Paul McCartney talks about CO-WRITING Lucy in the sky with diamonds | songwriting | The Beatles

[@PaulDowsettUK]

Since the Rolling Stone Magazine's hit pieces against Paul, people have wanted to diminish his role in the Beatles. True fans, though, have pieced the truth together themselves, from snippets of hundreds of sources, many of which are available here on youtube. One of the most important, though, and included in your last video, is Ringo's belief that if it had not been for Paul's drive, the band would have only produced a fraction of the work that it did. If that had been the case, it may have been "just another" 60s band (except that those other bands probably wouldn't exist, or many genre-defining ones afterwards) . It's quite mind-boggling to consider the luck and coincidences that had to occur to create this legendary part of history, the likes of which will undoubtedly never be matched.

[@BeatlesCentricUniverse]

Hmmm. How old are you? Paul's "drive" only affected their later career.

[@Beatlestories]

@@BeatlesCentricUniverse I call The Beatles a Presidency. Lennon 62-66 and McCartney 66-70. I think all in all I believe all four of their stories but their memories are obviously different. I have no reason to doubt Paul here and John Lennon is my favourite human being ever.

[@TransitionedToAShark]

I love the Paul is dead conspiracy

[@RSVPini]

@@BeatlesCentricUniverse I think Paul always had the drive but they had a manager so it wasn't as apparent as it was after Brian Epstein died. You could tell John (or I think I can tell) was more of someone waiting for inspiration to come, while Paul was always looking for it or creating it. George was more introverted, less pushy in the band and was eventually going to outgrow his place as mostly a lead guitar player with an occasional album song or two in a band and needed to put out his own music. Ringo was fortunate to be a unique talented drummer with the best writers around him. He still is! Then you need to put it all in the perspective that these guys were in their 20s at the time, which is a time when you want to be recognized as a person and not just part of a group.

[@squorly]

Paul had drive that's for sure. But Beatles music would be rubbish without John's edge and imagination.

[@BeatlesFan1975]

We are all LUCKY to still have: Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@edgarsnake2857]

I waited in line at Pomeroy's department store to get a copy of Sgt; Pepper's. I took it to a friend's house where there were thirty teenagers waiting to do a listen. When 'Lucy' came on I looked around the room and many had tears running down their cheeks...tears of joy.

[@finch45lear]

Compared to the rate today’s artists put out new albums , The Beatles gave us 20 years worth of music.

[@Beatlestories]

They were the biggest selling band in 2020. 50 years after they split up.

[@rahamanhudson1573]

More. Lenny Kravitz has been recording for a third of a Century and he hadn’t made twelve yet. Beatles made 12 in 6 1/2 recording years. Plus and a few albums worth of non album singles and B-sides. Sade has had 4 decades of releasing albums and she’s only put out 6… so that would be 80 years of albums for the Beatles @ that rate, a century for the Postmasters and singles.😂

[@Engineer_Who]

Even more if you do like lots of fans have done and arrange their solo career songs into album sets. I listen to "Beatles" music from 1970-2010 all the time. It's brilliant.

[@TheFrankHummer]

Good Point.

[@JohnBarrylizard]

I’m glad Paul clarified that. They obviously worked great together.

[@hammer44head]

John wouldnt have stayed with Paul and wrote with him if he (Paul) wasnt brilliant. John didnt suffer fools. They had a brilliant writing partnership and all the great tunes proves it and George wrote some great songs also contributed a lot as did Ringo.

[@juliosanchez95]

@@hammer44head I agree with you but he did sometimes suffer fools. Alan Klein, Magic Alex etc.

[@beatleneil]

@@juliosanchez95 Allen Klein was no fool. He was a very savvy businessman.

[@ewest14]

@@beatleneil ok he didn’t suffer fools but he got conned many times. John was supposed to have been so smart but he got conned so easily. He really believed Allen Klein knew him just as much or even more so than the other Beatles after just a couple meetings

[@Beatlestories]

@@juliosanchez95 Yeah but that's a lot different than Paul, he grew up with Paul.

[@tylerthompson1842]

He’s even being incredibly modest here. Wether Beatles fans like it or not he was the driving forces in the band with their work ethic. They wouldn’t have done the great work they did without him.

[@cjsm1006]

It wasn't until the later days McCartney became the driving force. In the early days, John was the driving force. He wrote the majority of the songs for both films, "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help".

[@tylerthompson1842]

@@cjsm1006 I kind of agree but I mean they had Brain so John really didn’t have to do much in terms of driving the band in the early days. Not to mention Paul wrote their biggest song “Yesterday” which was almost to be a Paul solo and he wrote #1 hits for groups like Peter and Gordon. Not to diminish Johns efforts ofc cause he was extremely hot in those days too.

[@danwall6662]

@@tylerthompson1842 there is some speculation about Yesterday. There is a jazz standard with almost same words and melody, I think Nat King Cole sang it. Probably unconsciously lifted, as Paul listened to a lot of jazz standards via his dad, Jim.

[@BigBri550]

I tend to go with John Lennon's initial assessment of The Beatles: it took all four of them to make that happen. Of course, ten years later he gave the reverse opinion and said George and Ringo would be irrelevant to a Beatles reunion because Lennon/McCartney did all the music 🤨

[@loosilu]

@@cjsm1006 They co wrote their songs in the early days. It was unusual for one of them to wriet a song all alone.

[@roblund6919]

Paul's word is good enough for me.If he says he helped,I'm sure he did.Paul helped with a lot of Lennon tunes.He basically reshaped Come Together,with the bass line and swampy feel Paul's contribution to the Beatles cannot be ignored

[@socrates1818]

Understated - Paul wrote most of the hits and most of the huge ones

[@przybyla420]

Yeah and Lennon wrote almost all the good songs, so it was a good partnership they had!

[@roblund6919]

@@przybyla420 so how did the writing partnership of Lennon and Ono turn out?Even Lennon admired McCartney's talent and said it often after they split up

[@greg55666]

If you watch Get Back, you'll see that that's clearly how they worked. One might come up with an initial snippet of melody, other than that it's collaborative.

[@loosilu]

@@przybyla420 Lennon's work with Yoko was lousy. His solo work was decent but never as good as when he was in the Beatles. The J/P partnership is legendary for good reason.

