Who Wrote What In The Beatles?
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Interesting graphs of who contributed how much. https://public.tableau.com/s/gallery/beatles-albums
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That's very interesting!
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Hover on each album & it gives you some explanations.
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oobu24:
Hover on each album & it gives you some explanations.
Yes, it's pretty cool!
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This is the kind of thing websites should do, not all that slideshow nonsense so you have to open a new page to look at each picture.
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Why did John dominate the 'Hard Day's Night' album? It seems unfair & not part of their agreement.
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JoeySmith:
Why did John dominate the 'Hard Day's Night' album? It seems unfair & not part of their agreement.
http://maccaboard.paulmccartney.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=89705
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Interesting. Too bad they didn't include an overall percentage.
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very cool>>>
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Very cool but obviously inexact, first the percentages are taken from William Holding's book, published in 1988, so it doesnt't take in consideration Paul's comments( from the book Many years from now) about his contributions to many Beatles songs. Second, the percentages of Holding are, of course, pretty much subjetive and inconsistent ( for example he gave George's mom 0.5 % for one line in Piggies, but didnt gave nothing to Ringo for one line in Eleanor Rigby, and you can find many examples like that in the book). If you take a look to John?s and Paul?s comments about ?who wrote what?, and make an objective count (without putting percentages, which I think is a mistake, because is almost impossible to be accurate with that methodology), you will see that Paul wrote (mainly) more songs than John in at least 6 albums (Sgt. Pepper, MMT, Abbey Road, Let it be, Revolver and Beatles For Sale), and they have the same number of songs in two albums (With The Beatles and Help). If you don?t believe me, check this: With The Beatles According to McCartney and Lennon: I wanna be your man, Hold me tight and All my loving were mainly Paul?s. It won?t be long, Not Second time and All I?ve got a do were mainly Lennon?s. Little child was a 50/50 collaboration. So Paul 3, John 3, john/Paul 1. Ps: John helped Paul a lot on I wanna be your man, Paul helped John a lot on It won?t be long. Lennon also helped a little bit on Hold me Tight. Things change if you count the singles, because McCartney consider This boy a 50-50 collaboration, and Lennon said that it was his song, The rest (she lovesyou, I want hold your hand...) are equal collaborations. Help According to McCartney and Lennon: Paul was the main writer of five songs (The Night before, Another Girl, Tell me what you see, Yesterday, I?ve just seen a face), John was the main writer of five songs too (Help, You? re going?, You?ve got hide?, It?s Only Love and Ticket To ride). So they have the same number of songs. And I?m not even counting that Paul said Ticket to Ride, It?s Only Love and You?re going to lose? were 60-40 collaborations toward John. He also claims to have helped on the "countermelody" of Help, estimating the song as "70-30" to Lennon. McCartney wrote Im Down, Lennon Yes it is. Both B sides. Mccatney said he helped on Yes it is Lennon said he helped on Im Down Beatles for Sale According to McCartney and Lennon: 4 songs are mainly Paul?s (every little thing, eight days a week, what you?re doing, I?ll follow the sun), 3 songs are mainly John?s( No Reply, I?m loser and I don?t want to spoil..). And one is a 50/50 collaboration (Baby?s and Black). So Paul wrote a bit more than John in that album. Ps: Lennon helped Paul on every little thing, eight days a week, what you?re doing. McCartney helped Lennon on No reply, i'M loser and I don?t want to spoil the party. Lennon also wrote I Feel Fine, McCartney wrote She's a Woman. McCartney said he helped on I Feel Fine, Lennon said he helped on She's a woman. Revolver According to McCartney and Lennon: Paul wrote 6 songs ( Eleanor Rigby, Yellow submarine, Here there?, Good day sunshine, Got to get you into.., For no one). According to him, he helped John on Doctor Robert, I?m Only Sleeping and And Your bird can sing. John wrote 5 songs (Doctor Robert, I?m Only Sleeping and And Your bird can sing, tomorrow never knows, she said she said). He helped Paul on Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine and Good Day Sunshine. So in this album, again, Paul wrote a little bit more than John. McCartney wrote Paperback Writer, Lennon wrote Rain. Lennon helped on Paperback Writer, McCartney said he helped a lot on Rain. In Rubber Soul and Please Please me, it?s no clear who wrote more songs. Because if you believe in Paul?s version he wins by a slight margin, but if you believe in John?s version, Lennon is the winner, also not by much. For example, McCartney said There?s Place , Misery, and Do you Want a secret were 50/50 collaborations, Lennon said that those songs were his , though he accepted McCartney?s participation in Misery. So basically Paul was the main songwriter in six albums, John in two (one, if you count Paul's Can you take me back as a independent song in The White Album, if you do that, is another draw), and they have the same number of songs in two albums. And there is not a clear winner in another two records. Yellow Submarine for me doesn?t count. There' only 4 new songs, two by george, one by Paul, and one by John In fact, in the White Album period Paul is the most prolific songwriter if you count the singles Hey Jude and Lady Madonna ( Revolution and Revolution1 are really the same song), which to me don't belong to MMt period. Paul also contributed to AHDN more than people tend to give him credit for. Paul said I?m happy just to dance with you and If Fell were co-written, he also claimed that he helped to finish off I?ll be bacK. He also said he helped a little bit in the title track. And that it?s not strange, because Richard Lester remembers John and Paul giving the final touches to that song in the movie set.
