It was 50 years ago Saturday (June 13th, 1970) that the Beatles' “The Long And Winding Road” became the group's 20th and final Number One hit. It was also on this date that the single's parent album, Let It Be, also hit Number One and began the first of its four-week run on top of the Billboard 200 chart. The song was written by Paul McCartney in late-1968, and was recorded in January 1969 during the sessions for the group's album and film Let It Be.
“The Long And Winding Road” was inspired by the long drive to his Scottish farm. McCartney talked about the song in his 1997 authorized biography Many Years From Now, saying, “It's a rather sad song. I like writing sad songs because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in.” “The Long And Winding Road” was recorded by engineer/producer Glyn Johns on January 31st, 1969, the day after the group's legendary final performance on the roof of their Apple headquarters, and featured McCartney on piano and vocals, John Lennon on bass, George Harrison on guitar, Ringo Starr on drums, and guest musician Billy Preston on organ.
“The Long And Winding Road” became the Beatles' last official U.S. single, topping the charts for two weeks just two months after McCartney announced the group's split on April 10th, 1970.