Why John Lennon Said the ‘Let it Be’ Documentary Made Him Feel ‘Sick’
The Let it Be documentary is a sore spot in the history of The Beatles. What was meant to be an exciting behind-the-scenes look at how the band records an album became a movie that foreshadowed the downfall of The Beatles. Shortly after the film’s release, John Lennon shared why Let it Be made him feel “sick.”
John Lennon said Paul McCartney took over The Beatles after Brian Epstein died
In a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon said the catalyst for The Beatles’ splitting up was the death of their manager Brian Epstein. Epstein, who managed the band starting in 1962, died from an overdose at 32 in 1967. The band needed a new leader, and McCartney took the role. According to Lennon, The Beatles were now playing back up to Paul.
“After Brian died, we collapsed,” Lennon said. “Paul took over and supposedly led us. But what is leading us when we went round in circles? We broke up then. That was the disintegration.”
John Lennon believed ‘Let it Be’ praised Paul and treated Yoko Ono poorly
Let it Be is sad for many Beatles fans as it shows the band slowly breaking apart. For John Lennon, he felt the documentary focused too much on Paul and made Paul look like a God while the other Beatles silently worked. He also was upset that the film cut out scenes including his wife, Yoko Ono, who many blamed for the band breaking up after watching this documentary.
“That film was set-up by Paul for Paul. That is one of the main reasons the Beatles ended. I can’t speak for George, but I pretty damn well know we got fed up of being side-men for Paul. After Brian died, that’s what happened, that’s what began to happen to us. The camera work was set-up to show Paul and not anybody else. And that’s how I felt about it. On top of that, the people that cut it, did it as if Paul is God, and we are just lyin’ around there. And that’s what I felt. And I knew there were some shots of Yoko and me that had been just chopped out of the film for no other reason than the people were oriented for Englebert Humperdinck. I felt sick.”
Lennon would have been relieved by the ‘Get Back’ documentary
The Beatles: Get Back was released on Disney+ in 2021. Directed by Peter Jackson, the almost eight hours long documentary featured restored and previously unreleased footage from the Let it Be recording sessions. Get Back is somewhat redeeming for The Beatles as it doesn’t portray the sessions as the band falling apart. It features more footage of the band playing and having a good time.
It also dispels the idea that Paul or Yoko broke up The Beatles. While Yoko is present in the studio, she isn’t as involved as many believed her to be and is a calming presence for Lennon. Meanwhile, McCartney isn’t portrayed as the leader, giving each member more time. John Lennon might have hated Let it Be, but he may have remembered this time more fondly if he had seen this footage.