[@BeatlesFan1975]

1:25 I really like this photo

[@frogface66]

Paul wrote the unforgettable musical intro's to both Lucy and Strawberry Fields which are major parts of 2 of "John's" songs.

[@cjsm1006]

The intro Paul played to Strawberry Fields was based on a motif John played on a harmonium in "A Hard Day's Night". Paul played the riff for Lucy in the Sky, but how do you know John didn't write it?

[@ewest14]

@@cjsm1006That musical phrase John played in 1964 is a chord progression used a lot and is not the same as the one Paul played. Also if Paul played the LSD intro part then he most likely wrote it. If John wrote it, he would have played it

[@strathman7501]

@@cjsm1006 FWIW, according to George Martin (Summer Of Love) the Lucy intro was composed by Paul.

[@BigBri550]

@@ewest14 It's also the same chord progression George used in "Something."

[@loosilu]

They also wrote middle eights for each other's songs several times, such as We Can Work it Out and Day in the Life. Paul also added the tape loops to Tomorrow Never Knows and the orchestral swell to Day in the Life. It was a true partnership.

[@yogi2436]

John and Paul are the greatest and nothing can tak that away.

[@Beatlestories]

Nothing. The greatest of all the greats

[@bmiro7335]

I remember reading an article = possibly in some teen mag - at the time of the Sgt Pepper release in 1967, where it spoke of McCartney coming up with the "newspaper taxis" line. So yes he has a reliable memory of at least that contribution

[@BigBri550]

It was also Paul's idea to use the word "cellophane" in the lyrics because he liked the way it sounded.

[@Duncs48]

"Picture yourself in a boat on a river With tangerine trees and marmalade skies" - sounds like some LSD inspired lyrics to me 😂

[@gtrdoc911]

The incredible thing about the Lennon-McCartney partnership is that very early on, they decided (in a spell of youthful naivete) that any song that either wrote would be credited to both of them. Quite early in the relationship they started writing songs mostly or completely on their own. Yet when all was said and done, the hit count for all the mostly "Lennon" or "McCartney" songs was very close to 50/50.

[@BigBri550]

At first it might seem odd to have agreed to always split the credit 50/50 no matter who contributed what to each song. But when you think about it, they never had to squabble over it thereafter leaving their attention on the creative process.

[@Rowlph8888]

@@BigBri550 Yes, but the thing about the Beatles is that as you get older you realise that the hits really were the 2nd string, of their accomplished work, in terms of originality, musicianship and Cleverness, or profundity of lyrics. An increasing number of people consider more obscure works such as "I want you (she's so heavy), oh darlin, because, tomorrow never knows, Norwegian Wood, Blackbird, Yer Blues and within you/without you,as their best works Some of their classic hits, still remain sounding fresh and original, or saying something still highly relevant to the modern world, such as Strawberry Fields forever, Nowhere man,Across the universe, Something, We can work it out, A day in the life and yesterday, but songs like: come together, Hey jude, The long and winding road and let it be, are still good, but at times cringeworthy and ultimately bit overrated, at least compared to the other songs mentioned. I mean overrated Musically and not really saying anything profound

[@BigBri550]

@@Rowlph8888 I bounce around a lot in terms of Beatles tunes that still bring me the most enjoyment. But there are two albums I keep coming back to, both American: _The Beatles Second Album,_ and _Magical Mystery Tour._ I have always personally enjoyed both these albums, all the way through, from the days when I first heard them. So I guess for me, Beatle enjoyment is about more than just the songwriting.

[@Rowlph8888]

@@BigBri550 Yes, I take your point , even with later listening can be just aboto nostalgia

[@BigBri550]

@@Rowlph8888 Yes, music can be a time machine to past moments in our lives. Although, digitized Beatles music doesn't do that for me like you'd think it would. It doesn't _sound_ like the old records. No matter how many digital remasters or remixes I peruse, none of them matches the same quality of the original vinyl, especially the original mono records.

[@PaulGreen11]

I think I remember a quote from John saying he wrote Lucy in 3 days.

[@johnmiller5679]

Paul can say anything he wants now and John can’t dispute it. Just putting that out there. I would not put it past Paul now to just say things they are not true just to make himself look better.

[@MrJondinham]

Does he really need to do that? Look at all the great songs he's written. Lennon I love, but he did say one thing about how a song was written and then in another interview would say a different story. So he certainly was not reliable.

[@strathman7501]

He really isn't saying any more than John himself said, or more than is known from other sources such as George Martin - which all adds up to the story that he contributed, at least: a few key lyrical phrases; the signature keyboard figure that opens the song and underpins the verses; and the intonation/stress of Lennon's lead vocal line. To be truthful, we don't know to what extent, if at all, Paul influenced the melodies and other aspects of arrangement.

[@Beatlestories]

I see a lot of people don't believe Paul here. All I have to say is John Lennon is my favourite human being ever so if I thought Paul was lying I would definitely say so here. I love all The Beatles equally because without one of them they're not The Beatles. I once said Paul was my favourite Beatle but John was my favourite person ever, George my favourite musician and Ringo my favourite drummer. I stand by that 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

[@bobwoolerOriGinal]

Don't think Paul is lying at all. His memory on the other hand 🤔

[@Beatlestories]

@@bobwoolerOriGinal Possibly

[@keithharris6442]

John was a bastard at times, but we all have our faults. Sadly, he's better thought of as a Saint because of how he died when he was nothing of the sort. A Jeckle and Hyde character.

[@hw343434]

Paul is not lying. He just doesn’t remember. And he’s embellishing a lot as usual in his favor. John wrote songs like Lucy in the Sky a lot. Paul never really did. The proof is in the music. Paul probably helped with a couple lines and the chorus. Lucy in the Sky is as much (or perhaps even more) John’s song as Eleanor Rigby is Paul’s. But at the end of the day, they’re all Beatles songs with contributions from all 4 and George Martin

[@ewest14]

@@hw343434l did a lot more for LSD than John did for Eleanor Rigby. John’s friend who was there said John contributed “virtually nil” to Eleanor Rigby Paul on the other hand wrote some lyrics for LSD, the intro, told John how to sing it instead of signing it staccato, and his bass. That’s a lot of the song Paul contributed

[@bobwoolerOriGinal]

So, to contribute lyric lines make you a co-writer now? In that case a lot of Paul songs were co-written by a lot of other persons.

