In 1970, John Lennon told Rolling Stone that he was faced with a dilemma in forging a partnership with Paul McCartney, recalling, “Was it better to have a guy who was better than the people that I had in? To make the group stronger? Instead of going for an individual thing we went for the strongest format - equals.”Ī recording from that evening's performance, containing several songs including “Puttin' On The Style,” was purchased by Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in the mid-'90s. And the balance of John and Paul's lyrics and way of thinking and way of creating the music - well it was fascinating, the whole thing.” And their friendship was so - you could taste it almost - the essence of what they were doing was so tight-knit. Shortly before her 2015 death, Lennon's first wife, Cynthia Lennon, said that watching Lennon and McCartney collaborate in the early days was always an incredible experience: “They were absolutely wrapped up in their music. Don't ask me about conclusions about life - never mind the Beatles' career - or that aspect of it.” Y'know, my friend Ivan Vaughn taking me to Woolton village fete, me seeing John there, me going backstage - talking to him, me happening to know the words to 'Twenty Flight Rock,' him happening to be impressed. Throughout the years McCartney has always maintained that the meeting was one of the most amazing twists of divine intervention: “I kind of just count my blessings, y'know? I feel very lucky - and there is so much fate involved. And I think he said 'yes' the next day” as I recall it.” And I turned around to him right then on first meeting and sat, 'Do you want to join the group? And he said, ( imitates mumbling indecision). And we met and we talked after the show and I saw he had talent and he was playing the guitars backstage and doing 'Twenty Flight Rock' by Eddie Cochran. I dug him.”Īfter the Beatles' breakup, John Lennon set the scene for the legendary and historic first meeting: “Paul met me the first day I did 'Be-Bop-A-Lula' live on stage, okay? A mutual friend brought him to see my group, called the Quarrymen. He could obviously play guitar, I half thought to myself, 'He's as good as me'. In 1967, Lennon recalled his first impressions of McCartney, remembering that, “I was very impressed. I was a fat schoolboy and as he leaned his arm over my shoulder, I realized that he was drunk.” In 1964, McCartney jokingly described the historic meeting in the forward to Lennon's first book, In His Own Write, recalling that, “At Woolton village fete I met him. After the Quarrymen's set, the left-handed McCartney impressed Lennon and the rest of the group by turning over one of the group's right-handed acoustic guitars and belting out a few Little Richard numbers and Eddie Cochran's “Twenty Flight Rock.” Lennon was immediately impressed at the number of chords McCartney knew, as well as his ability to remember the correct lyrics to the songs. At the moment that McCartney first laid eyes on the 16-year-old Lennon on stage, he was performing the Del Vikings' hit “Come Go With Me” - with almost completely improvised lyrics. Vaughan said that the 15-year-old McCartney was more interested in checking out the girls attending the Church social than the musical acts. You'll get on well with him.” In recent years, McCartney has revealed that he had seen the older Lennon around Liverpool more than once and took notice of his hardened “Teddy Boy” dress and demeanor. Vaughan recalled to Lennon biographer Ray Coleman that he told McCartney: “You've got to come and meet this guy John Lennon. Peter's Church Garden Fete in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton by his and Lennon's mutual friend Ivan Vaughan, to watch Lennon's group the Quarrymen perform. It was 65 years ago today (July 6th, 1957), in Liverpool, England, that the most successful and beloved songwriting team of all time - John Lennon and Paul McCartney - first met, kick starting the Beatles' career.
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