For You Blue

Richard Furnstein: The whistle blows down at the blues factory, and a leathery George Harrison clocks in and pushes out this product before lunchtime. John plays a fun lapsteel part in between nodding off and George tries to reinvigorate the gallop ("go Johnny go!").

 It's a fun little diversion on Let It Be, and a good chance for the Beatles to shuffle in their darkest hour. The only sadness here is that George had about thirty superior songs in his back pocket, but his insecurities kept him from delivering them to a band that was honestly considering releasing dross like "Maggie Mae" and "Teddy Boy" to the general public. "All Things Must Pass" and other gems were his golden parachute. The writing was on the wall, and he wasn't giving up the goods. A real tear.  

The writing was on the wall, and George wasn't giving up the goods. A real tear.

Robert Bunter: It would seem to be very easy to dismiss this track, but it’s difficult to imagine Let It Be without it (Glyn John’s Get Back, anyone?) Part of the brilliance of the Beatles lies in the way the context of their brilliant career is able to elevate otherwise disposable tracks by proximity alone. That said, this song really stinks. It’s kind of hard not to conclude that George was not just holding back his ace tracks for solo work, but actively inserting a total piece of garbage into the mix as an act of deliberate sabotage. It’s possible – remember, this is filthy George Harrison we’re talking about here.