McCartney On Lennon

The interview by Alex Bilmes for Esquire magazine isn’t the first time McCartney has talked about how he wants his name to be listed first on certain Beatles songs.  Although the Lennon/McCartney credit seems almost as familiar as an old friend, the listing doesn’t accurately describe every song’s authorship.  Some were written solely by Lennon while others, including “Yesterday,” “Let It Be,” “Penny Lane” and “Blackbird” were strictly McCartney compositions.

McCartney talked about the authorship quandary and how sometimes his name is chopped off due to space.

“What starts to happen is, ‘A song by John Lennon and –’. You know how on your iPad there’s never enough room? So it’s kind of important who comes first. Late at night I was in a hotel room looking online and I happened to see this music book, which has got all the songs in it, and it was ‘Hey Jude’ by John Lennon and … and the space ran out. There’s a poetry book, ‘Blackbird’ by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. No! He didn’t write those lyrics! So, at the risk of seeming like … I tell you what, if John was here he would definitely say that’s OK. Because he didn’t give a damn. It wasn’t anything that worried him. But I’ve given up on it. Suffice to say. In case it seems like I’m trying to do something to John.”

Songwriting credits weren’t the only thing on McCartney’s mind.  The music legend touched on a number of subjects, including why he keeps performing and how Lennon’s tragic death “elevated” the former Beatle “to a James Dean.”  Check it out via this link.