s' last #1 song in the United States on 13 June 1970, and was their last real single. 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. McCartney originally wrote the song at his farm in Scotland, and was inspired by the growing tension among The Beatles. McCartney said later: " I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing and came up with that song, imagining it was going to be done by someone like Ray Charles. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration. " McCartney recorded a quick demo version of the song, with Beatles' engineer Alan Brown assisting, in September of 1968, during the recording sessions for The White Album. The "long and winding road" of the song was claimed to have been inspired by the B842, a thirty-one mile (50 km) winding road in Scotland, running along the east coast of Kintyre into Campbeltown, and part of the eighty-two mile (133 km) drive from Lochgilphead. In an interview in 1994, McCartney described the lyric more obliquely: " It's rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it's a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It's a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist ... It's a sad song because it's all about the unattainable; the door you never quite reach. This is the road that you never get to the end of." " The opening theme is repeated throughout, the song lacks a traditional chorus, and the melody and lyrics are ambiguous about the opening stanza's position in the song; it is unclear whether the song has just begun, is in the verse, or is in the bridge. The Beatles recorded "The Long and Winding Road" on 26 and 31 January 1969, the day after the group's legendary final performance on the roof of their Apple headquarters, with McCartney on piano, Lennon on bass guitar, George Harrison on guitar, Ringo Starr on drums, and Billy Preston on Hammond organ. This was during a series of sessions for an album project then known as Get Back. Lennon, who played bass only occasionally, made several mistakes on the recording. When McCartney first heard the Spector version of the song, he was outraged. Nine days after Spector overdubbed "The Long and Winding Road", McCartney announced that The Beatles were breaking up. On April 14, he sent a sharply worded letter to Apple Records business manager Allen Klein, demanding that the added instrumentation be reduced, the harp part eliminated, and "Don't ever do it again." These requests went unheeded, and the Spector version was included on the album. In an interview published by the Evening Standard in two parts on 22 April and 23 April 1970, McCartney said: "The album was finished a year ago, but a few months ago American record producer Phil Spector was called in by John Lennon to tidy up some of the tracks. But a few weeks ago, I was sent a re-mixed version of my song 'The Long and Winding Road' with harps, horns, an orchestra, and a women's choir added. No one had asked me what I thought. I couldn't believe it." The Beatles' usual producer, George Martin, agreed, calling the remixes "so uncharacteristic" of The Beatles. Lyrics: The long and winding road that leads to your door will never disappear I've seen that road before It always leads me her Lead me to you door The wild and windy night that the rain washed away Has left a pool of tears crying for the day Why leave me standing here let me know the way Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried Any way you'll never know the many ways I've tried But still they lead me back to the long winding road You left me standing here a long long time ago Don't leave me waiting here lead me to your door But still they lead me back to the long winding road You left me standing here a long long time ago Don't leave me waiting here lead me to your door Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

includes songs: - Paul's piano intro - Don't let me down - Maxwell's silver hammer - Two of us - I've got a feeling Part 2 includes songs: - I've got a feeling (second take) - Oh, darling (intro) - One after 909 - Jazz Piano Song - Two of us (parts of it) - Across the universe - Dig a pony - Suzy Parker Part 3 includes songs: - I me mine - For you blue - Besame mucho - Octopus's garden Part 4 includes songs: - Octopus's garden (part 2) - You really got a hold on me - The long and winding road - Shake, rattle and roll Part 5 includes songs: - Kansas city - Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Dig it (long version) Part 6 includes songs: - Two of us - Let it be Part 7 includes songs: - The long and winding road - Get back Part 8 includes songs: - Don't let me down - I've got a feeling - One after 909 Part 9 includes songs: - Dig a pony - Get back Audio fix and video enhanced by Steakies

- One after 909 - Jazz Piano Song - Two of us (parts of it) - Across the universe - Dig a pony - Suzy Parker Part 3 includes songs: - I me mine - For you blue - Besame mucho - Octopus's garden Part 4 includes songs: - Octopus's garden (part 2) - You really got a hold on me - The long and winding road - Shake, rattle and roll Part 5 includes songs: - Kansas city - Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Dig it (long version) Part 6 includes songs: - Two of us - Let it be Part 7 includes songs: - The long and winding road - Get back Part 8 includes songs: - Don't let me down - I've got a feeling - One after 909 Part 9 includes songs: - Dig a pony - Get back

