10 Greatest Beatles Classic Rock Songs
6. Don’t Let Me Down
Paul McCartney was incensed when George Harrison and John Lennon handed over the completion of the band’s final album, Let It Be, to producer Phil Spector. Macca was especially appalled by the addition of syrupy strings to his ballad The Long and Winding Road. Despite this lapse of taste, the notorious producer’s most glaring error was the decision to omit Don’t Let Me Down. It would have been a clear highlight of the album.
Of all John Lennon’s love songs for Yoko Ono, Don’t Let Me Down, with its naked vulnerability and impassioned vocal, is one of the most affecting. George’s guitar work is outstanding, particularly the distinctive, descending, two chord part on the verse.
Despite missing the cut for the album, a powerful performance at The Beatle’s iconic rooftop concert helped enshrine the track as a classic beyond its status as a B-side.
The track was reinstated, exchanged for excised Spectorisms, on the Paul led Let It Be...Naked album in 2003.