- Album This song officially appears on the Wings At The Speed Of Sound Official album.
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
"At The Speed Of Sound" sessions #2
January - February 1976
Feb 03, 1976
Spread the love! If you like what you are seeing, share it on social networks and let others know about The Paul McCartney Project.
Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Let ‘Em In” is a song by Wings from their 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and reached the top 3 in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. It was a #2 hit in the UK, and in the US it was a number 3 pop hit and number 1 easy listening hit. In Canada, the song was #3 for three weeks on the pop chart and #1 for three weeks on the MOR chart of RPM magazine. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. […] The song is noted for the sound of a doorbell, chiming the first eight notes from the Big Ben tune, before the rhythm begins. Phil and Don Everly, both brothers from the Everly Brothers, are named on the group of seven people who are to be admitted into the house. (“PHIL AND DON”) Martin Luther is also mentioned as well. The others include Sister Susie, Brother John, Brother Michael, Uncle Ernie, and Auntie Gin. The song is noted for the false fade out, which, however, becomes loud for the last two notes of the song as it ends. The song makes use of the piano, drums, brass, including a trombone solo, and wind instruments, featuring flutes, plus backup vocals from Linda and the other members of the group Wings.
The song was released worldwide as a 7″ single, except in France where it was released as 12″ single (the first ever McCartney 12″) with both sides labeled “Special Disco Mix“. In fact these were just normal album versions of the songs.
Paul McCartney “shouted out” to several of his relatives and friends in this song: his aunt (“Auntie Gin”) and brother (“Brother Michael”), the Everly Brothers (“Phil and Don”), Keith Moon (“Uncle Ernie”) and Linda’s brother (“Brother John”). His reference to “Sister Suzie” was a reference to Linda, who once recorded a song under the name “Suzie And The Red Stripes.”
It sort of said: let’s have a party, why keep ’em outside? So in listing the kind of people who might be outside the door, I just naturally went to… Auntie Gin, brother Michael – they all exist – Phil and Don being the Everlys. I just wanted a parade of people that we could imagine outside the door, so I drew on all the people I knew.
Paul McCartney, from Club Sandwich N°47/48, Spring 1988
Last updated on March 26, 2020
The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.
"Let 'Em In" is one of the 154 songs covered.
Lyrics
Someone knocking at the door
Somebody ringing the bell
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Do me a favour
Open the door
And let 'em in
Oh yeah
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Do me a favour
Open the door
And let 'em in
Let ‘em in
Sister Suzy, Brother John
Martin Luther, Phil and Don
Brother Michael, Auntie Gin
Open the door and let 'em in
Oh yeah
Sister Suzy, Brother John
Martin Luther, Phil and Don
Uncle Ernie, Auntie Gin
Open the door and let 'em in
Yeah, yeah
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Do me a favour
Open the door
And let 'em in
Oh yeah, yeah, let ‘em in now
Sister Suzy, Brother John
Martin Luther, Phil and Don
Uncle Ernie, Uncle Ian
Open the door and let 'em in
Yeah, yeah
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Someone's knocking at the door
Somebody's ringing the bell
Do me a favour
Open the door
And let 'em in
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Officially appears on
7" Single • Released in 1976
Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Military drum (?)
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass
- Howie Casey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Joe English :
- Drums
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Henderson :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Steve Howard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Tony Dorsey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Session Recording:
- Feb 03, 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Overdubs:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1976
5:13 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Military drum (?)
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass
- Howie Casey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Joe English :
- Drums
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Henderson :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Steve Howard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Tony Dorsey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Session Recording:
- Feb 03, 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Overdubs:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official live • Released in 1976
4:09 • Live • L1
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Keyboard, Vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Drum, Vocals
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass, Vocals
- Howie Casey :
- Flute, Saxophone
- Joe English :
- Drums, Vocals
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flute
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Phil McDonald :
- Mixing engineer, Overdubs recording
- Steve Howard :
- Trumpet
- Tony Dorsey :
- Trombone
- Jack Maxson :
- Recording engineer
- Tom Walsh :
- Assistant recording engineer
Concert From the concert in Los Angeles, USA on Jun 23, 1976
Official album • Released in 1978
5:11 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Military drum (?)
