The Beatles‘ “Let It Be” is so influential it even inspired a song by Kanye West. Interestingly, Paul McCartney helped West write the track. West’s tune shared some of the lyrical details of “Let It Be” but none of the sound.
How the story of The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ inspired Kanye West’s ‘Only One’
During a 2011 interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, Paul said The Beatles’ “Let It Be” originated with a dream. “I had a dream where my mother, who had been dead at that point for about 10 years, came to me in the dream, and it was as if she could see that I was troubled,” he recalled. “And she sort of said to me, she said, ‘Let it be.’”
That saying obviously had an impact on Paul. “I woke up and I remembered the dream, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s a great idea,’” he said. “And I then sat down and wrote the song using the feeling from that dream and of my mum coming to me in the dream.” Contrary to popular belief, the “Mother Mary” in the song is Paul’s mother, Mary McCartney, not the Virgin Mary.
During a 2018 interview with GQ, Paul recalled telling West that story. Immediately afterward, West wanted to write a song about his own deceased mother. Then, Paul came up with a piano melody and West started singing over it. Paul’s piano playing became part of West’s song “Only One.”
Like “Let It Be,” “Only One” is about a mother comforting her son. Despite that, the two songs aren’t that similar. “Only One” sounds more like a ballad from West’s synth-pop era than anything from the Fab Four’s discography.
Why the former Beatle got pushback for working with Kanye West
Paul got some pushback for working with West. For example, some of his older fans didn’t like the idea of the “Silly Love Songs” singer working with a rapper. A famous rock star took issue with the collaboration for other reasons. Blur’s Damon Albarn sent Paul a text telling him to “beware” the “Heartless” rapper. Paul dismissed that message.
“If I want to go somewhere else from where I normally go or where I’m expected to go, I’ll go,” the cute Beatle said. “And if I enjoy it, that’s enough for me. The great thing is, all sorts of hysterical things come out of it. I mean, there’s a lot of people think Kanye discovered me. And that’s not a joke.”
Why ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Only One’ had different cultural impacts
The Beatles’ “Let It Be” was their penultimate No. 1 single. The track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, lasting on the chart for 14 weeks altogether. The track became one of the Fab Four’s biggest standards, inspiring covers by Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner, Joan Baez, John Denver, and Meat Loaf.
“Only One” was a more modest hit. The song reached No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and lasted on the chart for eight weeks. It doesn’t look like it’s going to become a standard — especially in light of West’s recent controversies.
“Only One” doesn’t sound much like a Beatles song — but it proves that the Fab Four’s influence can be found in unexpected places.
