10 Best Classic Rock Ballads
1. Let It Be - The Beatles
At the end of the Beatles' career, Paul McCartney was being painted in a rather negative light. With all of the other band members accusing him of dictating the band's direction and the dissolution of their label Apple, McCartney decided he needed to cool out one night and went to bed. What came out of his dreams would change music forever.
As he slept, McCartney claimed to have been visited by his deceased mother Mary, whose words of advice equated to the phrase "let it be." Loving the title, McCartney ran with it and came up with one of his final Beatles masterpieces. The instrumentation is right where it needs to be, with nothing but a simple piano providing the foundation. Paul's vocal may not be his most raucous performance, but the conviction in his voice makes the track feel like it's floating above the clouds.
The lyrics are absolute poetry, with the entire track being nothing more than a simple call for peace and understanding amongst the divided people in the world. The song has become less a musical juggernaut and almost rivals John Lennon's "Imagine"in terms of its call for tolerance in the world. Given the Beatles' bitterness towards each other, it's comforting knowing one of their last creative works focused on bringing people together rather than pulling them apart.