Paul McCartney still talks to John Lennon while writing songs: “His spirit’s still in me”
Paul McCartney has revealed that he still talks to John Lennon to help him write songs, saying, “His spirit’s still in me”.
The former Beatle is set to release his latest solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, on May 29th, which has a major focus on nostalgia and remembrance over the course of his life, particularly when it comes to his bandmates.
To this end, McCartney was speaking in an interview for Amazon Music, where he and Paul Mescal, who is set to play him in the forthcoming Beatles biopics, discussed the album and the process behind it.
When Mescal asked the musician how he felt about his relationship with Lennon now, he replied by first mentioning his bandmate’s difficult childhood and upbringing, which translated into a “witty and biting” writing style.
McCartney then added: “On this record, I might even refer to him in my mind, as if we’re still writing together. I’ll write something and go, ‘What’s that? Is that any good?’.”
Being prompted further by Mescal about the influence of Lennon’s voice in his head, McCartney joked: “Sometimes I’ll get away with it, and sometimes he’ll go, ‘No, it’s shit’,” before adding, “But his spirit’s still in me, and I’m glad of that. And George, too.”
The Boys of Dungeon Lane is set to be a very Beatles-esque album, with the first-ever duet, titled ‘Home To Us’, between McCartney and the other surviving member of the band, Ringo Starr, having already been released.
On that subject, the Beatles biopics are also not far from view, with the Sam Mendes-directed films set for release in 2028. Although much has been said about the casting, McCartney seems comfortable with Mescal playing him, as he said on the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last week that “He’s very cute”.
To mark the closing of that show, McCartney had not only appeared as a surprise guest for the night, but also joined Colbert in a rendition of the Beatles classic ‘Hello Goodbye’ at the conclusion of the episode.
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