Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono.Photo:Mike Marsland/WireImage; Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty
Mike Marsland/WireImage; Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty
Paul McCartneyis remembering the “period of change” in the Beatles' history whenJohn Lennonwould invite his wife,Yoko Ono, to the studio.
In a new episode of hisMcCartney: A Life in Lyricsseries on iHeartPodcasts, the Grammy winner, 81, opened up about the group’s feelings toward Ono, now 90, joining them during the recording process.
As McCartney explained, it was during a time when the band was “heading toward” a breakup while recording 1968’sThe White Album(also known as their self-titled ninth studio LP).
“John and Yoko had got together and that was bound to have an effect on the dynamics of the group,” McCartney shared with poet Paul Muldoon.
“Things like Yoko being literally in the middle of the recording session [were] something you had to deal with,” he later added. “The idea was that if John wanted this to happen, then it should happen. There’s no reason why not.”
Yoko Ono, John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the ‘Yellow Submarine’ film opening.Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty
Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty
When Muldoon mentioned to the “Let It Be” singer that group was meant to be working when recording, McCartney added: “Anything that disturbs us, is disturbing.”
“We would allow this and not make a fuss,” he said. “And yet at the same time, I don’t think any of us particularly liked it. It was an interference in the workplace. We had a way we worked. The four of us worked withGeorge Martin. And that was basically it. And we’d always done it like that. So not being very confrontational, I think we just bottled it up and just got on with it.”
McCartney then shared that ultimately, for the Beatles, spending time in the studio was part of their jobs.
“It was the idea of the Beatles, it was also just this straight, practical thing of ‘This was our job.’ This is what we did in life,” he said. “We were the Beatles. That meant if we didn’t tour, we recorded. And that meant if we recorded, we wrote.”
Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono attend the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala in Los Angeles in February 2012.Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
In late 2021, during the BBC Radio 4 interview seriesThis Cultural Lifewith John Wilson, McCartney elaborated on the cause of the legendary rock quartet’s split. As he shared at the time, he didn’t cause the demise of the Beatles himself.
“I didn’t instigate the split. That was our Johnny,” McCartney said of the band’s 1970 breakup, when McCartney, Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr decided to go their separate ways.
“I am not the person who instigated the split. Oh no, no, no,” he added. “John walked into a room one day and said, ‘I am leaving the Beatles.’ Is that instigating the split, or not?”
McCartney added that he felt Lennon was “always looking to break loose” of the band, as he reflected on what “could have been.”
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McCartney still reflects fondly on his late friend, who was shot and killed outside his Manhattan apartment on Dec. 8, 1980 at age 40. Earlier this week, the Wings frontman remembered Lennon on what wouldhave been his 83rd birthday.
“Celebrating the birthday of my wonderful friend and collaborator,@johnlennon,” McCartneywrote on Instagram, signing off with “Paul.”
source: people.com
