"Let Me Roll It" is a song by the British–American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Paul McCartney and Wings Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, was a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in 1971 in London by former The Beatles, Beatle Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; a ...

, released on their 1973 album '' Band on the Run''. The song was also released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to " Jet" in early 1974, and has remained a staple of McCartney's live concerts since it was first released.

Origin

The song's title was inspired by a quote from

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

's "

I'd Have You Anytime "I'd Have You Anytime" is a song written by George Harrison and Bob Dylan, released in 1970 as the opening track of Harrison's first post-Beatles solo album, ''All Things Must Pass''. The pair wrote the song at Dylan's home in Bearsville, near ...

", the opening track from his critically acclaimed ''

All Things Must Pass ''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after Break-up of the Beatles, the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes th ...

''. According to ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' contributor Nick DeRiso, John Lennon incorporated the

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

from "Let Me Roll It" into his 1974 song " Beef Jerky". DeRiso rated it as Wings' 7th greatest song. Alternatively, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s critic

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received that institution's Ahme ...

, saw the song as a

pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's sound, particularly the riff and the use of tape echo on the vocals. McCartney, however, didn't intend the song to be a pastiche of Lennon. He did say the vocal "does sound like John. ... I hadn't realised I'd sung it like John." McCartney, Paul, ''Band on the Run: 25th Anniversary Edition'', disc two, track 14 The song has sometimes been described as an answer or response to Lennon's song " How Do You Sleep?", a stinging attack on McCartney on the 1971 '' Imagine'' album. However, Philip Norman's authorized biography ''Paul McCartney: The Life'', recounts that in 1972 – after the release of ''Imagine'' and before the release of ''Band on the Run'' — McCartney and Lennon met and "agreed that slagging one another off, on albums or through the music press, was stupid and childish." Norman quotes Lennon as saying that ''Band on the Run'' was "a great album".

Live performances

"Let Me Roll It" was performed regularly by Wings during their Over the World tour. McCartney performed the song again during his New World Tour, and it has been a part of every tour since. He has also included live versions of the song on several live albums, including '' Wings over America'', '' Paul Is Live'', '' Back in the U.S.'' (and '' Back in the World''), and ''

Good Evening New York City ''Good Evening New York City'' is a CD/DVD double live album by Paul McCartney consisting of material performed over three nights as the inaugural concerts at New York City's Citi Field, 17, 18 and 21 July 2009, part of his Summer Live '09 conc ...

''.

Personnel

According to author Bruce Spizer: *

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

– lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums *

Linda McCartney Linda Louise, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, cookbook author, and activist. She was the keyboardist and harmony vocalist in the band Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings tha ...

– backing vocals, organ *

Denny Laine Brian Frederick Hines (29 October 1944 – 5 December 2023), known professionally as Denny Laine, was an English musician who co-founded two major rock bands: the Moody Blues and Wings. Laine played guitar in the Moody Blues from 1964 to 1966 ...

– backing vocals, guitar

References

Citations Sources *

External links

Review of Let Me Roll It
at ''The Beatles Bible'' {{authority control Paul McCartney songs Paul McCartney and Wings songs Songs written by Paul McCartney Songs written by Linda McCartney Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney 1974 songs 1974 singles Apple Records singles Music published by MPL Music Publishing