Though the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney will go down in history as one of the greatest musical collaborations, there’s a grey area for some songs.

Songs that are registered as a Lennon-McCartney credit aren’t all that they seem, with some songs written more heavily by one songwriter than the other. Though most of The Beatles‘ songs would feature the credit, songs like Strawberry Fields Forever and Yesterday were written primarily by Lennon and McCartney separately. But there are other songs in the band’s discography that were given the joint songwriting tag despite there being little to no overlap in the writing process. Speaking of this overlap with Playboy Magazine shortly before his death, Lennon shared another song that had been swept up in the collaborative tag.

Playboy Magazine asked: “When you talk about working together on a single lyric like We Can Work It Out, it suggests that you and Paul worked a lot more closely than you’ve admitted in the past. Haven’t you said that you wrote most of your songs separately, despite putting both of your names on them?”

Lennon replied: “Yeah, I was lying. It was when I felt resentful, so I felt that we did everything apart. But, actually, a lot of the songs we did eyeball to eyeball.” Despite writing those songs “eyeball to eyeball,” the credit has long been a sore spot for McCartney, who actually tried to have the Lennon-McCartney credit flipped.

The move was not received well by Yoko Ono and Ringo Starr, who both suggested that the change wouldn’t matter. Veteran drummer Starr called McCartney’s actions “petty and silly,” and while the Wings frontman has cooled off on the credit controversy, people are still outraged.

Source: cultfollowing.co.uk/Ewan Gleadow

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George Harrison’s songs were typically spiritual, folk-leaning, and harmony-driven. But that’s not the whole story of the former Beatle’s solo career. His sound is as varied as his other Beatles bandmates’. He tried on experimental synth sounds and funky anthems. Harrison left no bounds on the work he delivered during his life, and these three songs below show that perfectly.
“It’s What You Value”

“It’s What You Value” is a little funkier than Harrison’s typical fare. It’s a bright, upbeat anthem that adds something unexpected to the mix. It’s not worlds away from his top hits, but it’s different enough to shock some surface-level fans.

“But I’ve found it’s all up to what you value / Down to where you are / It all swings on the pain you’ve gone through / Getting where you are,” Harrison sings over a surprisingly commercial instrumental. This song feels a little too straight for Harrison’s conventions, yet he proved he could lean that way and get away with it.
“Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea”

This classic jazz cover was released on Harrison’s posthumous album, Brainwashed. Harrison left his classic rock tones behind for soft ukulele playing. It’s a brighter, simpler approach than most of his discography.

“I want to cross you off my list / But when you come knocking at my door / Fate seems to give my heart a twist / And I come running back for more…I should hate you / But I guess I love you / You’ve got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea,” the lyrics read. Harrison made this standard his own. Many artists have covered this track over the years, but none have done it the way the former Beatle did.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper

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Over the past few decades, the folks in charge of The Beatles’ marketing, with input from the band members themselves, have made it a point to play up the togetherness of the Fab Four. But there’s no denying the rancor occasionally enveloped the group. This was especially true around the time their breakup was announced.

For one example, Paul McCartney penned a letter with a cease-and-desist vibe in April 1970. That missive was directed at The Beatles’ manager.  Spring 1970 featured a series of incidents where Paul McCartney clashed with his Beatle brethren. He famously screamed Ringo Starr out of his house in a dispute about the release date of the McCartney album. And on April 10, 1970, he gave his “self-interview” that essentially declared the breakup of The Beatles.

In actuality, the break had occurred more than six months earlier. That’s when John Lennon announced he was leaving at a band meeting. But Macca made it official. His stunt angered his bandmates. They’d wanted to hold off on the news until a slew of Fab Four-related releases, including the Let It Be album, hit the stores.

That Let It Be album was also the source of anger and frustration for McCartney. When given an early acetate of the finished product, he heard his song “The Long And Winding Road” rendered in a manner with which he wholly disagreed. And he directed his anger at Allen Klein, who had recently taken over as the group’s business manager.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia

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At this point, Paul McCartney squarely falls into the category of “living legend.” At 84, he's still going strong, releasing new music, and entertaining audiences the world over.

