What is the best cover of ‘Let It Be’?
You’d think that covering ‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles would be considered a bad idea. After all, they’re generally considered “the greatest band of all time”.
While in the age of remakes this may sound strange, people don’t often feel like putting their own spin on the greatest things of all time. There’s never been a Casablanca remake, despite a story about standing up to fascists being almost tailor-made for 2025. No writer has ever tried to put their own spin on James Joyce’s Ulysses or Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and while there are a myriad of actors who’ve taken on roles like Hamlet or Lord Macbeth, theatre is a living medium that demands that level of reimagining.
Perhaps that’s the reason why people still keep covering The Beatles. The most covered songs in pop music is essentially a list of Lennon/McCartney songs with a few George Harrison classics sprinkled in for good measure. It stands to reason they have less in common with great works of cinema or theatre because they’re more alive than that. Pop songs are the most direct medium of art because they make us feel so much with so little, and we can help but share things that make us feel things, no matter how much we should ‘Let It Be’.
If there was ever a glorious irony, it’s that the unofficial swan song of The Beatles has become one of these standards. A song released to close the book on one of the most celebrated decades in music has been taken and adapted by some of the greatest voices in the history of pop music. To be clear, a lot of these versions are catastrophic, just check out Jon Bon Jovi mutilating the song at the 2007 Royal Variety Show for proof of that. Same with Meat Loaf’s scenery-chewing version from the mid-1990s.
However, in the right hands, this song can be truly transcendent. To be clear, the hand of Joan Baez is the right hand for any song, and her version is living proof of this, stripping the overblown Phil Spectorisms of the original to focus on a gentle, countrified backing and her ever-spellbinding voice. However, the orchestra and choir that intrude on this cover for its final minute and a half miss what made its opening three quarters so special, so file this under a missed opportunity.
Who else has recorded ‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles?
The ultimate irony is that the original Spector production was the exact opposite of what Paul McCartney, in particular, wanted the whole Let It Be record to be. There are many covers that don’t understand this, packing the song with as many bells and whistles as the convicted murderer put on the final Beatles album, if not shudderingly more. It’s telling that all the best covers of the song understand that these are tracks that can be stripped down and, whisper it, are often at their best when they’re bare.
Bill Withers‘ take on the song is a perfect example of this. Shedding not only the overblown production but also the po-faced seriousness of many covers to unearth an upbeat, strutting version of the song out of little more than a tambourine, an organ and handclaps. Withers’ Baritone takes centrestage here and, like every time that happens, it’s a total, unabashed joy from start to finish. A magical version of the song, but one that does pack away some of its more emotional qualities in favour of an easy-going feel.
It’s a wonderful, out there choice, make no mistake. Yet the best versions of the song are ones that combine that daring new vision with the emotional power at its core. Loathe though I am to give Ike Turner credit for anything, Ike and Tina’s 1970 version is utterly astonishing for this reason. It’s a Tina lead vocal (as it absolutely should be), so it’s easy to feel like this sultry, R&B-inflected take on the classic song is a solo number, especially with a vocal performance as breathtaking as this one.
However, there is one version that combines every positive aspect into one take on ‘Let It Be’ that might just be even better than the original. Ray Charles’ 1977 version from his album True to Life is stripped down, yet still with depth and flair. It has its own, somewhat gospel flavoured take on the material (fitting for a song that invokes “Mother Mary” many a time), yet unmistakably remains a tribute to the Fabs. Most of all, it has, y’know, Ray Charles singing it.
His vocal is understated yet deeply moving, in a way that matches his vision of the song. One that might just be the closest to Paul McCartney’s initial vision of the song than any other, the original included. For that, it more than deserves its position as the greatest cover version of ‘Let It Be’ ever recorded.
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