"Let It Be" was written by Paul McCartney, who also sings it, and is credited to Lennon-McCartney. The Beatles recorded the master take on 31 January 1969. It was released as a single on 6 March 1970, backed by "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)", and as the title track of the album Let It Be in May 1970. Phil Spector remixed the album version, while the single used George Martin's mix. The song has three stanzas of four verses each, a chorus, and a mid-song descent from F to C, with the character of a soft rock ballad. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in April 1970 and topped the charts in Australia, Canada, France, Italy and the Netherlands, while reaching No. 2 in the UK. Covers include versions by Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez, Ray Charles and Joe Cocker, and Ferry Aid's 1987 charity single, which was UK No. 1 for three weeks. Dolly Parton recorded a version with McCartney and Starr in 2023.