[@ewest14]

John is quoted as saying that Paul helped with the lyrics. John said himself that Paul contributed lines like “cellophane flowers” and “newspaper taxis.” Paul also told John how to sing the song. John was singing it more staccato and Paul suggested to sing it the way John does on the album. Paul also did the intro on the organ and probably helped with the chorus. Paul did quite a bit on this song

[@tonyc8752]

Where is your source for this repeated comment?

[@pattyayers]

You know, this petty gossiping and sniping about who was important in the Beatles - it’s all very new. For decades most of us just enjoyed the music and didn’t give a shi* about gossip

[@amsedelm]

I do think Beatles history has been distorted by so many "official" experts. I'm glad Paul is telling the real story.

[@OnePost909]

The greatest amount of distortion, by far, has come from John Lennon.

[@amsedelm]

@@OnePost909 I agree.

[@strangebrew1231]

@@OnePost909 For real. Some of the shit he says in interviews is downright delusional. Paul "looking at yoko every time he sang 'Get Back'" for one. Plus he actually claims Lucy in the Sky is not an acid song at all when it clearly is one of the most psychedelic songs they ever made

[@CDPlayer1994]

People don't give Paul McCartney enough credit for the incredible amount of modesty and humility he carries himself with. There are so many tales of celebrities (much less famous than him) who have become complete and utter jerks due to their fame and talent. McCartney has kept it all well together by often being dismissive of the fact that he is clearly the most influential and consistently brilliant songwriter of the 20th century. More so than Lennon!

[@johnmurphy3424]

Modesty and humility - McCartney???? Yes he is very talented but he's also hard-nosed, self-serving - and a revisionist. Look how often he draws attention to his contributions to Lennon's songs. By the way, in most polls of musical journalists, Lennon has more songs in the Beatles top ten than Macca.

[@369284ab]

My favorite Beatles song. Had no idea, all these years I thought it was all John

[@elmolewis9123]

Paul seems to be such a well-adjusted individual.

[@BigBri550]

Considering he was in the greatest band of all time and remains the most successful singer-songwriter of all time, he is incredibly down to earth.

[@thesilvershining]

He’s lived such a crazy famous life for the last sixty years but it never ceases to amaze me how grounded he is. I would have gone batshit decades ago 😅

[@camillajonsson6819]

As seen in Get Back, they helped write their songs, including George.I think you can tell from their solo work who did what, or whats "missing".

[@Beatlestories]

Paul Co wrote "Gimme some truth" :)

[@camillajonsson6819]

​@@Beatlestories + quite a few songs (add GEORGE, JOHN and Paul had solo songs made while still being a beatle.

[@kylofoster5560]

There is the book Kaleidoscope Eyes by Henry Grossman. A really expensive book. Henry visited The Beatles during Sgt. Peppers in particular when they were recording Lucy in the sky with diamonds. I hate to admit it, but yeah, Paul and John too, George and Ringo are really committed to the song. So yeah, Paul helped John co-write LSD.

[@Beatlestories]

Well said, Kylo. I agree.

[@strathman7501]

It's quite well known that John himself attributed the "newspaper taxis" passage to Paul. Paul recalls the writing session as "swapping psychedelic suggestions as we went. I remember coming up with 'cellophane flowers' and 'newspaper taxis.'" (Anthology) Check the early lyric sketch in Hunter Davies 'Lyrics': it has parts in the different handwriting styles of John and Paul. Davies does not make the obvious connection, but the parts in Paul's handwriting are the "cellophane flowers" and "newspaper taxi" sections. This is manuscript evidence tending to support the claim that these parts were indeed contributed by Paul. Note, too, that the Abbey Road tapes show Paul coaching John how to sing the line 'cellophane flowers of yellow and green,' John saying 'Ok' and doing it as suggested. I would say there's no strong reason to doubt Paul's story.

[@ewest14]

All these Lennon fanboys are talking shit about Paul when John himself and all the other evidence says Paul did contribute

[@przybyla420]

Knowing how much acid John was taking at the time, that could have just been Paul reminding Lennon how to pronounce English words

[@strathman7501]

@@przybyla420 Ha, possibly.

[@jamesgorski7551]

Fantastically Facinating.

[@cowboys4life956]

If Paul says he helped i believe him. John years later said that Yoko helped write Imagine with him. But was too prideful to give her credit. Paul never had that problem as a solo guy, so yea i believe him. LSD, was Johns baby but Paul helped out. He even belts the chorus.

[@Beatlestories]

Well said :)

[@sweedlepipe]

In the biography Many Years From Now, Paul gives his side of the Lennon-McCartney song writing process. And there is much more 50-50 in both directions than in popular perception.

[@ustheserfs]

the common wisdom is whomever sang the song was it's chief composer and to some degree is true but you cannot tell me paul's interlude in a day in the life doesn't help to make that one as magical as it's become.

[@loosilu]

He also added the orchestral swell. You can find an alternative take that doesn't hvae the orchestra. It's shocking how much less the song is without it.

[@ANDROLOMA]

John snorting cola. Hard Day's Night joke. 😀

[@termsofusepolice]

So it sounds like Paul is saying he contributed lyrically but not musically. No input on chord changes or melody. That was all John. I don't think that's too unbelievable.

[@dan2050]

Except Paul made up the organ riff that opens the song and is used throughout and the bass line which is a major part of the song. And he is heard in an out take as encouraging John to sing the lines rather than John’s first delivery which was closer to spoken word. And Paul said they wrote it together at an agreed upon writing session so they both contributed to the music, lyric and arrangement. Most of the songs on Pepper, including ones assumed to be by Paul, were written together as John was often staying at Paul’s house in London during the Pepper sessions. John even said Pepper was a peak for him and Paul working together.

[@theofitzgibbon2128]

This is the my favourite channel on you tube. Thankyou so Much for all this incredible content. I really appreciate it.

[@kirkvannostrand772]

This sounds EXACTLY like Paul McCartney in the 1990"s. Good job, to the actors.

[@Beatlestories]

Huh??

