Paul McCartney’s Daughter Mary Addresses Elton John’s Career As A Session Musician

Mary McCartney is excited about her first feature documentary debut, ‘If These Walls Could Sing.’ Besides her father, Paul McCartney, and other important names in the scene, Elton John also shared his recollections about Abbey Road Studios in the film. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Mary shared her insights about Elton’s remarks on being a session musician.

The Beatles and Abbey Road are identified with each other, but ‘If These Walls Could Sing’ doesn’t focus solely on the band. Elton John also recorded there — but he wasn’t ‘Sir Elton John’ at that time. According to Mary, John was a session musician who didn’t have a single thought of becoming a worldwide-known star.

“Elton John was, at that point, just Reginald Dwight,” Mary McCartney said, “and he had the smell of fear because he was a session musician. As he says, ‘I had no idea I was going to become Elton John.’ He was writing songs, but he made his living doing sessions.”

She continued, “You have to go in, playing on somebody else’s track, and you have to nail it. He talks about playing on ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,’ by the Hollies — when you listen to his piano part, you can tell that’s Elton John playing the piano.”

So, McCartney said that Elton John was an ambitious but anxious session musician who didn’t believe he would become a successful music icon in the future. According to Mary, John had to go and play somebody’s song without any mistakes, but he had his own unique approach to playing the piano parts.

‘If These Walls Could Sing’ recently had its London premiere with a star-studded guest list. Telling the story of the historic Abbey Road Studios with interviews from stars like Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Jimmy Page, and Elton John, the documentary will be available to stream on Disney+ in the UK on January 6, 2023.