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If you take away AHDN album, in which John dominates, I think Paul comes out ahead.
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William Dowlding's study Beatlesongs also came to the same conclusion, that overall John wrote slightly more than Paul during the Beatles. He also attributed it to AHDN, that John's dominance of that LP gave him an edge that Paul, even though he would dominate later recordings, never recovered from. Had the Beatles stayed together, he MAY have caught up, but their break up sealed that deal. John wrote more Beatles music than Paul. But only slightly more!
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JoeySmith:
If you take away AHDN album, in which John dominates, I think Paul comes out ahead.
If you can take away AHDN, then you can take away Sgt. Pepper's. But you can't. AHDN gave John the early lead.
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RMartinez:
William Dowlding's study Beatlesongs also came to the same conclusion, that overall John wrote slightly more than Paul during the Beatles. He also attributed it to AHDN, that John's dominance of that LP gave him an edge that Paul, even though he would dominate later recordings, never recovered from. Had the Beatles stayed together, he MAY have caught up, but their break up sealed that deal. John wrote more Beatles music than Paul. But only slightly more!
¿Why? ¿Because William Holding say so? he came to that conclusion based on invented percentages, and he even wasn?t there. Paul's version about" who wrote what" wasn?t availaible in 1988, so many of his contributions to The Beatles weren?t counted. That's why the last paragrah of William's Holding book is "It should be noted that Lennon's total was helped by his many interviews in which he noted his contributions in writing parts of songs. McCartney has been less revealing ( more modest?) and many of his contributions to Lennon's songs are not known?. That?s why Paul accepted later to do Many years from Now book. There?s a lot new info after William Holding?s Book was publish, that contradicts his percentages . For example, William Holding said Wait is a 50/50 collaboration, but there's no comment of Paul or John to support that. In fact, Wait is a McCartney song, according to Paul and John. But that info wasn?t avaibable in 1988. In 2011, the journalist Ray Connolly (in his book The Beatles Archives) included an interview with John Lennon( in 1970) about good number of Beatles Songs. And this is what Lennon said about Wait. ? That must be one of Paul?s. I can?t remember it?. And in Many years from now book, Paul said ?Wait? was mostly, if not completely, his song. This is taken from many years from now: Of the remaining songs on Rubber Soul, 'Wait' was written in the Bahamas, during the filming of Help!, and was originally intended for the soundtrack album. The Beatles had a little house near the sea where they hung out whenever they had a day off from filming or if there was time between shoots. One of the people they met in the Bahamas was the actor Brandon de Wilde, a former child star who appeared in Shanein 1953 at the age of eleven as well as a TV series called Jamie. He managed to make the transition to adult roles and starred in Hud with Paul Newman in 1963. He was a member of the Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper group of Hollywood hard-livers who liked to hang out and get stoned. He died in a car crash in June 1972 and was the subject of Gram Parsons's moving requiem 'In My Hour of Darkness'. Paul: 'He was a nice guy who was fascinated by what we did. A sort of Brat Pack actor. We chatted endlessly, and I seem to remember writing "Wait" in front of him, and him being interested to see it being written. I think it was my song. I don't remember John collaborating too much on it, although he could have.' In my opinion, taking in consideration only Paul's and John's versións about who wrote what, and not someone else inacurate percentages, Paul wrote more than John during The Beatles. But is an endless debate. So I respect your opinión, and I hope you respect mine, because we can?t be sure who really is right. Like William Holding, we weren?t there.