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass
- Howie Casey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Joe English :
- Drums
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Henderson :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Steve Howard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Tony Dorsey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Session Recording:
- Feb 03, 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Overdubs:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1987
5:08 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Military drum (?)
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass
- Howie Casey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Joe English :
- Drums
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Henderson :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Steve Howard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Tony Dorsey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Session Recording:
- Feb 03, 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Overdubs:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1987
5:11 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Military drum (?)
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass
- Howie Casey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Joe English :
- Drums
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Henderson :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Steve Howard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Tony Dorsey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Session Recording:
- Feb 03, 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Overdubs:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1987
5:11 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Military drum (?)
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass
- Howie Casey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Joe English :
- Drums
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Henderson :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Steve Howard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Tony Dorsey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Session Recording:
- Feb 03, 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Overdubs:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
CD Single • Released in 1990
5:40 • Live
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Robbie McIntosh • Hamish Stuart • Paul Wickens • Chris Whitten
Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Mar 05, 1990
Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1993)
Official album • Released in 1993
5:13 • Studio version • A1993 • 1993 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Military drum (?)
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Bass
- Howie Casey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Joe English :
- Drums
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Henderson :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Steve Howard :
- Flutes, Horns
- Tony Dorsey :
- Flutes, Horns
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Feb 03, 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Overdubs:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- January - March 1976
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Bootlegs
Unofficial live
4:17 • Live
Concert From the concert in Seattle, USA on Jun 10, 1976
Stockholm Globe Arena, May 4, 2003
Unofficial live
5:43 • Live
Concert From the concert in Stockholm, Sweden on May 04, 2003
Unofficial live
5:39 • Live
Concert From the concert in Montreal, Canada on Jul 26, 2011
Driving Mexico Muchos Gracias 2002
Unofficial live
6:16 • Live
Concert From the concert in Mexico City, Mexico on Nov 02, 2002
Live performances
“Let 'Em In” has been played in 209 concerts and 85 soundchecks.
Latest concerts where Let 'Em In has been played
Jun 25, 2022 • United Kingdom • Pilton, Somerset • Worthy Farm
East Rutherford • Met Life Stadium • USA
Jun 16, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Jun 12, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Jun 08, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Jun 07, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Contribute!
Have you spotted an error on the page? Do you want to suggest new content? Or do you simply want to leave a comment ? Please use the form below!
The opening chord always strikes me as a little flat - it's preceded by Westminster chimes. The last night there was a show about Westminster & they explained that due to a crack in the largest bell in the Big Ben tower, the 'hour chime' there is flat. Just wondering if this is coincidence or if Paul is basing that opening chord on the Big Ben flat note?
Thanks Paul for this insightful comment - I think it will be hard to validate this assumption, but that's a tempting one ! Thanks again
Actually no. "Brother John" refers to his wife Linda's brother John and not John Lennon. At least that's what it says on wikipedia and I belive it to be accurate in this case since I don't think Paul had "made up" with John Lennon at that point.
Thanks Mike - you're right ! Fixing it !
Hello! There is a single version released in Japan which is shorter, partly because it omits the coda and the final notes, after the fade-out section. You can check it here: https://www.discogs.com/es/release/6281317-Wings-Let-Em-In
Well, Paul has said that brother John "could be whoever you want" (Perasi, Recording Sessions, p.144), but also that "brother John is either . . . John Eastman or John Lennon" (The Lyrics, p.407) so you could fix it back again if you want to. Paul had, himself, been denied a visa to enter America until the start of 1974 (due to drug convictions), and when he recorded Let 'Em In, John Lennon was still in his own battle with US immigration to retain a green card and avoid deportation. Note that Let 'Em In was a hit in the year of the American Bicentennial of the war of independence (celebrating "bring me your huddled masses" etc) and its military-style fife-and-drum interludes, together with the red-white-and blue stage lighting on Denny with his tricorn soldier's hat during the Wings Over America tour that year, prove to me that Paul knew exactly what he was doing.
Thanks Martin ! Clearly this page needs editing. Also, Paul has talked about the song in "The Lyrics", interesting to read what he said in the book. He sometimes have changed the story about his own songs, over the years!