"Letting Go" is a song credited to

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

and

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 ...

and originally released by

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...

on their 1975 album '' Venus and Mars''. The song was remixed and released as a single in September 1975. The song peaked at number 41 in the UK, 41 on the

Cash Box Top 100 The ''Cash Box'' Top 100 Pop Singles (also known as the ''Cash Box'' Top 100) was a record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Cash Box'' magazine, which began publication in 1942. As a close competitor to ''Billboard ...

and number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Recording

The song was recorded late in 1974 at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

, before the band went to

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to record the majority of '' Venus and Mars''. It was one of only three songs recorded for the album with short-term Wings drummer

Geoff Britton Geoffrey Britton (born 1 August 1943) is an English rock drummer known for his work with Wings from May 1974 to January 1975, where he was featured on the '' Venus and Mars'' album. Career Britton was born in Lewisham, South East London. He ...

before he quit the band (the others being " Love in Song" and " Medicine Jar").

Lyrics and music

Like many of Paul McCartney's songs of this period, the subject of "Letting Go" is his wife Linda. The singer describes himself in a relationship with a beautiful woman but he remains concerned about the relationship. 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." 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. The content of the lyrics varies between the

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse (poetry), a line or lines in a poetic composition * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict meter or rhyme, but still re ...

s and

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

, with the verses describing the subject and the refrain acknowledging the idea of "letting go." The key is

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...

at the start of the song, but the song ends in

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: Cha ...

. 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. The song uses a medium

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

, and the instruments include a guitar part described by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

critic Donald Guarisco as "

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

y" and keyboards, plus a horn parts in an interlude as well as in the outro. "Letting Go" has more of a

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

feel than most of the songs on ''Venus and Mars'', which are more

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

oriented. McCartney described it as a "funky little riff."

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described it as being one of Wings' "less surrealistic productions," commenting on its "hymn-to-nature" lyrics and "vaguely omninous

minor chord In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on A, called an A minor triad, has pit ...

progression Progression may refer to: In mathematics: * Arithmetic progression, a sequence of numbers such that the difference between any two successive members of the sequence is a constant * Geometric progression, a sequence of numbers such that the quotie ...

." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' commented on the "

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

-influenced guitars." The single version is remixed and is approximately a minute shorter than the album track. The single also incorporates elements that were not included on the album track, such as an organ

glissando In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') is a wikt:glide, glide from one pitch (music), pitch to another (). It is an Italianized Musical terminology, musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In ...

at the beginning. ''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." Chip Madinger and Mark Easter called it "one of the best songs on the LP." Robert Rodriguez called it "a strong track topped with a full slab of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

" and noted that it was "one of the Wings' onstage highlights." 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." 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."

Live performances

The song was performed during the Wings over America tour in 1976, and was included on the live album ''

Wings over America ''Wings over America'' is a triple live album by the British–American rock band Wings, released in December 1976. The album was recorded during the American leg of the band's 1975–76 Wings Over the World tour. It peaked at number 8 on the ...

'' and on the concert film, ''

Rockshow ''Rockshow'' is a 1980 American concert film released by Paul McCartney and Wings, filmed during the band's 1976 North American tour. The film features 30 songs from segments of four concerts of the tour: New York, on May 25 (four songs); Seatt ...

''.

Larry Rohter William Lawrence Rohter, Jr. (born February 3, 1950), known as Larry Rohter, is an American journalist who was a South American bureau chief (based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for ''The New York Times'' from 1999 to 2007. Previously, he was Caribbe ...

of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' described the performance on ''Wings Over America'' as "rollicking" and "exciting." Ben Fong-Torres described McCartney's live performance of the song as "reaching back for some of that

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

inspiration." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Nick DeRiso said that it "is shot through with this jagged sexuality." McCartney played it again during his 2010

Up and Coming Tour The Up and Coming Tour was a concert tour by Paul McCartney. The tour began on 28 March 2010, at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona, northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As with McCartney's other concert tours as a solo artist, the setlist for ...

, his 2016 One on One tour, and his 2023

Got Back Got Back was a concert tour by English musician Paul McCartney. The tour started on 28 April 2022 at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, United States, and ended on 19 December 2024 at the O2 Arena in London, England. The tour wa ...

tour. A previously unreleased mix of the song was offered as a free download through

Lauren Laverne Lauren Cecilia Fisher (née Gofton; born 28 April 1978), known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, model, television presenter, author and singer. She was the lead singer and guitarist in the alternative rock band Kenicki ...

Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

show on 29 October 2014.

Covers

"Letting Go" has been covered by Ian Mitchell on the album ''Garage Band Tribute To the Beatles''. In 2014 the song was covered by

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

on ''

The Art of McCartney ''The Art of McCartney'' is a tribute album to English musician Paul McCartney, released on 18 November 2014. The 42-song set covers McCartney's solo work, and his work with the Beatles and Wings, and features a wide range of artists such as Jeff ...

'' covers album. Allmusic critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

describes this version as laying into the song's "spooky heart."

Personnel

Wings *

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 and backing vocals, electric guitar, bass, electric piano *

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 *

Jimmy McCulloch James McCulloch (4 June 1953 – 25 September 1979) was a Scottish musician best known for playing lead guitar and bass as a member of Paul McCartney's band Wings from 1974 to 1977. McCulloch was a member of the Glasgow psychedelic band One i ...

– electric guitar *

– backing vocals, organ *

– drums Additional musicians *Clyde Kerr – trumpet *John Longo – trumpet *Steve Howard – trumpet *Michael Pierce – alto sax *Alvin Thomas – alto sax *Carl Blouin – baritone sax

References

{{authority control 1975 singles Paul McCartney songs Paul McCartney and Wings songs Songs written by Paul McCartney Capitol Records singles Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Songs written by Linda McCartney Music published by MPL Music Publishing Heart (band) songs 1974 songs