[@gary-songwriter]

"It wasn't about LSD. Because otherwise it would have been called LITSWD. Because the initials aren't LSD" Curiously, though, the song is listed on the album cover as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. As far as co-writing the song - the chorus certainly sounds like McCartney made a big contribution to it. Very reminiscent of his chorus on Baby You're A Rich Man later that same year.

[@loosilu]

LSD is the grammatically correct way to write an acronym for that title.

[@gary-songwriter]

@@loosilu I believe that they knew what they were doing. And the lyrics are replete with references that don't make sense from an Alice POV but sure do for LSD imagery "You answer quite slowly/That grow so incredibly high." However, the Julian story is the accepted version now, so it's all rather moot.

[@loosilu]

@@gary-songwriter if it's about the drug, who cares?

[@gary-songwriter]

@@loosilu I don't think that it's "about the drug." More inspired by the use of it. And it's a curiosity, in much the same way that the Jackson Brown/Glen Frey song lyrics, "Well I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see" is just a collection of words. But that song put Winslow on the map. In much the same way that Tony Christie's, "Is this the way to Armadillo" did. Sometimes songs resonate beyond the intent of the originating artist. I just find it funny that McCartney still denies the connection almost sixty years later. But, as you rightly pointed out - who cares?

[@ANDROLOMA]

SWLABR.

[@gracacoelho8446]

A maior banda de sempre. Saudades❤️

[@Beatlestories]

I have to pop elsewhere but I'll be back and have a chat with you all soon :) 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

[@derbystardom]

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds has a complete John Lennon feel to it. Kind of like Strawberry Fields Forever. I have never heard anything written by Paul McCartney that is anywhere like Lucy. McCartney may have helped with the chorus, maybe, I would believe that. When Elton John remade the song, Lennon said, "He made it better than my song".

[@Beatlestories]

This is the closest *lyric wise* to a John song written by Paul, in my opinion of course kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHmrpXipd7x_jLM

[@Beatlestories]

Sorry.. This song kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnesfpivibBgqbc

[@ellenbeckmann4293]

Here, there and everywhere, is only from Paul. And John said is it's Paul greatest Song...lucy aus dem Kindergarten..lg Ellen, your Germany ✌ ❤

[@ewest14]

John is quoted as saying that Paul helped with the lyrics. John said himself that Paul contributed lines like “cellophane flowers” and “newspaper taxis.” Paul also told John how to sing the song. John was singing it more staccato and Paul suggested to sing it the way John does on the album. Paul also did the intro on the organ and probably helped with the chorus. Paul did quite a bit on this song

[@keithharris6442]

There were many lines they put in for the others song. Paul put in "I'd love to turn you on " in John's segment of " A day in the life " for instance.

[@aidanlennon4873]

How come this never came up when John was alive

[@strathman7501]

It's quite well known that John himself *when alive* attributed the "newspaper taxis" passage to Paul. Paul recalled the writing session as "swapping psychedelic suggestions as we went. I remember coming up with 'cellophane flowers' and 'newspaper taxis.'" (Anthology) Check the the early lyric sketch in Hunter Davies 'Lyrics': it has parts in the different handwriting styles of John and Paul. Davies does not make the obvious connection, but the parts in Paul's handwriting are the "cellophane flowers" and "newspaper taxi" sections. This is manuscript evidence tending to support the claim that these parts were indeed contributed by Paul. (Note, too, that the Abbey Road tapes show Paul coaching John how to sing the line 'cellophane flowers of yellow and green,' John saying 'Ok' and doing it as suggested.)

[@tonyc8752]

Writing 4 words does not make one a song writer.

[@69realstar2]

Think paul got it right mostly think he gave john some lines in the song John never in any interview I've heard say Paul cowrote it.. .. but he did always say...the song came from his sons drawing of LSD Song folks not the ( drug.).still a great song No matter who wrote it... No matter what...

[@Beatlestories]

Well said, Robert :)

[@ewest14]

John is quoted as saying that Paul helped with the lyrics. John said himself that Paul contributed lines like “cellophane flowers” and “newspaper taxis.” Paul also told John how to sing the song. John was singing it more staccato and Paul suggested to sing it the way John does on the album. Paul also did the intro on the organ and probably helped with the chorus. Paul did quite a bit on this song

[@henryprego]

Where’s the rest of this interview? Very cool!

[@Beatlestories]

It's coming. It's an hour long and there's some really interesting information.

[@svjim1]

Well between the two of them it's always been assumed whoever's song it was basically dictated by who sang lead on it.

[@ewest14]

Yes and Paul isn’t saying that. He’s saying he contributed but Lennon fanboys are twisting his words. All he’s saying is he helped which John also said

[@andrewSUN17]

Great to learn the truth and see through the projections fans and media put on the original artistry of the song.

[@rman52]

Just like something, the most salient part of Lucy is the incredible bassline.

[@Beatlestories]

Definitely on Hey Bulldog and a few other songs but the best part of "Something" are George's contributions. The entire song is a George Harrison song and he could have quite easily saved that for a solo song knowing what we know now. The Beatles were about to Breakup.

[@rman52]

@@BeatlestoriesNot sure I agree mate. Without quite possibly the greatest melodic counterpoint bassline in rock, something is just a good Beatles song. And George didn't want it in the song! Too busy. Too many notes...lol.

[@BigBri550]

For what it's worth, I agree with you. When I think of examples of really good McCartney Beatles bass work off the top of my head, "Lucy" comes up right away.

[@rman52]

@@BigBri550 He has many great bass parts. I think Lucy, Something, and Penny Lane are his best. All of them sound like they have some similarities to the way Bachs basslines move around. Another reason Macca is by far the most talented composer and musician from the fabs.

[@BigBri550]

@@rman52 Oh, yeah- I could definitely keep the examples coming just from _Sgt Pepper's_ alone. Then there are the other albums. McCartney was considered the gold standard of bass by most of the old fogey, white rock musicians I grew up around. But I must confess that McCartney's influence on my bass playing was minimal to nonexistent. And I don't like Hofners. Let the flaming commence! 😎

[@breathspray]

Get Back shows Paul being the driving force and how much John respected Paul input on his songs.Everyone thought Gimmie Some Truth was all John but you can see Paul adding to it and it was a Lennon/McCartney song

[@Beatlestories]

Exactly. And John also had "input and influence" on here, there and everywhere. They were a partnership so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that a lot of what people would call "John songs" (*for example* - Strawberry fields) had input from Paul and vice versa on "Paul songs".

