"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 No. 2 hit in the UK; in the U.S. it was a No. 3 pop hit and No. 1 easy listening hit.[1][2][3] In Canada, the song was No. 3 for three weeks on the pop chart and No. 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.[4] It can also be found on McCartney's 1987 compilation album, All the Best! A demo of the song, featuring Denny Laine on lead vocal, was included as a bonus track on the Archive Collection reissue of Wings at the Speed of Sound.
| "Let 'Em In" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) German sleeve | ||||
| Single by Wings | ||||
| from the album Wings at the Speed of Sound | ||||
| B-side | "Beware My Love" | |||
| Released | 23 July 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 4 February 1976, Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 5:10 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Paul McCartney | |||
| Wings singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Wings at the Speed of Sound track listing | ||||
11 tracks
| ||||
Content
The song starts with the sound of a vibraphone mimicking the Friedland Westminster Chime Doorbell before the rhythm begins. The lyric namechecks several famous people, between friends and relatives of McCartney who, without a justified reason, knock on the door or ring the bell of his house and he exclaims "Let 'Em In". They include McCartney's paternal aunt Gin, his brother Michael, and Linda McCartney's brother John. Phil and Don of the Everly Brothers are named (the duo had a hit with "Keep A Knockin'"), along with Martin Luther,[5] who famously hung his "95 Theses" on a church door. An Uncle Ernie is also named, being the character Ringo Starr sang in the London Symphony Orchestra's recording of the Who's rock opera, Tommy.[6]
"Let 'Em In" is also notable for the false fade out, which, however, becomes loud for the last two notes of the song. The song makes use of the piano, drums, brass, including a trombone solo, and wind instruments, featuring flutes, as well as backup vocals from Linda and other members of Wings.[7]
Reception
Cash Box said that it was a "better, more substantial tune [than 'Silly Love Songs'"] and that "McCartney's voice is at its best, and the rhythm of this one is dangerously addictive."[8]
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – vocals, piano, backing vocals
- Jimmy McCulloch – bass
- Denny Laine – backing vocals, military drums
- Joe English – drums
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals
- Howie Casey, Thaddeus Richard, Steve Howard, Tony Dorsey – flutes, horns
- unknown – vibraphone
All personnel according to The Paul McCartney Project, a website consisting of songs with involvement by Paul.
Release
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 labelled "Special Disco Mix".[9]
It was included on the compilation album Wings Greatest (1978), as well as the Paul McCartney compilation albums All the Best! (1987), Wingspan: Hits and History (2001) and Pure McCartney (2016).
Track listings
- 7" single (R 6015)
- "Let 'Em In" – 5:08
- "Beware My Love" – 6:05
- 12" single (2C 052-98.062 y)[A]
- "Let 'Em In" (Special Disco Mix) – 5:08
- "Beware My Love" (Special Disco Mix) – 6:05
- A ^ Released in France only.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[22] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Cover versions
- During the 1976 Miss America pageant, MC Bert Parks performed a memorable rendition of the song.[23]
- The song was covered in 1977 by Billy Paul, substituting a list of notable African-American figures such as Malcolm X and Louis Armstrong in lieu of the people named in the original. This version reached No. 91 on the Billboard Soul chart,[24] and No. 26 on the UK charts.[5]
- "Guess Who's Knockin'", a song written by Prince and released by The New Power Generation on initial pressings of the 1993 Goldnigga album, references "Let 'Em In" without credit. Probably to avoid any legal difficulties the song was removed from subsequent pressings.[citation needed]
- Ringo Starr used lyrics from "Let 'Em In" in 2003 on "English Garden" from Ringo Rama.[25]
See also
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 163.
- ^ "Paul McCartney Charts and Awards". allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ "riaa.com". riaa.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ a b Womack, Kenneth (2014). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four. ABC-CLIO. p. 536. ISBN 9780313391729.
- ^ "1972 All-Star Orchestral Version of The Who's "Tommy" to Be Reissued Next Month". ABC News Radio. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ^ Benitez, Vince Perez (2010). The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years. ABC-CLIO. pp. 71–2. ISBN 9780313349690.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 3 July 1976. p. 24 (304). Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Let 'Em In". JPGR. 2000. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly".
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wings – Let 'Em In" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Wings"
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Let 'Em In". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ "Wings – Let 'Em In" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Wings – Let 'Em In". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Wings: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Wings Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Wings Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
- ^ "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ^ "Top 50 Singles of 1976". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. 25 December 1976.
- ^ "Pop Singles" Billboard 25 December 1976: Talent in Action-6
- ^ "American single certifications – Paul Mc Cartney & Wings – Let". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Bert Parks Sings Wings Let 'Em In 1976 Miss America, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 2 September 2021
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 452.
- ^ Righi, Len (29 July 2003). "Ringo Starr rises to his own defense". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
