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Letting Go (Wings song)

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"Letting Go"
Single by Wings
from the album Venus and Mars
B-side"You Gave Me the Answer"
Released4 October 1975
Recorded5 November 1974[1]
StudioAbbey Road, London
GenreBlues rock
Length4:30 (Album version)
3:36 (Single version)
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Paul McCartney
Wings singles chronology
"Listen to What the Man Said"
(1975) 		"Letting Go"
(1975) 		"Venus and Mars/Rock Show"
(1975)
Official audio
"Letting Go" on YouTube
Alternative cover
German single cover

"Letting Go" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney and originally released by Wings on their 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song was remixed and released as a single on 4 October 1975 in the United States, and on 18 October 1975 in the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number 41 in the UK, 41 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2][3][4][5]

Recording

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The song was recorded late in 1974 at Abbey Road Studios, before the band went to New Orleans to record the majority of Venus and Mars.[6] It was one of only three songs recorded for the album with short-term Wings drummer Geoff Britton before he quit the band (the others being "Love in Song" and "Medicine Jar").[6][7]

Lyrics and music

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Like many of Paul McCartney's songs of this period, the subject of "Letting Go" is his wife Linda.[8] The singer describes himself in a relationship with a beautiful woman but he remains concerned about the relationship.[9] McCartney biographer Peter Ames Carlin claims that the song "traced the thin line between love and obsession", with "passion in all its unhinged, dangerous glory."[10] The song reflects McCartney's recognition that he needed to give his wife more space to pursue her own interests, after Linda had given up her career as a photographer to join his band.[8] The content of the lyrics varies between the verses and refrain, with the verses describing the subject and the refrain acknowledging the idea of "letting go."[8] The key is A minor at the start of the song, but the song ends in C minor.[8]

The contrast in the lyrics is also reflected in the music, with the refrain using a descending note melody and having a darker sound than the verses, which have a melody that wavers up and down.[8][9] The song uses a medium tempo, and the instruments include a guitar part described by Allmusic critic Donald Guarisco as "bluesy" and keyboards, plus a horn parts in an interlude as well as in the outro.[8][9] "Letting Go" has more of a soul music feel than most of the songs on Venus and Mars, which are more pop music oriented.[9]

Critical reception

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Billboard described it as being one of Wings' "less surrealistic productions," commenting on its "hymn-to-nature" lyrics and "vaguely omninous minor chord progression."[11] Cash Box commented on the "Eagles-influenced guitars."[12] The single version is remixed and is approximately a minute shorter than the album track.[13][14] The single also incorporates elements that were not included on the album track, such as an organ glissando at the beginning.[13]

Ultimate Classic Rock contributor Nick DeRiso rated "Letting Go" to be Wings' 10th greatest song, praising its "dark, roiling tone" and how it "explores that narrow space between love and obsession to great effect."[15] Chip Madinger and Mark Easter called it "one of the best songs on the LP."[13] Robert Rodriguez called it "a strong track topped with a full slab of brass" and noted that it was "one of the Wings' onstage highlights."[16] Authors Roy Carr and Tony Tyler described the song as one of the few "genuinely potent" tracks on Venus and Mars but said that McCartney "should have taken his advice and let go. This seeks to be composedly heavy but merely succeeds in attaining a considerable degree of ponderosity."[17] In the book The Rough Guide to the Beatles, Chris Ingham wrote "Letting Go" was "an inert sludge rocker," calling it "a disastrous choice for a single."[18]

Live performances

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The song was performed during the Wings over America tour in 1976, and was included on the live album Wings over America and on the concert film, Rockshow.[9][19][20] Larry Rohter of The Washington Post described the performance on Wings Over America as "rollicking" and "exciting."[21] Ben Fong-Torres described McCartney's live performance of the song as "reaching back for some of that Little Richard inspiration."[22] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso said that it "is shot through with this jagged sexuality."[23] McCartney played it again during his 2010 Up and Coming Tour, his 2016 One on One tour, and his 2023 Got Back tour.

A previously unreleased mix of the song was offered as a free download through Lauren Laverne's Radio 6 Music show on 29 October 2014.[24]

Covers

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"Letting Go" has been covered by Ian Mitchell on the album Garage Band Tribute To the Beatles.[25][26]

In 2014 the song was covered by Heart on The Art of McCartney covers album.[27] Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes this version as laying into the song's "spooky heart."[27]

Personnel

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Wings

Additional musicians

  • Clyde Kerr – trumpet
  • John Longo – trumpet
  • Michael Pierce – alto sax
  • Alvin Thomas – alto sax
  • Carl Blouin – baritone sax

References

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  1. ^ "Letting Go (song)". The Paul McCartney Project.
  2. ^ Joel Whitburn's Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996 -ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0
  3. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2010 (13th. Ed.) - ISBN 0-89820-188-8
  4. ^ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Paul McCartney singles". allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  6. ^ a b Blaney, J. (2007). Lennon and McCartney: together alone : a critical discography of their solo work. Jawbone Press. pp. 108–110. ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2.
  7. ^ Rodriguez, R. (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years 1970-1980. Hal Leonard. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-87930-968-8.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Benitez, V.P. (2010). The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years. Praeger. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-0-313-34969-0.
  9. ^ a b c d e Guarisco, D. "Letting Go". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 August 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ Carlin, P.A. (2009). Paul McCartney: a life. Simon and Schuster. pp. 236–237. ISBN 978-1-4165-6209-2.
  11. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 4 October 1975. p. 66. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  12. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 4 October 1975. p. 24. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Madinger, C.; Easter, M. (2000). Eight Arms to Hold You. 44.1 Productions. p. 204. ISBN 0-615-11724-4.
  14. ^ "Dutch charts: Letting Go". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  15. ^ DeRiso, Nick (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  16. ^ Rodriguez, R. (2010). Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years 1970-1980. Hal Leonard. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-87930-968-8.
  17. ^ Carr, R.; Tyler, T. (1978). The Beatles: An illustrated record. Harmony Books. p. 110. ISBN 0-517-53367-7.
  18. ^ Ingham, C. (2009). The Rough Guide to the Beatles (3rd ed.). Penguin. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-4053-8445-2.
  19. ^ Erlewine, S.T. "Wings Over America". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  20. ^ "Rockshow". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  21. ^ Rohter, L. (2 January 1977). "1976 to be remembered as the year of live albums". Spokesman-Review. p. 12. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  22. ^ Fong-Torres, B. (1999). Not fade away: a backstage pass to 20 years of rock & roll. Hal Leonard. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-87930-590-1.
  23. ^ DeRiso, Nick (10 December 2016). "How Paul McCartney Marked a Career Milestone with 'Wings Over America'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  24. ^ "BBC Radio 6 Music - Lauren Laverne - MPFree - October 2014". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  25. ^ "Garage Band Tribute To the Beatles". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^ "Paul McCartney covers". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  27. ^ a b "The Art of McCartney". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
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