[@rockit6553]

Paul also added the middle to a day in the life. Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head.

[@thedrummerdude2431]

Those saying that it's a Lennon style song, not McCartney, are forgetting they could probably channel each other's preferred songwriting "styles" just like how a ghostwriter would. This was actually done when both John and Paul channeled Ringo's preferred style when they wrote "Yellow Submarine"

[@Beatlestories]

Also Paul now admits John head input and influence on "Here, there and everywhere".

[@gvgv3515]

Well said! That was what made the magic happen in their songs especially the early material. In later years , the co writing comeradery became rivalry ( more so of John than Paul). I was very convinced for years that Lucy was about LSD. The imagery was extremely psychedelic and who wouldve ever written lyrics like that stone cold sober? Newspaper taxis,plasticine porters with looking glass eyes? It just jumped around with lyrical imagery that wreaks of drug influences. The initials LSD were addressed by Paul as nonsense as LITSWD would be the correct initials . LSD just made the notion of drug influence easier to attach to the song. Still an extremely weird set of lyrics that beyond the title, there was no way a little boy could be motivated to draw the picture that motivated the song Unless you gave him LSD!! It was just a kid's viewpoint...interesting though about adding diamonds on the girl. I could see Julian drawing a little girl from his class floating in the sky as if carried up by a balloon. Little girls don't wear diamonds so that is the only thing that acts like a hole in the story for me.

[@gvgv3515]

@@Beatlestories We can make arguments like this about their entire catalog! George claims John was pissed because he didn't get recognized for 2 lines in his song. John And Paul collaborated in much the same way...a line here, there, and everywhere ( pun inended). Sometimes John wrote the melody, Paul did the lyrics, or any combination of the two. Yet they noted every song Lennon and McCartney regardless of who did what and how much.

[@thesilvershining]

Paul could mimic many. He wrote “Let Me Roll it” which is a Lennon pastiche and “Friends to Go” which sounds like it’s an actual Harrisong. I mean hell-Paul wrote the blueprint song for Gorillaz 20 years before Gorillaz existed, lol.

[@loosilu]

@@gvgv3515 Lucy was confirmed to be a real classmate of Julian's.

[@billdowney1487]

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds ------ whether subconscious or not --- the lyrics and music certainly gives the impression & Feeling of an LSD trip. And that, I'm qualified to quote on that having done 100's of trips. They certainly were taking it during that era. My dilemma is both say its not about LSD. I'm still skeptical that it's not.

[@frankbarnwell____]

I'd pay for JRR Tolkien's option of , Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Rip both Johns.

[@beatleshelp1000]

Wow that's brilliant !!

[@lindawiley3112]

❤😊

[@Momof4boys]

Hi I found you on Vinnie's channel

[@Beatlestories]

Hi ma'am. Glad to see you here :)

[@Beatlestories]

Oh I see you do a cooking channel! I've been single for 3 years so I've been learning to cook and I love it 😍. I can make a mean curry and a great sausage casserole, also I've made lasagne a few times. I'll definitely check and sub to you 💯

[@Momof4boys]

@@Beatlestories thank you so much. I love to cook but my 16 year old is a master puts us all to shame. Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@Beatlestories]

@@Momof4boys My pleasure miss and I will definitely be checking out your videos 📹 :)

[@Momof4boys]

@@Beatlestories thank you... my name is Rachel ❤️❤️❤️

[@richardbanker3910]

Interesting how revisionism works in relation to John. There’s a danger in elevating him as a saint which he’d never claim for himself though he had massive wit, courage and artistic inventiveness. John could never have co-written with Paul if he hadn’t thought of Paul as an equal collaborator with his own talents that fitted like a glove with John with hardly any conflict as Paul says. It was functional in cranking out an astonishing body of work when they were so busy and demands placed on them. George and Ringo helped amazingly in arranging or rearranging their songs so it worked 100 per cent and George and finally Ringo started writing as well. The group was the ultimate group and operated as equals.

[@latenightlogic]

There was a documentary where a whole bunch of celebs picked between Lennon and McCartney. Even though I’d want to say Lennon, I think McCartney was the driving force behind the heights The Beatles reached.

[@dukegroovy5162]

i love how he says fast

[@raymondanselmo141]

What a storyteller.

[@strangebrew1231]

Paul sounds so clear here. These days when he does interviews you can tell he's slowing down. And literally just repeats the same 5 stories. I want him to talk more about shit like this

[@hammer44head]

What gets lost in these debates of who wrote what is that they were a team and helped work on each others compositions and more still they were a band. Sad that so many people are not Beatle fans but fanboys of one member and not acknowledging the others contributions whether small or big. You would think with the recently released Get Back sessions documentary people would get a bit of a clue! Yet they hold on to their little fantasy that just one was doing all the work. As far as this song Lucy is concerned even John was interviewed and said that both he and Paul wrote it together and Paul said he contributed a few lines, though the inspiration came from Julians drawing/painting with the title on it. John and Paul wrote it together! I'm sure each member of the Beatles came up with their parts for the music, imagine that!

[@rusty1491]

The signature circular keyboard part is one of Paul’s contributions. His influence on Lennons music is understated.

[@piotrq7150]

It was written primarily by John. I would say 80-20 to John. Its the same story with Michelle

[@news603redux]

While this clip may or may not be true, there's no denying that McCartney has had forty years to craft The Beatles legacy to his liking. Once John AND George were gone, Ringo wouldn't say **** so Paul has had free reign. What I DO believe are the various interviews of John and George in the years right after the breakup. How tired they were of Paul's dominance, overbearing and self-serving ways and, as John said, being "Paul's fucking sidemen". McCartney's survived to edit the final chapter HIS way and I believe maybe half of what he says.

[@annetessari1004]

I absolutely believe this now. I think this is a great example of Paul trying to write the narrative. I actually heard an interview with someone close to the Beatles recorded at the time of the break up (wish I could remember who said it ) say exactly that - Paul will try to rewrite the history to his version of events post break up. And now I am very conscious of this comment whenever I hear Paul talking.

