During a recent episode of his iHeart Radio podcast, ‘McCartney: A Life in Lyrics,’ Paul McCartney shared memories of John Lennon’s legacy concerns.
The singer explained that his former bandmate, who tragically passed away at 40 outside his New York City apartment, had concerns about how he would be remembered after his death. McCartney said:
“I remember him saying to me, ‘Paul, I worry about how people are going to remember me when I die,’ and it kind of shocked me. I said, ‘OK, hold on, just hold it right there. People are going to think you were great; you’ve already done enough work to demonstrate that.'”
McCartney’s Role As A Supportive Friend
The bassist continued, recalling how he would comfort the late musician:
“I was like his priest. Often I’d have to say, ‘My son, you’re great; don’t worry about it,’ and he would take it. It would make him feel better.”
‘Here Today’ As An Ode To Lennon
In the same episode, McCartney also reflected on his 1982 song ‘Here Today,’ which he wrote as a tribute to Lennon.
“I was remembering things about our relationship and things about the million things we’d done together. From just being in each other’s front parlors or bedrooms, or walking on the street together, or hitchhiking. [It was] very moving, very emotional because I was just sitting there in this bare room thinking of John and realizing I’d lost him. And it was a powerful loss, so to have a conversation with him in a song was some form of solace. Somehow I was with him again.”
Imagining Lennon’s Reaction To ‘Now and Then’
In other news, the Beatles released their last song, ‘Now and Then,’ which Lennon wrote in the late 1970s, on November 2. The song includes the late band member’s vocals, made possible by technology that separated Lennon’s voice from a 1970s recording. McCartney talked about John’s possible reaction to the song in the documentary, ‘Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song,’ saying:
“Is it something we shouldn’t do? Every time I thought, like that, I thought, ‘Wait a minute. Let’s say I had a chance to ask John. ‘Hey John, would you like us to finish this last song of yours?’ I’m telling you, I know the answer would have been ‘Yeah.’ He would have loved that.”
The ‘Now and Then’ music video, directed by Peter Jackson, came out on November 3. It includes rare footage of the Beatles, with clips from Pete Best, recordings from their 1995 Anthology sessions, private videos of Harrison, and new performances by McCartney and Starr.
