Macca's 'Let It Be' Brings Tears To 'Karaoke' Corden's Eyes
James Corden's Karaoke Car Pool segment with Paul McCartney, broadcast by CBS on Friday night, has gone viral and is closing in on 100-million views on Facebook and YouTube. A fascination with all things Beatles remains strong, and their song catalogue seemingly timeless.
By David Farrell
It was 52 years ago when the Beatles performed their final concert, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29, 1966, and 49 years ago since they made an unannounced live appearance on the rooftop of the Apple building in London, England–a show that became their farewell performance to their fans around the world.
Still, after all these years, Paul McCartney, now 76, can continue to pack arenas and earn untold millions from his songs, and last week he brought popular Late Show host James Corden to tears in an episode of Car Pool Karaoke.
The segment had Corden driving around the Beatles hometown of Liverpool singing a set of songs performed by the world’s best-selling group and written by Sir Macca, including “Blackbird” and “Drive My Car” – but it was “Let It Be” that brought tears to Corden’s eyes as he recalled his grandfather playing the song to him as a child, adding: “If my grandfather were here right now he’d get an absolute kick out of this.”
While there is no specific count since the show aired Friday, clips from the CBS show on YouTube and Facebook are now close to 100-million views, which just goes to show that the fascination with anything Beatles remains, and their catalogue of songs seemingly timeless.
Mumford & Sons at LASSO Festival in Montreal on August 16, 2026. Lucas Domínguez / Billboard Canada