John Lennon and Paul McCartney had some sort of rivalry during their heydays as members of The Beatles, but their friendship was indeed something that fans could not question. Still, after the petty breakup of the group, this closeness had vanished as well.
As they pursued different careers as solo musicians, Lennon and McCartney became so distant and competitive that they would even make headlines for attacking each other through their music.
Paul McCartney And John Lennon Became Very Competitive After Leaving The Beatles
In an interview with Uncut via Far Out Magazine, Paul McCartney reflected on the year The Beatles had ended and his rivalry with John Lennon. He also admitted listening to his former bandmates’ music:
“Yeah, I think we all listened to each other’s stuff. There was bitterness at the end of The Beatles, so we weren’t ringing each other up a lot. But then it gradually got better. It got better with all of them. I think we all just realized it was a bunch of bullsh*t, and we’d gone through it because it was a breakup which is like a divorce — very painful.”
McCartney revealed Plastic Ono Band triggered his competitive feelings toward John Lennon:
“I did listen to George’s All Things Must Pass and everyone’s stuff. I would listen to John’s and think, ‘Ooh.’ That same old competitive thing would come back in.”
Lennon also felt very competitive after McCartney released his 1980 album. This motivated the late singer to write a new song. McCartney further added:
“I know it happened with him, but later on, because people who were working with him said when he heard ‘Coming Up,’ ‘Oh sh*t, Paul’s written a good one, I’ll have to write a good one.’ So, yeah, we were aware of each other’s work.”
The duo had left a mark in the music industry because of their songwriting partnership. Many of the tracks they released that they co-wrote were massive hits during the glory days of the band.
Paul McCartney Shares Some Thoughts About His Life And Songwriting
In a conversation via Everand, Paul McCartney shared some reflections on his life post-Beatles. He remarked that most of the good things that happened was because of luck:
“So much of what I’ve done in my life I didn’t particularly mean to do. When you analyze it, people might say, ‘That’s a clever move!’ But, no, it was really just… luck really, like the music that The Beatles just ended up arbitrarily making.”
The musician admitted he had no clear vision of what he was trying to achieve in his music writing, but he was only following wherever his mind took him:
“When I write songs, I don’t know where they’re going. I’ve not got it on the GPS, I’ve not got my destination locked in. I’m following the route, just seeing where I end up.”
It seems like there is no sign of slowing down for McCartney as the former member of The Beatles still continues to perform on concert tours.
