Paul McCartney and John Lennon started writing songs together when they were teenagers. They had many influences and musical heroes that they admired. Sometimes the work of those artists appeared in The Beatles’ music in a subtle or not-so-subtle way. However, according to John, it wasn’t exactly stealing.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon used many of their influences to write songs
The songwriting partners had many musical heroes. Those idols paved the way for them and inspired them to become singer-songwriters. They also influenced the pair’s music immensely. Paul and John modeled many of their songs on the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and others, almost to the point where it could’ve been considered stealing.
Paul admitted that he stole a riff from Chuck Berry for “I Saw Her Standing There.” He also used American R&B and soul in “Got To Get You Into My Life.” John also used Berry in “Come Together.”
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul explained that he and John thought of themselves as Lennon and McCartney from the beginning of their songwriting partnership.
He wrote, “It was because we’d heard of Gilbert and Sullivan, Rodgers and Hammerstein. Lennon and McCartney. That’s good. There are two of us, and we can fall into that pattern.”
Paul and John’s early songwriting sessions were quick. They also knew how to help each other. When one of them seemed to have clearly stolen from one of their idols, they consoled one another too.
Paul McCartney said John Lennon consoled him about ‘stealing’ songs
In The Lyrics, Paul wrote that John often consoled him about “stealing” songs. He said they were talking one night about something they were writing. Their song used the same lyrics as another. Paul didn’t know what to do, but John reassured him it was fine.
“I can’t remember what the line was, but let’s say it was from a Dylan song, and I was pretty much stealing it for my song,” Paul wrote. “John said, ‘Well, no, it’s not stealing. It’s a quote.’ And that made me feel better.”
Their idols were going to come out in their songs no matter what they did
Paul and John had some pretty blasé opinions of stealing from other artists on their songs. According to Rolling Stone, John said, “It wasn’t a rip-off; it was a love-in.” Paul said, “We pinch as much from other people as they pinch from us.” He also once said, “We were the biggest nickers in town. Plagiarists extraordinaire” (per Huff Post)
However, Paul and John’s idols came out in their music, no matter what they did. That’s how music works. They did no harm because they changed it in some small way and made it theirs.
“In the early years, I’d often carry around someone else’s song in my head,” John added. “And only when I’d put it down on tape — because I can’t write music — would I consciously change it to my own melody, because I knew that otherwise somebody would sue me.”
Another Beatle did get sued for copyright infringement, though. Bright Tunes Music sued George Harrison for copying The Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” on his song “My Sweet Lord.” However, Paul and John got away with stealing from their heroes by the skin of their teeth only because they changed a few bars.
