The Paul McCartney lyrics John Lennon actually liked: “That’s Paul, again writing a good lyric”
At the start, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were one and the same, or two halves of the same coin. Having learnt how to write songs together, The Beatles were led by the collaboration between the two artists who honed their craft together as young lads. However, as time went on and the friends grew apart, Lennon became especially critical of McCartney’s work. His songwriting was often the target of critique from his old friends, but occasionally, Lennon shared the love.
As the two songwriters evolved, their paths diverged. Lennon’s music became more spiritual and metaphorical but maintained the same emotional core and relatability that powered their early stuff. McCartney, on the other hand, became more whimsical. The band’s later releases feature different characters and stories, as McCartney seemed to approach his songwriting more like a storyteller than anything else.
Lennon wasn’t really a fan. He dubbed some of his bandmate’s work as “granny shit” and “junk”. As tensions between the two worsened in their final years or after the split of the band, Lennon was more likely to be found criticising or berating his old friend’s music than ever sharing his compliments towards it.
However, there was clearly still love and respect deep down, which, on occasion, came back up to the surface. In a few rare instances, Lennon dropped his guard and shared his praise for his bandmate’s music, especially his songwriting, which was once what bonded the two together.
The Paul McCartney lyrics John Lennon praised:
‘Fixing A Hole’
The cracks were showing when the band hit their Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club-era. The whole album was largely Paul McCartney’s brainchild as he conceived the idea of the psychedelic Sgt Pepper’s military-style band, and the album is dominated by his own narrative-driven lyrical compositions. According to McCartney, it was a project guided by him, “wanting to be free enough to let my mind wander, let myself be artistic, let myself not sneer at avant-garde things.” And while it’s considered a masterpiece, John Lennon was never much of a fan, stating of some of McCartney’s tracks, “I would never even dream of writing something like that.”
However, there was one song that Lennon did celebrate. ‘Fixing A Hole’ not only stood out as his favourite on the record but also as his bandmate’s favourite lyric effort. “That’s Paul, again writing a good lyric,” Lennon said of the song, which, for the time, was about the highest praise he could give to his estranged old collaborator.
‘Yesterday’
When thinking about which song could be considered the ultimate example of Paul McCartney’s early lyricism, ‘Yesterday’ would easily be in the running. Written for their 1965 album Help!, the track is a prime example of the musician’s balladic writing and the power of his more simple, emotive lyricism. “I said something wrong; now I long for yesterday,” he croons on a track that feels utterly timeless.
Lennon clearly loved the track, even if his praise for McCartney’s lyrics is ever so slightly backhanded. “Paul wrote the lyrics to ‘Yesterday,’” Lennon said, adding, ”Although the lyrics don’t resolve into any sense, they’re good lines. They certainly work, you know.” However, he did later up the ante by congratulating his bandmate and ensuring all praise goes to him, stating, “I got so much accolade for ‘Yesterday’, but that’s Paul’s song and Paul’s baby. Well done.”
‘Hey Jude’
As the world sings along to the “na na na”s of ‘Hey Jude’, it’s easy to forget the power of the verses in favour of its massive chorus. No one ever really remarks, “Wow, isn’t ‘Hey Jude’ an incredible written song full of meaning,” but John Lennon did.
“That’s his best song,” John told Hit Parader in 1972, going in hard with some major praise for McCartney. But it’s the lyrical depth and openness that impressed him most, as he explained, “It started off as a song about my son Julian because Paul was going to see him. Then he turned it into ‘Hey Jude.’ I always thought it was about me and Yoko but he said it was about him and his.” In particular, Lennon loved the line “the movement you need is on your shoulder”, telling McCartney in the studio, “Don’t touch that; it’s the best line in it!” when he wanted to axe the lyric. Despite being adopted as a song to chant along to, Lennon seemed to see the richness of the lyrics and McCartney’s talent for writing multiple meanings and interpretations into his words.
‘The Fool On The Hill’
Despite later dubbing McCartney’s more whimsical lyrics as “granny shit”, it’s clear that some of the tunes from that mid to late Beatles era were revisited with a kinder ear in retrospect by Lennon. Once again, the Magical Mystery Tour record was largely McCartney’s idea as he contributed the majority of the songs and the energy of the release carried on from his prior ideas for Sgt Pepper. But while Lennon was distracted by working on ‘I Am the Walrus’, he did have love for one of his bandmate’s contributions.
‘The Fool On The Hill’ stood out to Lennon as another song proving his bandmate’s lyrical talent. As always, his praise is short and sweet as he merely said, “Another good lyric,” with a slight subtle dig added when he retorted, “Shows he’s capable of writing complete songs.” But despite the tight-lipped nature of his compliment, it’s there nonetheless.
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