1970: The Song That Broke Up the Beatles

“The Long and Winding Road,” a ballad written by Paul McCartney, became the Beatles’ 20th and last #1 hit song for the group in the U.S. The song was released on this day in 1970, but it is not the version that the group had played. During the recording of the song, John Lennon, who had only played the bass occasionally up until this point, had made a number of mistakes and record producer Phil Spector felt that the song needed a large band-aid to cover up these mistakes. So, without the Beatles’ knowledge, Spector added orchestral overdubs to the song including eight violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of 14 women. When McCarney heard the final version of the tune, he was outraged, demanded that Apple Records eliminate the extra music and vocals and gave the official breakup announcement of the group. The album was released with the overdubs in place. Since 1970, six other versions of the song has been released by McCartney. (Image: James Vaughan via Flickr)

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