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eusse:
RMartinez:
William Dowlding's study Beatlesongs also came to the same conclusion, that overall John wrote slightly more than Paul during the Beatles. He also attributed it to AHDN, that John's dominance of that LP gave him an edge that Paul, even though he would dominate later recordings, never recovered from. Had the Beatles stayed together, he MAY have caught up, but their break up sealed that deal. John wrote more Beatles music than Paul. But only slightly more!
¿Why? ¿Because William Holding say so? he came to that conclusion based on invented percentages, and he even wasn?t there. Paul's version about" who wrote what" wasn?t availaible in 1988, so many of his contributions to The Beatles weren?t counted. That's why the last paragrah of William's Holding book is "It should be noted that Lennon's total was helped by his many interviews in which he noted his contributions in writing parts of songs. McCartney has been less revealing ( more modest?) and many of his contributions to Lennon's songs are not known?. That?s why Paul accepted later to do Many years from Now book. There?s a lot new info after William Holding?s Book was publish, that contradicts his percentages . For example, William Holding said Wait is a 50/50 collaboration, but there's no comment of Paul or John to support that. In fact, Wait is a McCartney song, according to Paul and John. But that info wasn?t avaibable in 1988. In 2011, the journalist Ray Connolly (in his book The Beatles Archives) included an interview with John Lennon( in 1970) about good number of Beatles Songs. And this is what Lennon said about Wait. ? That must be one of Paul?s. I can?t remember it?. And in Many years from now book, Paul said ?Wait? was mostly, if not completely, his song. This is taken from many years from now: Of the remaining songs on Rubber Soul, 'Wait' was written in the Bahamas, during the filming of Help!, and was originally intended for the soundtrack album. The Beatles had a little house near the sea where they hung out whenever they had a day off from filming or if there was time between shoots. One of the people they met in the Bahamas was the actor Brandon de Wilde, a former child star who appeared in Shanein 1953 at the age of eleven as well as a TV series called Jamie. He managed to make the transition to adult roles and starred in Hud with Paul Newman in 1963. He was a member of the Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper group of Hollywood hard-livers who liked to hang out and get stoned. He died in a car crash in June 1972 and was the subject of Gram Parsons's moving requiem 'In My Hour of Darkness'. Paul: 'He was a nice guy who was fascinated by what we did. A sort of Brat Pack actor. We chatted endlessly, and I seem to remember writing "Wait" in front of him, and him being interested to see it being written. I think it was my song. I don't remember John collaborating too much on it, although he could have.' In my opinion, taking in consideration only Paul's and John's versións about who wrote what, and not someone else inacurate percentages, Paul wrote more than John during The Beatles. But is an endless debate. So I respect your opinión, and I hope you respect mine, because we can?t be sure who really is right. Like William Holding, we weren?t there.
Why are you an expert? Why should I dismiss those people, but accept what a fan says on a fan forum? You can think Paul wrote more all you like, but the fact is they were very nose to nose at first, and John dominated AHDN and after that there was not one LP that Paul dominated in the same way. Paul says he wrote Wait, even though John sang lead? That is ridiculous! I am highly suspect of how Paul is re remembering who wrote what, and it is ALWAYS in the direction of him having written more than John, even of songs that for decades everyone, including Paul, acknowledged as John songs. Sorry, but unless you can do a song by song analysis of each of their Beatle songs and prove Paul wrote more, well, then, I accept the previous assertions. Just because you want Paul to have written more doesn't make it so. Paul wrote a LOT but so did John.
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RMartinez:
eusse:
RMartinez:
William Dowlding's study Beatlesongs also came to the same conclusion, that overall John wrote slightly more than Paul during the Beatles. He also attributed it to AHDN, that John's dominance of that LP gave him an edge that Paul, even though he would dominate later recordings, never recovered from. Had the Beatles stayed together, he MAY have caught up, but their break up sealed that deal. John wrote more Beatles music than Paul. But only slightly more!
