A Toast to ‘Let It Be’ by the Beatles, Released 50 Years Ago Today

Let It Be. The twelfth and final studio album from the Beatles, released after the Fab Four had gone their separate ways, debuted 50 years ago today, on May 8, 1970.

The context surrounding the record pinpoints just how fractious things were at the time. Though Let It Be was released in 1970, it was mostly recorded a year earlier — even before Abbey Road, which was released in ’69 — and featured post-production work from Phil Spector, after initial production came from Glyn Johns and Sir George Martin.

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Musically, Let It Be features some of the Beatles’ most classic songs, including the title track, “The Long and Winding Road” (the final version of which frustrated McCartney, who disagreed with the production flourishes given to the track by Spector) and “Across the Universe,” proving that even during the era that found John, Paul, George and Ringo at the end of their collective rope, they still managed to create some beautiful music that has held up decades later.

The Let It Be sessions are so legendary, they’re the focus of significant attention even a half-century later — as Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary is slated for release in September, featuring a trove of unseen footage from the album recording sessions.

Per Variety, the new Get Back film looks to be pretty revelatory:

Variety viewed a top-secret trailer of “Get Back” earlier this year, and it’s practically a different world: It’s brighter both visually and spiritually, with many, many shots of the Beatles joking around, making fun of each other, singing in silly accents and generally indulging in vintage Moptop hijinks. It also includes additional footage from the group’s legendary 42-minute “rooftop performance” that caps the “Let It Be” film, which was their last live performance.

The record remains a landmark achievement by the Beatles, despite the turmoil surrounding its recording, release and the Beatles’ dissolution — as even 50 years later, it’s still talked about endlessly.

Here’s a toast to that record, and the Beatles’ legacy. Stream the album below, via Spotify.