Let 'Em In

"Let 'Em In"
West German picture sleeve
Single by Wings
from the album Wings at the Speed of Sound
B-side"Beware My Love"
Released23 July 1976
Recorded4 February 1976
StudioAbbey Road, London
GenreRock
Length
  • 5:10 (album)
  • 3:42 (radio promo edit)
LabelCapitol
Songwriters
ProducerPaul McCartney
Wings singles chronology
"Silly Love Songs"
(1976)		 "Let 'Em In"
(1976)		 "Maybe I'm Amazed"
(1977)
Wings at the Speed of Sound track listing
11 tracks
Side one
  1. "Let 'Em In"
  2. "The Note You Never Wrote"
  3. "She's My Baby"
  4. "Beware My Love"
  5. "Wino Junko"
Side two
  1. "Silly Love Songs"
  2. "Cook of the House"
  3. "Time to Hide"
  4. "Must Do Something About It"
  5. "San Ferry Anne"
  6. "Warm and Beautiful"

"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 US it was a No. 3 pop hit and No. 1 easy listening hit. 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.

Content

The song starts with the sound of a V. & E. Friedland Maestro Westminster Chime doorbell, an electro-mechanical doorbell with a unique "vibrato resonating" feature, before the rhythm begins. The lyric namechecks several famous people, between friends and relatives of McCartney, all of whom knock on the door or ring the bell of his house. He exclaims "Let 'Em In". Those mentioned 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 covered "Keep A-Knockin'" on their self-titled album), along with "Martin Luther", who is said to have hung his "Ninety-five Theses" on a church door; but, according to McCartney, the name here refers to Martin Luther King Jr.[citation needed]

"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.

The 7-inch single version is an edit of the album version. The UK and US pressings of this edit are alike.

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." Record World said that "with a loping beat and a brisk military drum sound, this should be another chapter in McCartney's success story."

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". 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.

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), Pure McCartney (2016) and Wings (2025). It was also featured on The 7" Singles Box in 2022.

Personnel

According to The Paul McCartney Project:

Chart performance

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA) Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

See also

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 163.
  2. ↑ "Paul McCartney Charts and Awards". allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  4. ↑ "riaa.com". riaa.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  5. ↑ McCartney, Paul (27 March 1976). "Paul McCartney: Pressure Cooking". Melody Maker (Interview). Interviewed by Chris Welch. London: IPC Magazines.
  6. ↑ "V. & E. Friedland Maestro". The Doorbell Museum. Retrieved 8 September 2024. Let 'Em In, a 1976 recording by Paul McCartney and Wings featured the sound of a Friedland Maestro during the intro.
  7. 1 2 Womack, Kenneth (2014). The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four. ABC-CLIO. p. 536. ISBN 9780313391729.
  8. ↑ Benitez, Vince Perez (2010). The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years. ABC-CLIO. pp. 71–2. ISBN 9780313349690.
  9. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 3 July 1976. p. 24 (304). Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 3 July 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Let 'Em In". JPGR. 2000. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  12. 1 2 Perasi, Luca (2023). Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970–1989. Milan: L.I.L.Y. Publishing. pp. 226–229. ISBN 978-88-909122-9-0.
  13. ↑ Skinner, Tom (9 September 2025). "Wings announce self-titled anthology collection". NME. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "'The 7" Singles Box' – Out 2 December 2022". PaulMcCartney.com. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2026. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  15. ↑ "Wings At The Speed Of Sound - Archive Collection (album)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  16. ↑ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
  17. ↑ "Adult Contemporary. Volume 25, Issue 21 (1976-08-21)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  18. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  19. ↑ "Let 'Em In | IRMA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  20. ↑ "Wings – Let 'Em In" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. ↑ "Wings – Let 'Em In". Top 40 Singles.
  22. ↑ "Search results for "Wings" | Official Chart". Official Charts Company.
  23. ↑ "Wings Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  24. ↑ "Wings Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  25. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
  26. ↑ "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.
  27. ↑ "Top 50 Singles of 1976". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. 25 December 1976.
  28. ↑ "Pop Singles" Billboard 25 December 1976: Talent in Action-6
  29. ↑ "American single certifications – Paul Mc Cartney & Wings – Let". Recording Industry Association of America.
  30. ↑ Bert Parks Sings Wings Let 'Em In 1976 Miss America, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 2 September 2021
  31. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 452.
  32. ↑ Righi, Len (29 July 2003). "Ringo Starr rises to his own defense". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 21 July 2013.