John Lennon's Lasting Influence on Paul McCartney's Songwriting
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Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that John Lennon's influence on his songwriting still lingers, even over 40 years after Lennon's tragic death. In a recent interview for his A Life In Lyric podcast, the 81-year-old singer opened up about how John's incredible talent for songwriting still inspires his music today and how he will scrap lyrics if John would have thought them 'too soppy'.
The Beatles, of which McCartney and Lennon were both members, is regarded as one of the most influential bands of all time. The pair formed the band in the 1960s and were known for their incredible songwriting abilities. In December 1980, John was tragically gunned down by a crazed fan.
McCartney revealed in the podcast that he often wonders what John would think of his lyrics and will scrap them if he thinks John would have thought them too soppy. He said: 'Often I’ll sort of refer… "What would John think of this?" He’d have thought it was too soppy, so I’ll change it. Writing with John was much easier [than now] because there were two minds at work. That interplay was miraculous. You don’t have this opposing element so much [now]. I have to do that myself.'
The singer also spoke about how John's childhood shaped him and that he would often turn to comedy to 'shield himself against the world'. He said: 'John's persona was very guarded, hopelessly guarded. That's where all his wit came from. John having a very difficult upbringing - his father leaves home, his uncle dies and his mother gets killed - he could be very sarcastic. We all could, it was my way of dealing with my mother's death. There would often be a very witty put-down. It wouldn’t always be a put-down but it was always a very quick answer, and he’d trained himself to do that.'
McCartney also spoke about how John's death in 1980 affected him and how he was unable to talk about it for a while. He said: 'When John died it was so difficult. It had hit me so much that I couldn't really talk about it. I remember getting home from the studio on the day that we'd heard the news he died. Turning the TV on and seeing people say, "Well, John Lennon was this" and "What he was, was this" and "I remember meeting him". I was like, "I can't be one of those people. I can't go on TV and say what John meant to me." It was just too deep. I couldn't put it into words.'
The artist revealed that he managed to express his grief about losing John in his 1982 song Here Today. He said: 'I remember sitting on the wooden floor in the corner with my guitar and I just started playing the chords and I thought, "That's it. That's what I want to say". I just felt like I was speaking to him. The line "the night we cried" referred to when he and John had a drunk heart-to-heart and 'told each other a few truths' and how much they loved each other.
John Lennon's death in 1980 left a huge void in Paul McCartney's life, but the singer has revealed that his legacy still lives on in his songwriting today. Even over 40 years later, McCartney still considers what John would think of his lyrics and will scrap lines if he believes that John would have thought them 'too soppy'. John's influence on McCartney's songwriting is a testament to the incredible bond the two shared and the lasting impact John has had on the music industry.
