Let 'Em In

"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.^[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"
West German picture 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
Studio	Abbey Road, London
Length	5:10 (album) 3:42 (radio promo edit)
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Paul McCartney
Producer(s)	Paul 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 "Let 'Em In" "The Note You Never Wrote" "She's My Baby" "Beware My Love" "Wino Junko" Side two "Silly Love Songs" "Cook of the House" "Time to Hide" "Must Do Something About It" "San Ferry Anne" "Warm and Beautiful"

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.^[5][6] 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 covered "Keep A-Knockin'" on their self-titled album), along with Martin Luther,^[7] 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. 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.^[8]

"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.^[9]

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."^[10] Record World said that "with a loping beat and a brisk military drum sound, this should be another chapter in McCartney's success story."^[11]

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".^[12]

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).

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1976) Peak position Australia 65 Canada RPM Top Singles[13] 3 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[14] 1 West Germany (GfK)[15] 29 Ireland (IRMA)[16] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 25 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 13 UK Singles (OCC)[19] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[20] 3 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] 1 US Cash Box Top 100[22] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1976) Rank Canada RPM Top Singles[23] 46 UK[24] 29 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 66

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[26]	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.^[27]
• 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,^[28] and No. 26 on the UK charts.^[7]
• "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.^{[citation needed]}
• Ringo Starr used lyrics from "Let 'Em In" in 2003 on "English Garden" from Ringo Rama.^[29]

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1976 (U.S.)