and Winding Road", I saw no good place to randomly bring it up. Anyway, "For You Blue" is a meaningless piece of nothing. It's a 3.
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