The Only Thing John Lennon Liked About a “Meaningless” Paul McCartney-Penned Beatles Classic
John Lennon wasn’t the most complimentary of Paul McCartney‘s music. He often thought his songwriting leaned on the silly side, calling his unique voice “granny sh**.” That fact might come as a shock to many new Beatles fans, considering Lennon and McCartney were the most famous writing duo in the band. While they had their moments as a united front, the cracks in their partnership grew larger over time.
Lennon issued that insult to many McCartney-penned songs, but there is one hit in particular that Lennon once called “meaningless.” There was only one saving grace to this song, according to Lennon: his contribution.
“Hello, Goodbye” is one of the Beatles’ most famous songs. It’s also one of their simplest. On the surface, there is nothing super complex or profound about this track. It feels as though it was written more for the jovial vibe than any hard-hitting statement. Nevertheless, McCartney had a theme in mind while penning this song.
“‘Hello, Goodbye’ was one of my songs,” McCartney once said. “There are Geminian influences here I think: the twins. It’s such a deep theme in the universe, duality – man woman, black white, ebony ivory, high low, right wrong, up down, hello goodbye – that it was a very easy song to write. It’s just a song of duality, with me advocating the more positive. You say goodbye, I say hello. You say stop, I say go. I was advocating the more positive side of the duality, and I still do to this day.”
Source: americansongwriter.com