[@Beatlestories]

@@annetessari1004 Paul's legacy is cemented in stone and I see no reason for him to lie. George was still alive at the time of this interview too, I mean George claims he wrote some lines of "Taxman" amongst other Beatles songs. I think those 3 were just unrivalled geniuses and obviously their memories differ 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

[@JustAnotherCover]

Why anything John or George would say is automatically the truth? Just because they're not longer with us? That criteria is weak. Paul made this interview with George being alive though. Paul is one of the greatest, I don't think he has the need to lie. If you would put that much effort, your blood and tears in crafting something as incredible as what Paul did with The Beatlea, I'm pretty sure you would also want the record to be set straight. After all, it's the work of his life.

[@JustAnotherCover]

To assume anything Paul says (or half of it) is a lie is completely arbitrary. I don't think he has the need to do so, and the things he has said seem pretty understandable to me, nothing crazy.

[@news603redux]

@@JustAnotherCover It has nothing to do with John and George's being dead. It has to do with Paul's effort to paint things like the Let It Be period as peaches and cream now when, after they broke up, TWO other people painted a much different picture at the time. If two people say one thing and a third says something else, I'm more apt to believe the two.

[@euanthorburn8135]

♡

[@ANDROLOMA]

Speculate endlessly if you must, but no one knows better than the original blokes who were there.

[@Beatlestories]

Exactly. But it does make for a great debate and I love reading all the comments :)

[@ANDROLOMA]

@@Beatlestories It's a harmless hobby. Academic speculation. The Beatles are what originally got me into rock music, long hair, and weed smoking. All very pleasurable pursuits. 😀

[@Beatlestories]

@@ANDROLOMA I used to love lighting up a joint and listening to Abbey Road, it was just joyous. Stopped smoking it now though, doctors orders, I need to get fully recovered. Once I'm properly back on my feet I'll be doing it all over again though :)

[@ANDROLOMA]

@@Beatlestories Wishing you the best for your future, Mr. Bro. 👍 "Take this, brother. May it serve you well."

[@chetcarman3530]

Anybody who believes Paul & John wouldn't do a song if Ringo didn't like it: call me, I have some Florida land to sell you.

[@bobwoolerOriGinal]

Interesting. That makes John and George Martin revisionists as well..

[@MrJondinham]

I have to believe McCartney. Why on earth would he feel he needs to make things like this up. Has anyone heard this guys music? He's pretty incredible. Lennon was just as amazing. But he did say different stories at times about how songs came about. I just can't see McCartney making this up. Why would he? They were such an amazing partnership

[@rubyjames3105]

Paul hasn't done anything of that quality since he left the Beatles, I like the guy but that's the truth. I think his collaboration with John elevated him to be his best. John on the other hand wrote 'Imagine', considered by many to be one of if not the greatest songs of all time. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.

[@MrJondinham]

@@rubyjames3105 I disagree. I don't even think Imagine is Lennon's best song. Give me Double Fantasy songs Woman, Beautiful Boy, Watching The Wheels etc over most of what he came up as a solo artist before that. McCartney's post Beatles music I absolutely love. I'm surprised by the criticism some give towards it. It's difficult to pick favourites, as there's just so many. RAM is an absolute masterpiece imo. The melodies, counter melodies, arrangements, harmonies etc. It's just a crazy album and absolutely genius imo. But I also think McCartney did great things in all eras. Chaos and Creation in 2005 onwards has really been a very strong, consistent period for McCartney. Egypt Station i believe is a masterpiece. My 2nd favourite album of any of them. It has songs that would be seen as greats had he written and recorded them in the Beatles days. Harrison is actually my 2nd favourite solo artist from the Beatles. Lennon I believe was back to his best, and going in more of a Beatle-like direction before his death. So I think he would likely have recorded albums from that point that would have been more for me. Not like Plastic Ono Band which I never really liked much. But hey we all like different things.

[@rubyjames3105]

@@MrJondinham no offense but your opinion carries much less weight than the musicians who have said otherwise.

[@MrJondinham]

@@rubyjames3105 what musicians? Surely it comes down to what you enjoy listening to? I'm a musician, but I don't think that makes any difference. I wouldn't say someone who is not a musician is wrong

[@rubyjames3105]

@@MrJondinham if you want to take your car to a bike mechanic go ahead. Some people have more knowledge, for obvious reasons. Listen to what you like, for sure, enjoy Macca, there's nothing wrong with him or his music.

[@freebgood]

Can you imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and that it was Paul who was shot dead and John the billionaire survivor sulking about about petty lines he contributed to songs?

[@braemtes23]

John did sulk about petty lines he contributed to Taxman and was upset that George didn't mention it in his book.

[@freebgood]

@@braemtes23 if I recall it was 'count the pennies on your eyes' referencing an old practice to shut a dead man's eyes closed. Funny you mention that because I recently watched the studio sessions of 'Instant karma' and George was actually helping out with the song and John going with his imput.

[@freebgood]

@@braemtes23 yes but George was alive and John felt he needed shade him. George was rude to his wife, wanted John to perform at his Bangladesh concert but without bringing Yoko etc.

[@davidhahnbirds]

✌ ☮ & ❤

[@dukegroovy5162]

Paul also claimed he wrote yellow submarine, now we know better

[@ewest14]

You’re leaving out a big part of the story. John said Paul wrote it as well. John wrote the verse demo but Paul wrote the chorus and then changed the verse lyrics. So Paul did write it but John helped just like Paul has always claimed

[@dukegroovy5162]

@@ewest14 john did way more than help. listen to. the revolver box set. it was a great haunting song until paul added the kiddie sing along

[@JustineLaLoba]

Paul always claimed he wrote Yellow Submarine but the new Revolver demos show that's not true at all..................

[@Beatlestories]

I haven't heard those demos and can't find them. Do you know where I can find them?

[@JustineLaLoba]

@@Beatlestories The new revolver box set....they're also on KZbin

[@braemtes23]

The idea and melody of Yellow Submarine was Paul's. John added the lyrics to a song he had been writing "In a town where I was born...etc" to Paul's yellow submarine concept.