Even if it weren't for his hugely successful solo career, he would, of course, have earned his place in the history books as part of the Beatles alone. That band has arguably influenced more musicians across the last six decades than any other, with seminal albums such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band permanently changing the face of popular music.
The unexpected Beatles track Paul McCartney loves

In an interview in 2020, the man himself picked out some of his favorite Beatles tracks, and among some expected choices, one selection caught many by surprise. “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” is a lesser-known Fab Four song that was originally released as the B-side to “Let It Be.” It's a decidedly oddball song that veers from primal, mantra-like rock to tongue-in-cheek vaudeville style with strong comic overtones. McCartney described it as “…a zany, zany little B-side that nobody knows, but we had so much fun making it."

The A-side, “Let It Be,” was a more obvious choice. This beautiful song appeared as the title track to the band's final studio album. It was co-written by John Lennon and McCartney, with the latter explaining that the idea came to him via a dream, in which his sadly deceased mother appeared—hence the line, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me.” Released as a single, “Let It Be” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and holds the distinction of being the last Beatles single released before McCartney formally left the group.
More of Paul McCartney’s favorite Beatles songs

Other nominations McCartney cited include the luminous psychedelic classic,
“Strawberry Fields Forever,” which was first issued as a double-A single in 1967, backed with “Penny Lane.” At the time, the song's radical departure from the band's previous rock-pop-oriented sound proved divisive. Over the ensuing years, it has been justly acknowledged as a landmark in innovation.

Source: mentalfloss.com/Chris Wheatley

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Paul McCartney wrote his iconic Bond song, “Live and Let Die,” without having seen the script.

In his book The Lyrics, McCartney spoke about writing the iconic rock song on instinct, with very little knowledge about the plot.

“Writing a Bond song is a bit of an accolade, and I always had a sneaking ambition to do it,” he shared. “Ron told me the film was called Live and Let Die. The screenplay wasn’t finished at that point, so I got the Ian Fleming book, and it’s a real page-turner.”

The music icon was originally approached to make music for the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever. While McCartney had no idea what the Roger Moore film was about, he had an idea for the Bond theme.

“I didn’t want the song to be, ‘You’ve got a gun. Now go kill people. Live and let die.’ That’s just not me,” he shared. “I wanted it to be, ‘Let it go. Don’t worry about it. When you’ve got problems, just live and let die.’ Once I had that thought in my head, the song almost wrote itself,” the Beatle explained.

McCartney and Wings recorded “Live and Let Die! at the end of the sessions for 1973’s Red Rose Speedway. It was produced by his frequent Beatles collaborator, George Martin. While Eon was keen to have McCartney write the theme song, the production company’s producer Harry Saltzman wanted Shirley Bassey or Thelma Houston to record the final version.

“The film producers found a record player. After the record had finished they said to George, ‘That’s great, a wonderful demo. Now when are you going to make the real track, and who shall we get to sing it?’ And George said, ‘What? This is the real track!’” McCartney explained, per Far Out Magazine.

McCartney would only allow “Live and Let Die” to be used in the Bond flick if it was the Wings version of the track, something that Eon eventually agreed to.

Source: mensjournal.com/Amelia Harvey

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It’s no secret that The Beatles weren’t seeing eye to eye by the end of their tenure. That tension was especially a shame in the collaborative partnership between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Though they still shared ideas even as they fell out, it wasn’t like their early years, when the Lennon-McCartney credit more accurately reflected the writing process.

One example of how their working relationship changed came when Lennon was working out “Come Together.” This classic hit features all four Beatles, but it wasn’t without pushback. Lennon reportedly dismissed McCartney from his typical duties on this track.

“Come Together” is one of the most beloved songs on Abbey Road. By the time this album came out, the band was all but done. Despite breaking at the seams, this album proved a stellar body of work. It wasn’t thrown together, even though the band wasn’t in the best headspace while working on it.

“Here come old flat-top, he come grooving up slowly / He got ju-ju eyeball, he one holy roller / He got hair down to his knee / Got to be a joker, he just do what he please,” the off-kilter lyrics to “Come Together” read. For all its weirdness, this song became one of The Beatles’ most beloved late-career tracks.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Alex Hopper

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