"Let Me Be" is a song by the American rock band the Turtles. It was released in 1965 as the band's second single, following their successful cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe".[5] In the United States, the single peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1965.[6] It reached number 14 on Canada's RPM chart.[7]
| "Let Me Be" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Turtles | ||||
| from the album It Ain't Me Babe | ||||
| B-side | "Your Maw Said You Cried" | |||
| Released | October 1965 | |||
| Studio | Western Studio, Hollywood[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:20 | |||
| Label | White Whale | |||
| Songwriter(s) | P.F. Sloan | |||
| Producer(s) | Bones Howe | |||
| The Turtles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was written by P.F. Sloan[5] and produced by Bones Howe.[8] The lyrics served as a message of defiance against societal norms and a call for freedom for personal expression.[5] Turtles vocalist Howard Kaylan recalled that the band first turned down Sloan's song "Eve of Destruction", which became a number 1 hit in the U.S. for Barry McGuire, recognizing that, with its uncompromising message, "You just couldn't make a statement like that and ever work again." He said that they accepted "Let Me Be" because it represented "just the perfect level of rebellion … haircuts and non-conformity".[8]
Author Peter Doggett describes "Let Me Be" as a "perfect encapsulation of teenage angst".[9] In his book 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music, Andrew Grant Jackson identifies it as part of a "subgenre" of protest songs that emerged during 1965, in which musicians railed against "oppressive conformity itself" rather than political issues.[10] He adds that, in a cultural climate influenced by mass media, hallucinogenic drugs, and the introduction of the contraceptive pill, this and contemporary songs by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, the Animals, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who "chronicled and propelled a social reformation as the old world forged its uneasy synthesis with the new".[11]
Personnel
edit- Howard Kaylan - lead vocals
- Mark Volman - harmony vocals; tambourine
- Al Nichol - harmony vocals; 12-string electric guitar
- Jim Tucker - acoustic guitar
- Chuck Portz - bass guitar
- Don Murray - drums
References
edit- ^ Kubernik, Harvey (2009). Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon. Sterling Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 9781402765896.
- ^ Romanowski, Patricia; George-Warren, Holly (eds.) (1995). The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. New York, NY: Fireside/Rolling Stone Press. p. 1023. ISBN 0-684-81044-1.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help) - ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1966". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 110. ISBN 9781493064601.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. The Turtles - Happy Together: The Very Best of the Turtles (2004): Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c Luhrssen, David; with Larson, Michael (2017). Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-4408-3513-1.
- ^ "The Turtles Chart History: Let Me Be". billboard.com. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ "R.P.M. Play Sheet (Top Singles, December 27, 1965)". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ a b Unterberger, Richie (2014). Jingle Jangle Morning: Folk-Rock in the 1960s. BookBaby. ISBN 978-0-991589210.
- ^ Doggett, Peter (2007). There's a Riot Going On: Revolutionaries, Rock Stars, and the Rise and Fall of '60s Counter-Culture. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate Books. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-84195-940-5.
- ^ Jackson, Andrew Grant (2015). 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music. New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-250-05962-8.
- ^ Jackson 2015, p. 283.