[@JustineLaLoba]

No....Martin said that the beginning of the song came from Lennon's tape he brought in......the structure is pure Lennon

[@JustineLaLoba]

@@braemtes23 Martin has said the idea came from John's tape he brought in.....on the 1st Studio demo it's Lennon again and with the Yellow Submarine in the lyrics.(it's in the box set)...Paul might of fleshed it out to a children's song but it's a Lennon concept

[@charlietarkirk5253]

No its pure john

[@ewest14]

John doesn’t agree. John himself said Paul helped

[@StephanieJeanne]

I love John and Paul (and George and Ringo), and I believe Paul. 😊✌️

[@Beatlestories]

Me too, ma'am :)

[@manikmaya1836]

Here we go again

[@1952mrpdc]

If you listen to many of the Beatles tracks, they are made up stories but the way they are done is brilliant. I recall they were about to go on for a gig some where when either Paul or John suddenly said thats our song they are playing we were going to do that. They came off the gig and basically said we must try to write our own songs. That is how the partnership started. Neither had any song writing experience. But they tried and kept trying and eventually created and produced many amazing songs. PC. 07. 01. 2023.

[@beatleneil]

I'm not saying u are wrong, but Paul wrote when I'm 64 even before he met John.

[@guciowitomski3825]

what year is this interview from? His voice seems like 1975-1985-ish

[@beatleneil]

What amazes me is that being a Beatle fan born in 1976 (1st time I heard of Lennon was when my mum told me had died that day), having read and seen everything I could find about them, it was ALWAYS said that Yellow Submarine was Paul''s song for Ringo. But lo and behold, when the revolver re-release came out last year it was John who came up with the genesis of the tune. So, I trust McCartney 100%, but I don't know about this..

[@TheMarcopix]

And yet in the Get Back film....there's Ringo playing Yellow Submarine and George helping him with the bridge and lyrics.

[@beatleneil]

@@TheMarcopix u mean Octopus Garden

[@braemtes23]

Paul came up with the Yellow Submarine part of the song to which John added the lyrics to a song he was working on: ex. In a town where I was born, etc. John disowned his contributions to the song in later interviews, but it was a Paul/John collaboration.

[@kavalere]

Lets take with a gain of salt of Paul's contributions. The man's ego was ridiculous. The flop movie Magical Mystery Tour was his idea...his project, but yet he denies it was. Check your ego Paul.

[@freebgood]

Of course Paul read the Playboy interview where John states 'newspapers taxis appear..' was a Paul line. John didn't say it was the only part, yet Paul omits it to be a victim.

[@mattatta]

He wasn’t blaming John. He was just addressing the fans that had a misconception.

[@freebgood]

@@mattatta I wish Paul would approach his past songwriting with John in a conversational way since John died. Yet he comes across as a malcontent. Paul is a billionaire. He doesn't need to buy into the revisionist notion of favoring John's writing. He should, in this instance, be like: "I always wondered if John remembered details of our collaboration. It was nice seeing in his playboy interview , he knows which lines I helped him with. It would've been nice fleshing out our memories by the fire so-to-speak but sad that can't happen now."

[@RealmoftheBlackShadow]

I suppose Lenin/McCarthy wouldn't have sounded quite as good. Or maybe on the contrary it would have signaled peace?

[@mywhitebicycle869]

After also going through a lot of their recollections available on the internet (and there's quite a lot) I'm convinced the chord progression and vocal melody for the basic song must be Lennon's. McCartney wasn't denying that though. Certain lines were missing from the lyrics and the staccato singing was discarded: that's at least some songwriting. The arrangement wasn't worked out either all by Lennon, definitely. That's a source of the confusion. The arrangement, production and engineering were amazing. But often when the Beatles couldn't work out the arrangement (or obviously the orchestration) by themselves it was George Martin, for example, yet of course no one considers Martin a co-writer and that's completely fine. This is not classical music after all, where a composer must work out every singer little detail by himself. The bulk is Lennon's obviously, McCartney's comments are vague here intentionally regarding the actual writing. And sometimes it was the opposite (!), so I'm not even anti-McCartney...

[@loosilu]

Martin often was the interpreter for the arrangements J/P were looking for. He was in no way a composer and never claimed to be. He was the perfect complement to these young guys with the crazy sonic ideas.

[@hoodedman07]

2:15 Paul can’t remember what album Drive my Car and Norwegian Wood was on? That’s pretty weird

[@Beatlestories]

Nah. I have an interview with John where he's telling the interviewer to remind him of which songs were on which album

[@mustafa1name]

First word in the song is "picture", i.e. the thing which inspired it. It's easy this songwriting, innit? Not enough credit going to Julian Lennon - Lucy and Hey Jude are both down to him? Cheers, Jools!

[@gtrdoc911]

The interviewer says "Drive My Car" was from the "Norwegian Wood LP" and McCartney agrees with him. LOL!!! They couldn't remember the name Revolver.

[@CBrolley]

Drive My Car and Norwegian Wood are two songs on the Rubber Soul album, not Revolver.

[@ewest14]

And you couldn’t remember the name Rubber Soul LOL

[@gtrdoc911]

@@ewest14 Touche. Had a mind fart. Of course : Rubber Soul. My favorite album (depending on the day) :).

[@JJJJJVVVVVLLLLL]

pre Yoko, pre Maharishi. They were getting on great and collaborating closely…

[@shakefishgamingpro]

T ooh

[@Peakabike]

Interesting, big Macca and Beatle fan here for the decades and can't remember Paul's co-write ever being mentioned...The "generally accepted" line is that after the first few years and apart from "medleys" like "A Day in the Life" or side 2 of Abbey Road, most of the songs were written by one or the other, with the other occasionally pitching in with a few suggestions ("Getting Better" style- John : "can't get no worse"). I'm pretty sure Macca said that himself quite a few times. Seems like Lucy would have fallen in that category too but it seems not ! I mean, why would Macca make it up ?

[@Beatlestories]

He also admits now that John had both input and influence on "Here, there and everywhere". I always thought that was entirely Paul's baby but I respect him more for admitting that. I'll upload the interview soon :)

[@kewkabe]

I think Two of Us and I've Got a Feeling from Let It Be were co-written.

[@Navigatorbythestars]

I think this is pretty close as you can to getting the truth, from Paul McCartneys own mouth.

[@grahamjarman]

he added a few lines, not really co writing

[@Beatlestories]

So Paul didn't CO-write "Gimme some truth" either then even though there's literally video evidence?

