If you could show Paul four of his solo songs in 1964, which one of the following songs do you think would most surprise him and why?
Kreen Akore
Monkberry Moon Delight
Dear Friend
Temporary Secretary
Are there any songs not listed above that you think would be more shocking to Paul? If so, which ones?
John looks great but let’s be real, Brian is killing it in the back there. He looks gorgeous and that outfit is fire 🔥
Ed Sullivan and The Beatles backstage before-after the fab four’s historic 1964 appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
♪ And you know what it's worth ♪
John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards from The Dirty Mac performing Yer Blues (1968)
Paul isn’t a victim..enough with this nonsense. He has a billion dollars and an army of lawyers.
Let It F, Let It U
Paul McCartney on hearing ‘Free As A Bird’ for the first time and working on it for The Anthology. Interview for Access Hollywood, 24 May 1997.
Paul: I heard it and I was very emotional. Sort of: “Wow! Yeah! The boy, Johnny!” You know, I loved- ‘Cus I loved him, you know. And I spoke to Ringo on the phone and I said: “Better keep your hankie handy for this one, ‘cus it’s pretty emotional when you hear it!”
It was fantastic for me! Having John in the headphones? It was like he was here! ‘Cus when you’re working, he’d be in a booth over there and you’re not necessarily looking at him. He’s here in the headphones…
Disclaimer: I’ve seen this quote float around but never the corresponding clip. If someone has made it available before, I apologise. If not, please enjoy, like I did, another addition to the tag #then you were here today, where Paul talks about feeling John’s presence.
Such a beautiful friendship! We all need friends who inspire us to push our boundaries of what we think we can do
George Harrison & John Lennon | 1971
"I think that one of the things that I developed just by being in The Beatles was being bold and I think John had a lot to do with that. Because John Lennon, if he felt something strongly, he just did it. I picked up a lot of that by being a friend of John’s. Just that attitude of, 'Well, just go for it, just do it.'" ~ George Harrison
Reblogging for the link at the very end. I didn’t even know this existed! Thank you!
How are you finding the Lyrics book?
honestly - it's mostly what i have expected it to be. there are definitely a lot of very good and enjoyable parts in it, and i think in many cases it does provide a good insight into how paul constructs his lyrics, his thought-process, his inspiration for a particular song/line etc, these are all interesting to read through, the stories and the photos are lovely, and the inclusion of all the manuscripts and doodles does add a lot to it. and it’s paul. so if you love his weirdo brain and his music, you’re gonna enjoy it! and then at other times you'll want to tear your hair out because this man is the stupidest mfer on earth there aren’t any big revelations, but i didn’t really expect any, so in that respect i wasn’t disappointed. however, it’d have been nice if paul could have been at least a tiny bit more willing to explore the more personal aspects of some songs but i’d be lying if i said i was genuinely expecting him to drastically change the way he’s been discussing these things for the past however many decades...
and... the fact they went for this semi-autobiography route AND put it all in alphabetical order... it means it’s a bit eh sometimes, a bit all over the place. i sort get why this approach was chosen but i just think that overall, they could have done a lot more with the book, the concept and the opportunity were there. (+ it’s a pity that some lyrics, that are actually gorgeous and interesting (i’ve just seen a face, monkberry moon delight, footprints, my brave face, a certain softness, riding to vanity fair, alligator, scared, to name a few) were left out, while others were included basically just so the obligatory historical discussions could be carried out because you know, the book sometimes cannot make its mind up about whether it wants to focus on paul the artist or demand paul to be a quasi beatles historian) but i would think that for people who don’t know that much about these songs or paul’s life, the book could be more interesting to read through and they wouldn’t be so nitpicky about it lmao.
what i will say is that if you want a physical copy , i would buy it at a discount or if having the proper book isn’t that important you could just..... you know....... :)
Say it louder for the people in the back!
You’re right to gatekeep John. What are the worst takes on him you tend to see? Or your own takes your particularly attached to?
I typed an entire answer and tumblr deleted it so I'll keep this one brief: the worst takes are the ones involving his addiction. To see people disregard his entire work and being the driving force behind the White album (and Help! and AHDN! and Rubber Soul!) recorded months earlier only because he wasn't an obsessive workaholic but a depressed, grieving, worn out man suffering from a heroin addiction is unreal. Seeing motherfuckers like Barry Miles talk about how they were all relieved he was on it because it got him off LSD shows you the way people talk about John differently than anyone else.
The ask I got days ago where someone proudly claimed to have no empathy for John & Yoko (and was glad that Kyoko was kidnapped never to be seen again) because of their addiction shook me up quite a bit. Not because I'm surprised, because I'm grown enough to know 98% of people have no empathy for addicts, but because another couple in the Beatles also claimed to be proud potheads while taking care of their 4 kids was ? Some drugs are funny & cool to be addicted to while others are not, I guess.
Could anybody tells me where this comes from?It is very important for my mclennon theory I think……
It can incredibly fit well for the I saw her standing there script
I mean this……you act like a QUEEN……😮
I love (eye roll) this generation of writers who think they are being edgy by going in the other direction by trashing John because he didn’t want to be best buddies with every single person. It reminds me of Fred Seaman’s book where the captain who took John to the Bahamas insisted on moving himself and his family into johns rented apartment, forced John to sleep in the floor and pay for all their outings and meals for a month while the captain pretended he was Johns’ best friend. Fred thought John was being petty for not wanting to be best friends with this clear user and wanting to get away from him. Just silliness
Shevey could have just said ‘I was intimidated by his confidence, wit and physical appeal’ but instead she decided to write a whole slanderous trashy book.