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Paul McCartney worried his discussions of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” would seem disrespectful to John Lennon, but that is not the case.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney had contradictory memories about the writing of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” Paul worried his recollections might upset people. In addition, Paul didn’t want to de-emphasize John’s impact the way some felt George Harrison had.
Paul McCartney revealed his recollections of The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and ‘In My Life’
The 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now features Paul discussing his memories of writing Beatles songs. Paul said he had a larger role in writing “Eleanor Rigby” and “In My Life” than John remembered. The “Silly Love Songs” singer didn’t want his memories to upset anyone.
“I’d like to say this is just as I remember it if it hurts anyone or any families of anyone who’ve got a different memory of it,” he said. “Let me say, first off, before you read this book even, that I loved John. Lest it be seen that I’m trying to do my own kind of revisionism, I’d like to register the fact that John was great, he was absolutely wonderful, and I did love him. I was very happy to work with him, and I’m still a fan to this day. So this is merely my opinion. I’m not trying to take anything away from him.”
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Paul McCartney felt 1 member of The Beatles ‘hardly mentioned’ John Lennon in his book
Paul contrasted Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now with George Harrison’s autobiography, I, Me, Mine. “All I’m saying is that I have my side of the affair as well, hence this book,” he said. “When George Harrison wrote his life story I, Me, Mine, he hardly mentioned John. In my case, I wouldn’t want to leave him out.”
On one level, it’s easy to understand why Paul thinks his memories might spark controversy. After all, claiming to have a more prominent role in the writing of “Eleanor Rigby” and “In My Life” could be understood as diminishing John’s contributions to those tracks.
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John discussed I, Me, Mine. The “Imagine” singer felt that the book didn’t give him proper credit for the influence he had on George’s life. John admitted to resenting I, Me, Mine but loving George nonetheless. Paul’s comments on I, Me, Mine might be a response to John’s remarks in All We Are Saying.
Why Paul McCartney’s discussions of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ are not disrespectful to John Lennon
There’s nothing disrespectful about Paul speaking his truth. He and John composed numerous songs together, so it’s inevitable their recollections of some songs would differ.
In addition, Paul and John discussed “Eleanor Rigby” and “In My Life” in interviews long after those tunes were released. It’s possible that time twisted one or both of their memories. Considering The Beatles often wrote their songs in private, it’s often impossible to know exactly how they came together.
Regardless of who wrote “Eleanor Rigby” and “In My Life,” they are great ballads that stood the test of time.
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