[@grahamjarman]

@@Beatlestories wow he contributed a line

[@Beatlestories]

@@grahamjarman No sir. He crafted the song along with John Lennon.

[@grahamjarman]

@@Beatlestories not its primarily composed by lennon. mccarntey always changing up the past

[@purple8289]

@@Beatlestories I think you have to admit that whoever(whether its John or Paul) has the initial thought that the song ultimately comes from had the larger part in writing the song. If John had the idea for the song and the melody part then I'd say its primarily a John song. Paul contributed and its the same way for a lot of Paul's songs where John might have put in a verse or two.

[@robertpennington1019]

Lol, was this before or after Anthology where he called it a drug song haha

[@mjames4709]

Amazing how many Paul distractors there are. None, of course, were actually with both men when they wrote this or any other Beatles song.

[@hubabava]

No, but they are great specialists... the greatest specialists that know all

[@howardowens721]

Paul detractors - I blame Jann Wenner.

[@Zimmy907]

I'm sure Mr. Harrison made uncredited contributions to the Beatles oeuvre.

[@braemtes23]

As the John and Paul made uncredited contributions to his work.

[@1952mrpdc]

A lot of people who upload these videos seem to do the same thing every time. They upload some of the video then as the viewer is getting into it, they for some reason CUT the rest off. This is due to a copyright or its due to bad editing. I was enjoying this as most people would. But why cut it off when there seems to be more coming before the end ?. PC. 07. 01. 2023. Where is the rest of this video ?.

[@Beatlestories]

In my library. Copyright issues :)

[@Beatlestories]

I've been refused monetization over and over and over again since 2018 when I had the original Beatle Stories channel. No matter how much time I put in and how much I try KZbin keep refusing yet most similar channels *are monetized* and it gets disheartening, especially when I've put so many hours of work into creating these channels. I understand people's frustrations yet no one seems to understand mine. Of course I'll get round to uploading the rest of the interview at some point but it just wears me down when I'm trying my best. I'm not being funny with you at all but I genuinely don't think a lot of people understand what I've been through with these channels.

[@1952mrpdc]

@@Beatlestories Thank you for letting us know the problems you have experienced in trying to upload your excellent videos. I do understand your problems. Please keep the good work up as many of us really enjoy what you are doing. PC. 07. 01. 2023. PS You are doing a fantastic job. It's a shame You Tube don't see it that way.

[@Beatlestories]

@@1952mrpdc Thank you Peter and I appreciate your comment more than you'll ever know :)

[@powertothepeople9271]

Sure Paul co-wrote Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds considering it still has an Elton John cover release royalties.

[@zapple1003]

All these post saying McCartney is a liar when they weren't there when the song was written.

[@Beatlestories]

💯

[@James-bv4nu]

It's not the same to sing, Ly-ser-gic acid die-thyyyyy-la-amide! Ly-ser-gic acid die-thyyyyyy-la-amide! Ly-Ser-Gic acid Die-Thyyyyyyy-la-amide! Aaahhh, ohhhhhh... If you sing that loud enough, it'd start sounding like Lucy in the Skyyyyyy with Diamonds.

[@fernandoaldekoa2436]

And when are you going to tell John's contributions to your songs?

[@Beatlestories]

Very soon. Very very soon

[@geoffduckworth361]

Is that really McCartney speaking there?

[@scottandrewbrass]

Yes on Michael Parkinson's Radio 2 show.

[@auramac]

Sorry. Paul takes credit for just about anything he can nowadays, and Ringo surely isn't going to pick a fight with him. John and George would have their own opinions. Sad. He needn't be so insecure.

[@elementrypenguin3116]

I agree. Paul can shape things the way he wants. Ringo will ‘never go against the family!’ Lol. Paul wouldn’t feel like he’s the Beatle Ambassador if John were still around. He could say things like ‘I came up with this line or that line’ in a John song and it can’t be challenged.

[@Beatlestories]

My argument to that would be Paul's already regarded as the greatest songwriter in history, even above John. I just don't think he has any reason to lie, no one can ever doubt his greatness. Either way it makes for a great debate :)

[@elementrypenguin3116]

@@Beatlestories we now have to regard him now as the go-to Beatle spokesman. At least he hasn’t been destroying the Beatle legacy with sordid tales and stories. Anyway, put on the Revolver Remix and BEATLE ON!

[@Beatlestories]

Abbey Road at the moment for me, Sir. Just been listening to some of Paul's earlier solo stuff as well. What an absolute genius!

[@elmolewis9123]

That sounds like a tinfoil hat response.

[@elementrypenguin3116]

@@elmolewis9123 have no clue what you were referring to.

[@conradcadorna2316]

Paul is at it again here. With subtlety or not claiming that he also wrote Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It sounds like he is promoting himself once again. Very disturbing. If he did write half the song, why didn't he sing it. John is not here to rebut Paul's account or claim. To me this interview is sickening - self-indulging and self-promoting. I say to Paul McCartney, please leave it to "Yesterday" and "Let it Be" or risk being "The Fool on the Hill" after all "All You Need is Love" - a message from the "Nowhere Man".

[@StratsRUs]

He's right about distortion of memory. He has every right to correct the umpteen myths he must have to hear every day.

[@danwall6662]

Wouldn't be surprised if McCartney contributed the chorus, it has his style ( singalong and a bit oompah). Strange thing is though, McCartney claims to have written half of John's songs but when it comes to his songs, they are always 100% his(,according to Paul). Curious??

[@golobig]

When did McCartney claim to have written half of Lennon's songs?

[@danwall6662]

@@golobig in the Barry Miles biography.

[@danwall6662]

Macca also claimed to have written the whole melody of John's In My Life. Musicologist academics analysed this claim and found this to be wanting. They concluded that the melody had the linear characteristics of Lennons style not the more vertical style of Paul's. Draw your own conclusions. I am no expect, but can smell a fish with Mr McCartney. Mind you, he is an excellent writer but does not need to appear greedy. That's how I feel about it. Sue me if you must!

[@mazasan]

I love seeing so many people thinking they know who wrote this or that and decide not to believe one of the member of the band (usually Paul) when he makes statements. 😂 you all should write a book.