The Long and Winding Road is a song by the Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. When issued as a single on 11 May 1970, a month after the band's breakup, it became the Beatles' 20th and final number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The original January 1969 recording featured a sparse piano-based arrangement, but in April 1970 producer Phil Spector added orchestral and choral overdubs which angered McCartney and helped fuel the band's dissolution. The original overdub-free take was later released on Anthology 3, and a 2003 Let It Be... Naked version offered a stripped-down alternative. McCartney wrote the song at his farm in Scotland, drawing on the calm Highlands scenery; the tune is in E-flat major with slightly jazzy chords and no traditional chorus, yielding a melancholic ballad. The track has since been widely covered and remains a staple in McCartney's live performances.
