Why Did Paul and George's Little Spat Become So Infamous?

As we celebrate the belated re-release of 'Let It Be' this week, I look back on one of the film's most infamous scenes and explore the issues that lead up to it...and how it then became enshrined in Beatles fan lore.

[@AndrewDixonMusic]

I think a lot of it's infamy is because for decades (probably until Get Back came out?) it was literally the only piece of footage we had that showed Beatles disharmony, so when people went searching for answers to why they broke up, it was a natural clip to go to and quote, in the absence of anything else. I also think there is so much behind George's comment "You don't annoy me any more" which to me sounds like he's saying you used to annoy me, but you're not that important to me any more. The dynamic between Paul and George from about 1968 onwards is fascinating and probably worthy of a book!

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Now there's an idea!

[@erniericardo8140]

Greetings James, a few things to consider about George at this point in time was he was a having some personal problems with Pattie Boyd, and also George's Mother Louise was in ill health which right after he walked out of the Let it Be sessions he went to visit his mother in Liverpool + working In a damp cold Twickenham Studios in the dead of winter early in the morning didnt help ease the tensions. Great video discussion James 👍 Cheers

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Yes George was definitely having a rough time! I believe he was even having an affair with someone in January '69 as well.

[@erniericardo8140]

@@jamesgriffithsmusic you know James I think it was Charlotte Martin, Who was with Clapton at the time and somehow ended up in Harrison's arms. She would later end up being Jimmy Page's partner which they had a daughter named Scarlett.

[@edvonblue]

Great episode and a very interesting question. Thanks for sharing!

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Cheers, glad you enjoyed it!

[@buttercup1765]

I recently heard an interview with George where he said " if we had known we were going to be the Beatles, we would have tried harder. "

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Great quote!

[@TommyBurton75]

It really made sense for those other three guys to be in a band with Paul McCartney. That dude was going to keep them in the black for years upon years. That famous row became THE pinnacle of Let It Be, but it's so polite and tame. Your points are always so well-stated. When I see Let It Be footage, the Twickenham stuff looks so miserable and drab. The mood lightens after George "quits" and comes back. I think the presence of Billy Preston had a lot to do with that, but it all becomes more bearable. I guess the problem is we're essentially there with them and can feel that tension. No one enjoys when others are "fighting" in front of us.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Hi Tommy, thank for sharing your thoughts on this one. Have you seen the remastered Let it Be yet?

[@TommyBurton75]

@jamesgriffithsmusic I am watching it now. It's really sort of pointless to me since we have Peter Jackson's Get Back. But I'm glad it's in the world again.

[@matthewmedley8532]

Great video and some good points. Fascinating to watch. Agree that it was a symbol for Beatles disintegration and it was a sign they were outgrowing each other as personalities and artists. But agree rooftop performance is superb.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

You are so right Matthew!

[@henryhemming1494]

Nice one Jimbo!

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Henry!

[@buttercup1765]

Pop goes the 60s channel has a great indepth look at this argument. On the nagra reels, right after this interaction, Paul and George are joking around about a play that George had seen the night before. No animosity afterwards. During the get back videos, George watching John and Paul goofing around with two of us. George just looks so sad at one point he almost looks like he's crying to me. I think he felt so out of the loop ... Almost like he was looking at them playing around with that song and thinking why isn't it the three of us?

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Yes, I've seen Matt's video - very good as all his videos are.

[@aminahmed2220]

What a awesome video have a wonderful weekend ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@LloydBoonworldofmusic2]

Hi James, great discussion mate but one factual error....we do not all watch reality tv, LOL - Lloyd

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Hi Lloyd. True, I don't !!🤣

[@spaceengineer1452]

I wonder if Paul appreciated Georges bass/ guitar riffs that he plays throughout the song, later on ? George certainly got to leave them in the song, in the end....I enjoyed hearing yr views. Paul was definitely a control freak but he was also responsible for keeping the band going after Brian died.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Very true!

[@agitatedmongoose]

Yeah but this is where he quits when this plays out even more. You can see it in Get Back. It was in this exact session and encounter when a little time passed George was still stewing when Paul told John to be quiet and that's when George stood up and quit the band for a week.