- One after 909 - Jazz Piano Song - Two of us (parts of it) - Across the universe - Dig a pony - Suzy Parker Part 3 includes songs: - I me mine - For you blue - Besame mucho - Octopus's garden Part 4 includes songs: - Octopus's garden (part 2) - You really got a hold on me - The long and winding road - Shake, rattle and roll Part 5 includes songs: - Kansas city - Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Dig it (long version) Part 6 includes songs: - Two of us - Let it be Part 7 includes songs: - The long and winding road - Get back Part 8 includes songs: - Don't let me down - I've got a feeling - One after 909 Part 9 includes songs: - Dig a pony - Get back

- One after 909 - Jazz Piano Song - Two of us (parts of it) - Across the universe - Dig a pony - Suzy Parker Part 3 includes songs: - I me mine - For you blue - Besame mucho - Octopus's garden Part 4 includes songs: - Octopus's garden (part 2) - You really got a hold on me - The long and winding road - Shake, rattle and roll Part 5 includes songs: - Kansas city - Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Dig it (long version) Part 6 includes songs: - Two of us - Let it be Part 7 includes songs: - The long and winding road - Get back Part 8 includes songs: - Don't let me down - I've got a feeling - One after 909 Part 9 includes songs: - Dig a pony - Get back

The Long and Winding Road." At Abbey Road studios, he recorded the orchestral and choir accompaniment for the song. The only member of The Beatles present was Ringo Starr. Already known for his eccentric behaviour in the studio, Spector was in a peculiar mood that day, as balance engineer Pete Brown recalled: "He wanted tape echo on everything, he had to take a different pill every half hour and had his bodyguard with him constantly. ... He was on the point of throwing a wobbly, saying 'I want to hear this, I want to hear that. I must have this, I must have that.'"[cite this quote] Brown and the orchestra eventually became so annoyed by Spector's behaviour that the orchestra refused to play any further, and at one point, Brown left for home, forcing Spector to telephone him and persuade him into coming back, after Starr told Spector to calm down.[8] Finally, Spector succeeded in remixing "The Long and Winding Road," using 18 violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of 14 women.[citation needed] The orchestra was scored and conducted by Richard Hewson, who would later work with McCartney on his album, Thrillington. This lush orchestral treatment was in direct contrast to The Beatles' stated intentions for a "real" recording when they began work on Get Back. When McCartney first heard the Spector version of the song, he was outraged. Nine days after Spector overdubbed "The Long and Winding Road", McCartney announced that The Beatles were breaking up. On April 14 he sent a sharply worded letter to Apple Records business manager Allen Klein demanding that the added instrumentation be reduced, the harp part eliminated, and "Don't ever do it again." These requests went unheeded, and the Spector version went on to be included in the album. In an interview published by the Evening Standard in two parts on April 22 and April 23, 1970, McCartney said: "The album was finished a year ago, but a few months ago American record producer Phil Spector was called in by John Lennon to tidy up some of the tracks. But a few weeks ago, I was sent a re-mixed version of my song 'The Long and Winding Road' with harps, horns, an orchestra, and a women's choir added. No one had asked me what I thought. I couldn't believe it." The Beatles' usual producer, George Martin, agreed, calling the remixes "so uncharacteristic" of The Beatles. McCartney asked Klein to dissolve The Beatles partnership, but was refused. Exasperated, he took the case to court, naming Klein and the other Beatles as defendants. Among the six reasons McCartney gave for dissolving The Beatles was that Klein's company, ABKCO, had caused "intolerable interference" by overdubbing "The Long and Winding Road" without consulting McCartney. Spector claimed that his hand was forced into remixing "The Long and Winding Road" due to the poor quality of Lennon's bass playing. While the poor quality of the bass playing has been noted by other sources (Ian MacDonald described it as "atrocious" in his Revolution In The Head, which contains editorial reviews of several Beatles songs), its basis as the wholescale re-working of the track by Spector has been questioned. McCartney has argued that Spector could have merely edited out the relevant mistakes and rerecorded them, a technique Spector used elsewhere on the album. Specifically, it would have been a simple matter of having McCartney overdub a more appropriate bass part to replace the Lennon bass line that was judged to be inadequate. Ringo Starr later commented that even if Lennon's playing wasn't great, "It was still better than most".[citation needed] The controversy surrounding the song did not prevent a chart-topping single from being released in the United States on May 11, 1970, joined by "For You Blue" on the B-Side. 1.2 million copies were sold in the first two days, and the song began its ten-week long chart run on 23 May. On 13 June, it became The Beatles' twentieth and final number one single in America, according to Billboard magazine.[citation needed] "The Long and Winding Road" brought the curtain down on The Beatles' six years of domination in America, beginning with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964.