One of the most influential bands of all time- The Beatles, was formed in Liverpool in 1960 and included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The Beatles are said to have explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock and their popularity is unmatched even today.
The Beatles, without a doubt, were the ones who revolutionized many aspects of the music industry and were publicized as the leaders of the era’s youth and sociocultural movement. The band came to an end on 29th December, 1974, but John Lennon did not hold himself back from sharing positive comments for a fellow band member Paul McCartney, despite their rift.
John Lennon praised Paul McCartney for being the ‘best bass player’
In The Beatles Anthology, John Lennon, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of The Beatles shared that Paul McCartney was the best bass player alive. He said via CheatSheet,
“Paul was one of the most innovative bass players that ever played, and half the stuff that’s going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period.”
Despite being critical of McCartney’s work, Lennon did not hold himself back from praising his bass-playing skills. He added in the anthology that it was one of the few talents of McCartney that was not brought under the spotlight. Lennon said,
“He was coy about his bass-playing. He’s an egomaniac about everything else, but his playing he was always a bit coy about. He is a great musician who plays the bass like few other people could play it.”
Talking about McCartney’s egomaniac personality, a friend told The Guardian that Paul McCartney was one of the only members of the band who let the fame get to his head. The friend also pointed out that McCartney would sometimes talk with the other members in an accent much more high-toned than that of the working-class slang of Liverpool and Lennon would mockingly mimic him.
Ringo Starr in a book Ringo: With a Little Help by Michael Seth Starr said that they only survive because they had each other. He added that they all went mad, but the other three would always bring them back and that’s how they survived.
John Lennon’s heartfelt last words to Paul McCartney
According to Far Out Magazine, it was not hidden from the world that John Lennon and Paul McCartney did not see things eye to eye but would still sing in a band before the band broke up. The reports state that a couple of hours before he was shot he spoke to McCartney and said,
“Think about me every now and then, my old friend.”
It was reported at the time that Paul McCartney had shown no emotion on his face when asked about John Lennon’s sudden demise. John Lennon’s last words ‘every now and then’ were used as the title track for The Beatles’ last ever track for which they featured Lennon’s voice using AI vocals.
Paul McCartney worked with Carl Perkins on his Tug of War album and as a token of thanks he played a song for McCartney and his wife and the lyrics read,
“If we never meet again this side of life/in a little while over yonder/where it’s peace and quiet/ my old friend/ won’t you think about me every now and then…”
The words ‘every now and then’ stuck with McCartney and he burst into tears with his wife thanking Carl Perkins for the track had allowed him to finally connect with his grief. The loss of John Lennon cannot be filled but the music he left for the world stays the same.
