John Lennon in 1973 and Paul McCartney in 2018.Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage
Paul McCartneyis opening up about how he andJohn Lennontook a sad song and made it better.
“‘The movement you need is on your shoulder.’ Now, I thought that was just me blocking in,” McCartney admitted on the podcast.
The rock star revealed that the late icon convinced him not to alter a line in the song when he played it for him and Ono, 91, for the first time.
“When I played it for John and Yoko in my music room on my psychedelic piano — I’m sitting facing this way and they’re standing behind me, almost on my shoulder and they’re listening,” he continued. “I’m so pleased with myself playing this new song.”
McCartney explained that he was quick to tell his collaborator that the line intended to be a filler wouldn’t be in the song for much longer — until Lennon interjected. “I turn around to John, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll change that,'” he shared. “And he looked at me and said, ‘You won’t, you know? It’s the best line, innit?'”
The line, of course, stayed in the iconic song — which became the longest song to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 at the time, coming in at seven minutes and 12 seconds.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon of The Beatles performing on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ in August 1965.CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
While the song originally held one meaning, it’s remained one of the most, beloved tracks in The Beatles discography for its uplifting message.
McCartney also spoke about the 1968 hit’s resonance onA Life in Lyrics. “Because I know when I’ve been going through bad times, I don’t know, like Linda’s illness and consequent death and the breakup of the Beatles,” he said, referring to his wife Linda McCartney’sbreast cancer diagnosis and deathin 1998.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“All these sorts of things, these moments in your life, I know you really feel lousy. You’ve got a pit in your stomach all the time. So to me, the idea sometimes behind songs is to try and reach that person and say, ‘Look, how about this thought?'”
He continued, “So I’m always trying to do that. I notice. I’m always trying to say, look, it’s going to be okay. It will be alright. I’m trying to be the voice of encouragement.”
Paul McCartney performing at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida in May 2022.Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock
Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock
Because the song was famously written with Julian in mind, the musician, 60, has opened up about his thoughts on it over the years.
McCartney added, “The lyrics are pertinent even now. They’re about making life better and taking the weight off my shoulders, especially on the path I followed as a musician — following Dad.”
“It was very much reflective, looking in the mirror deeply and trying to find that place of peace,” he said of creating the record. “I found it one or two times before, but it got lost in the muddle of life. Working on the album was about getting in touch with myself and who I am.”
source: people.com
