Paul McCartney's ballad, "The Long and Winding Road", "became The Beatles' 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet." A beautiful and melancholy song, it nonetheless has a somewhat litigious reputation:
While the released version of the song was very successful, the post-production modifications to the song by producer Phil Spector angered McCartney to the point that when he made his case in court for breaking up The Beatles as a legal entity, McCartney cited the treatment of "The Long and Winding Road" as one of six reasons for doing so.
The version I listened to was the 2009 stereo remaster, which fits the description for the low-key version that McCartney preferred rather than the Spector-ized version he hated. Since I trust Paul's judgment when it comes to his songs, and after listening to both versions, I much prefer the original.
Another important and much-discussed aspect of the song is John's poor bass playing. According to Wikipedia, "Lennon, who played bass only occasionally, made several mistakes on the recording. Some writers, such as Ian MacDonald, have postulated that the disenchanted Lennon's ragged bass playing was purposeful." MacDonald also said that John's bass was "'atrocious' to the point of sabotage". I wouldn't doubt that, considering the tension and backhanded dealings between the guys at the time.
My thoughts on the matter are that things must have been truly terrible for John to betray his own musicianship in order to hurt Paul in any way he could. The morose lyrics of "The Long and Winding Road", begging for reconciliation, must not have spoken to John--he sent a very clear message of his thoughts on the matter.
That's all for today... see you tomorrow.
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Heard It Tally: 49
Songs Completed: 198
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