¿Why? ¿Because William Holding say so? he came to that conclusion based on invented percentages, and he even wasn?t there. Paul's version about" who wrote what" wasn?t availaible in 1988, so many of his contributions to The Beatles weren?t counted. That's why the last paragrah of William's Holding book is "It should be noted that Lennon's total was helped by his many interviews in which he noted his contributions in writing parts of songs. McCartney has been less revealing ( more modest?) and many of his contributions to Lennon's songs are not known?. That?s why Paul accepted later to do Many years from Now book. There?s a lot new info after William Holding?s Book was publish, that contradicts his percentages . For example, William Holding said Wait is a 50/50 collaboration, but there's no comment of Paul or John to support that. In fact, Wait is a McCartney song, according to Paul and John. But that info wasn?t avaibable in 1988. In 2011, the journalist Ray Connolly (in his book The Beatles Archives) included an interview with John Lennon( in 1970) about good number of Beatles Songs. And this is what Lennon said about Wait. ? That must be one of Paul?s. I can?t remember it?. And in Many years from now book, Paul said ?Wait? was mostly, if not completely, his song. This is taken from many years from now: Of the remaining songs on Rubber Soul, 'Wait' was written in the Bahamas, during the filming of Help!, and was originally intended for the soundtrack album. The Beatles had a little house near the sea where they hung out whenever they had a day off from filming or if there was time between shoots. One of the people they met in the Bahamas was the actor Brandon de Wilde, a former child star who appeared in Shanein 1953 at the age of eleven as well as a TV series called Jamie. He managed to make the transition to adult roles and starred in Hud with Paul Newman in 1963. He was a member of the Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper group of Hollywood hard-livers who liked to hang out and get stoned. He died in a car crash in June 1972 and was the subject of Gram Parsons's moving requiem 'In My Hour of Darkness'. Paul: 'He was a nice guy who was fascinated by what we did. A sort of Brat Pack actor. We chatted endlessly, and I seem to remember writing "Wait" in front of him, and him being interested to see it being written. I think it was my song. I don't remember John collaborating too much on it, although he could have.' In my opinion, taking in consideration only Paul's and John's versións about who wrote what, and not someone else inacurate percentages, Paul wrote more than John during The Beatles. But is an endless debate. So I respect your opinión, and I hope you respect mine, because we can?t be sure who really is right. Like William Holding, we weren?t there.
Why are you an expert? Why should I dismiss those people, but accept what a fan says on a fan forum? You can think Paul wrote more all you like, but the fact is they were very nose to nose at first, and John dominated AHDN and after that there was not one LP that Paul dominated in the same way. Paul says he wrote Wait, even though John sang lead? That is ridiculous! I am highly suspect of how Paul is re remembering who wrote what, and it is ALWAYS in the direction of him having written more than John, even of songs that for decades everyone, including Paul, acknowledged as John songs. Sorry, but unless you can do a song by song analysis of each of their Beatle songs and prove Paul wrote more, well, then, I accept the previous assertions. Just because you want Paul to have written more doesn't make it so. Paul wrote a LOT but so did John.
Am I an expert? modesty aside, I think I am. I have read countless books about the music of the Beatles, Lennon and McCartney and spent two decades researching about their work. But no, that doesn?t mean you have to dismiss the well-known experts works nor believe in what I say. That?s not my point, you can believe whatever you want, I?m only saying that William Holding book is very flawed, and is far from being ?The Beatles Bible? about their music. But don?t get me wrong, I still think is interesting book. My point is no beatle expert could know more about Paul and John songwriting in The Beatles than the composers. Paul and John were there, not you, not me, not William Holding. With every album after AHDN, Paul began to increase his productivy, until he finally had more songs than John (in total) in The Beatles years. Let?s not forget that on Sgt Pepper, for example, McCartney was the principal writer of 8 songs and Lennon was the main responsible of 3 (4 songs, if you count A Day in the Life, but Paul not only contributed the woke up section, he also -according to Lennon- wrote the melody and lyrics of the mini chorus " I love to turn you ..." and -according to McCartney, but nobody seem to believe him anyway- helped on the lyrics in the Lennon section. If all of that is true, to me is an equal collaboration). So Paul recovered from the Lennonfest that AHDN was. You said: ? Paul says he wrote Wait, even John though sang lead? That is ridiculous! No, is not ridiculous! First, Paul and John share the lead vocal on Wait. That