Album · The Replacements
Let It Be by The Replacements
Let It Be is an album by The Replacements, released in 1984. 5 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 81 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “I Will Dare”, on 42 lists with a best position of #50.
Let It Be, the Replacements' third studio album, came out on Twin/Tone on October 2, 1984, and it's the record where the wrecking crew figured out they had hearts as well as amps. After the breakneck thrash of Hootenanny in 1983 they'd grown tired of only playing loud and fast, and decided, as singer Paul Westerberg put it, to write songs with a bit more sincerity in them.
What came out is a scrappy, funny, heartbroken coming-of-age record that swings from sloppy punk blasts to aching confessions without ever tidying itself up. Chris Mars' drums keep it all barely on the rails. "I Will Dare" bounces along on a jangly, irresistible hook, "Favorite Thing" rips by in a joyous rush, and "Gary's Got a Boner" is a juvenile, grinning hard-rock goof. Then "Unsatisfied" drops the jokes and lets Westerberg howl himself hoarse, and "Answering Machine" is raw and lonely, a voice shouting into the void.
Critics acclaimed it, and it has only grown in stature since, turning up on lists of the greatest albums of the 1980s and of all time. A 2008 remastered edition added six bonus tracks and liner notes by Peter Jesperson.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Let It Be on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Will Dare | 42 | #50 | – | 1989–2026 | |
| 2 | Answering Machine | 17 | #28 | – | 1999–2014 | |
| 3 | Unsatisfied | 12 | #65 | – | 2001–2023 | |
| 4 | Gary's Got A Boner | 2 | #1125 | – | 2002–2003 | |
| 5 | Favorite Thing | 7 | #1734 | – | 2007–2014 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.