(Credit: Far Out / Linda McCartney)
It’s hard to imagine a world without The Beatles. The band is so inextricably woven into the cultural fabric of our lives that their place as figures of artistic power is unshakable. However, as well as being two of the greatest songwriters in pop music as part of the Fab Four, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also two guys from the rougher side of Liverpool.
The group may have traveled the world and even picked up an unusual revolutionary practice through Eastern philosophy or primal therapy, but underneath it all they were still two working-class colleagues. This means that sharing feelings, thoughts and, above all, praise is not something that is done outwardly, if at all, and certainly never face-to-face.
Having spent much of their formative years with each other, the duo developed a sibling-like relationship and often joked or bantered, with Lennon of course leading the way with his superb and caustic wit. The boy and later the man mocked each other and laughed sarcastically in actual response. However, there was one song for which Lennon gave McCartney heartfelt praise.
While promoting his 2018 album becoming EgyptPaul McCartney reminisced about The Beatles and talked about a certain song that John Lennon loved. McCartney admitted he found it “pathetic” that he still appreciated the compliment so much, but the track in question was, of course, ‘Here, There and Everywhere’. It was a rare moment when Lennon expressed admiration for McCartney’s songwriting, and the praise was remembered for years.
Sharyn Alfonsi asked McCartney if the Beatles legends ever complimented each other’s songwriting face to face. McCartney said: “Once. Once, John gave me a compliment. It was only once the whole time. It was ‘Here, There and Everywhere’, one of my songs [Revolver]. John says when it ends: ‘That’s a really good song, lad. I love this song.’ And I say to myself: ‘Yes! He loves it!’”
It would be rude to think that Lennon never outwardly shared his respect for McCartney. Through countless interviews, the bespectacled Beatle was well aware of the talent Macca had to offer. Of ‘Here, There and Everywhere’, Lennon said: “I believe it’s absolutely Paul’s song. And one of my favorite Beatles songs.” Lennon was not afraid to acknowledge McCartney not only as his equal when it came to making music, but in many ways as his better half.
It’s always easier to give support when you’re not facing the person in question, and there was clearly something about the shared moment between McCartney and his friend that he still cherishes today. “I remembered that to this day,” he said. “It’s pathetic, really.”
By the end of their careers with The Beatles, there was undeniable competition between the two, but Macca insists he was much more open than Lennon. “I would tell him his stuff was great,” he recalled. “Normally I should be a little drunk. It helped.”
He concluded, “Apparently we’re just two mates.”
Clearly, Lennon’s opinion of the song was an integral part of McCartney’s perception of the piece. He often dropped ‘Yesterday’ as his favorite The Beatles song to put ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ at the top of the heap among the best he ever wrote for the Fab Four and one of his favorite tracks.
Speaking to Scott Muni in 1984, McCartney said: “Well, it’s hard to pick a favourite. This (‘Here, There and Everywhere’) is one of my favourites. You look at your songs and you kind of look for which ones you think are maybe the best constructed and stuff,” says McCartney. “I think ‘Yesterday’ — if it hadn’t been so successful — might have been my favorite.”
“But, you know, that thing you get when something’s that successful … people often don’t want to make it ‘big’, which is what everybody wants. They kind of get away with it,” McCartney continued. “‘Here, There and Everywhere’ with ‘Yesterday’ a close second.”
There’s a good chance that Lennon, who was never a big fan of ‘Yesterday’, had little influence here. While the two men may have been restricted by their traditional upbringing, given that McCartney takes Lennon’s opinion so seriously, it’s clear that they also had a lot of love and respect for each other. Even if they didn’t say it out loud.
Related topics
#Paul #McCartney #song #John #Lennon #praised