[@donna25871]

Excellent analysis. I think that McCartney can be compared to Mozart in that it’s all in his head and worked out. That disagreement was originally seen through the lens of a group that had just broken up.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Donna. I've heard Paul being compared to Mozart before.

[@dixielandfarm]

I also think maybe we are a little desensitized to fighting/arguments/disagreements with the way the world is now, so that subtle disagreement would have held more weight then compared to now where we wouldn't even blink an eye at it.

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Totally agree. This scene just seems like nothing now.

[@robison5396]

Before seeing Peter Jacksons' documentary, I would've said that Macca was in the wrong and acted like a condescending idiot towards George, but after watching the movie, I've kind of changed my stance..I think George was very resentful of McCartney ( possibly understandably) due to being an underappreciated songwriter and the constant battle to get his songs onto Beatle albums. that's not to say that all his contributions were great ( they weren't) but it still would not have quelled the simpering resentment he had against Lennon and McCartney . What surprised and shocked me after watching the film, was just how much love and respect that clearly all had for one another, despite the odd blips here and there..let's face it, these guys had been forced to work their knackers off for many years up to this point and the fact that they appear so calm for most of the film is astonishing to be honest. I actually think Macca was doing his best to be diplomatic here, but clearly the history and damage had already been done, so George was simply looking for a catalyst to break that proverbial straw. Great video James Have a good weekend. 👍

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Rob. I'm inclined to agree that Paul was trying to be diplomatic...it must be the civilised 'row' in music history.

[@6758pasi]

You can read about these arguments all the time, but actually seeing it is very rare. When Black Crowes released their first album and became famous it was already public knowledge that the brothers were having frequent arguments. Despite this being more than 30 years later, i haven't and i guess nobody else has actually witnessed it. Whether Paul understood it or not he was being condecending toward George; "i'm trying to help you" meaning what you play isn't good enough. What is also quite apparent is that you don't see everything in Let It Be/Get Back. To me it looked like everything was going fine and then suddenly George just walks out of the band? btw. when we had a little talk concerning the film Let It Be when it was here on yt, i remember saying that i don't like those work in progress versions like you can see in the movie. It has baffled me ever since. Why did i say such a thing? I have plenty of such recordings by many bands including Beatles and i enjoy them very much. I guess much like the Beatles on those sessions, sometimes you just don't think through what you are saying. Pasi

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

I didn't know about the Black Crowes falling off. It would have been interesting to have been a fly on the wall during the mid-nineties Oasis sessions. Thanks Pasi.

[@grahampratchett8207]

I remember going to the cinema to watch the Original Movie. Really enjoying it, watching the people we grew up with. Then this argument (for me) was disturbing, because we didn't think they argued, maybe John & Paul. But for me this is still an Important Movie. Great Review. Especially also seeing the people we've heard & know who they were. Mal Evan, Kevin Harrington (who I met at the last Mark Lewisohn )

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Thanks Graham.

[@strathman7501]

Interesting point that LIB was like early "reality TV". Another item tio add to the list of Beatle innovations - they invented Big Brother 😄

[@Zholobov1]

As we can see in "Get Back" documentary, Paul is annoyed with having to argue on cameras, but George is deliberately provoking him. Harrison saw the presence of cameras as a good possibility to irritate McCartney on ocasion and do some "revenge".

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Interesting theory!

[@farrellmcnulty909]

I think it's because Paul was treating George like a stupid schoolkid, even whining "aw, come on, George..." like you would when someone gets defensive toward you. It also shows that Paul had sometimes questioned George's ability as a guitarist and sometimes wouldn't give him a part in one of his songs. That's the first I'd learned of it.

[@donna25871]

Really….I think you are totally wrong.

[@mjjames2442]

Talking about some dudes argument in 1969

[@jamesgriffithsmusic]

Watching about some dudes argument in 1969, and commenting on it.

[@aisle_of_view]

George was also annoying, sticking in wah wah guitar licks everywhere, just like he tried to do in Hey Jude before Paul put the kabosh on it.