The Long and Winding Road / For You Blue (US)

Track list

Side 1

1. The Long And Winding Road

   Written by Lennon - McCartney

   DDSI.26.91 • 3:38 • Studio version • A • Stereo

   Paul McCartney : Piano, Vocals Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Bass George Harrison : Guitar Richard Hewson : Orchestra arrangement Phil Spector : Producer Peter Bown : Recording engineer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Unknown : Eighteen violins, Four cellos, Four violas, Fourteen vocalists, Harp, Three trombones, Three trumpets

   SessionRecording : Jan 26, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London

   SessionOrchestra overdubs : Apr 01, 1970 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio One, Abbey Road

   SessionMixing : Apr 02, 1970 • Studio : EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road

Side 2

1. For You Blue

   Written by George Harrison

   DDSI.25.47 • 2:32 • Studio version • A1 • Stereo

   Paul McCartney : Piano Ringo Starr : Drums John Lennon : Electric lap steel slide guitar George Harrison : Acoustic guitar, Vocals George Martin : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer

   SessionRecording : Jan 25, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London

   SessionOverdubs : Jan 08, 1970 • Studio : Olympic Sound Studios, London

   SessionMixing : Mar 25, 1970 • Studio : EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road

From Wikipedia:

[“The Long And Winding Road“] was released on the Let It Be album on 8 May 1970. On 11 May, only one week before the album’s North American release, Apple issued “The Long and Winding Road” as a single in the United States with “For You Blue” on the B-side. The single was released in several European countries but not the United Kingdom. In the context of the recent news regarding the Beatles’ split, the song captured the sadness that many listeners felt.

In the US, “For You Blue” gained sufficient radio airplay for Billboard to chart the two songs together, as a double-sided hit. The record was similarly listed as a double A-side when it topped Canada’s singles chart. On 13 June 1970, it became the Beatles’ twentieth and final number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and held the top position for a second week. The band thereby set the all-time record for number of chart-topping singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The Beatles achieved this feat in a period of less than six and a half years, starting with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on 1 February 1964, during which they topped the Hot 100 in one out of every six weeks. “The Long and Winding Road” also topped the US charts compiled by Cash Box and Record World, giving the band their 22nd and 23rd number-one hits on those charts.

The single had a relatively brief run on the Billboard Hot 100 and its contemporary US sales were insufficient for gold accreditation by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In February 1999, “The Long and Winding Road” was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1,000,000.