doesn?t mean they wrote it (equally) together ( do you remember A hard day?s night title track) . The verses are sung together, with Lennon only singing alone the first word of each verse ( that doesn't mean he wrote it, Paul is the lead vocalist in the verses of Day Tripper, and he is not the main writer of that song). Maybe McCartney probably wanted that arrangement, because he desired a more dramatic feel ( Lennon was good for that), and Paul was always more comfortable singing the higher part. The chorus is sung by Paul and John together, from start to finish, harmonizing. But who sings the middle eight ( which appears twice)? Is PAUL alone, double tracked. So John definitely is not the only lead singer on Wait. Second, strange you not mentioned it, but John also said that Wait must be a Paul?s song, and that he can?t remember anything of it ( he said that in early 1970, only five years after they recorded it). Decades after he recorded Wait, Paul remembers where he wrote it, how he wrote it and even who was present. ?But NO, Paul is lying!?? Say the hardcore John fans,? John is dead, so everything Lennon said, because he did first, is true, and everything that Paul says after John?s death is a lie". To me, that is ridiculous! and unfair to McCartney. So Paul and John sing together Wait ( with Paul singing solo in the middle eights); both said it was a McCartney song; Paul remembers almost everything how and where he wrote it; Lennon didn?t remember a shit about it ( less than five years after they recorded it); and you say it?s ridiculous! that McCartney says he wrote the song. Well?., ok It?s your opinion. You said
I am highly suspect of how Paul is re remembering who wrote what, and it is ALWAYS in the direction of him having written more than John, even of songs that for decades everyone, including Paul, acknowledged as John songs?. So I expect you don?t like John?s seventies interviews because they are the product of revisionist history too. He basically rewrote Beatles History (changing his views and comments drastically in many cases) several times in the seventies (with his polemic Rolling Stone Interview, Hit Parader and Playboy Interview). Why Paul didn?t talk about The Beatles songs in the seventies?. First because, unlike John, he didn?t want to talk extensively about The Beatles, he wanted to talk about first and foremost about Wings. And, at that time, even if the critics hated the band, Wings was one the most successful groups of the world. Unlike Lennon, nobody asked to do an interview song by song . In 1984, when Playboy Magazine invited Paul to talk about The Beatles songs, he did it, but the interview was much shorter than Lennon?s. Third, he probably didn?t want to start another media battle after the recent Beatles Breakup war. In the seventies, Paul was very busy promoting and selling millions of records, defending Wings of the critics and conquering the world again. He only saw the real need of set the record straight about his contributions to The Beatles songs? when Lennon died. Why? Because immediately after John was shot, everybody began to write books taking Lennon`s version of the Beatles history as the only one, ?the truth? (even if his comments sometimes don?t match or left many doubts and questions) and declaring Lennon as the only and true genius of the band. So understandably, Paul finally gave his version and defended his contributions to the band. It doesn?t matter if some rabid Lennon?s fans call him a liar or an opportunist, McCartney?s decision to reveal his version (IMHO, it?s not flawless but more consistent, credible and detailed than Lennon?s) put him again in the same league as Lennon in The Beatles history and public perception. And I think is fair, because Paul was as important as John for the success of the band. You said : ?Sorry, but unless you can do a song by song analysis of each of their Beatle songs and prove Paul wrote more, well, then, I accept the previous assertions.?. I can do it, I have the knowledge but I don?t have the time and nor the will to do it. That would be a hard and long work, and I?m sure, even if I?ll do that, you won?t be convinced. You said; ?Just because you want Paul to have written more doesn't make it so?. Well R Martinez, the same goes for you: ?Just because you want John to have written more doesn't make it so? You said Paul wrote a LOT but so did John?. Finally we are agree with something. Well, I share too your opinion that Paul should write with Jeff Lynne (I?m an ELO fan), and I think Jeff?s latest album is great. -
eusse:
RMartinez:
eusse:
RMartinez:
William Dowlding's study Beatlesongs also came to the same conclusion, that overall John wrote slightly more than Paul during the Beatles. He also attributed it to AHDN, that John's dominance of that LP gave him an edge that Paul, even though he would dominate later recordings, never recovered from. Had the Beatles stayed together, he MAY have caught up, but their break up sealed that deal. John wrote more Beatles music than Paul. But only slightly more!
¿Why? ¿Because William Holding say so? he came to that conclusion based on invented percentages, and he even wasn?t there. Paul's version about" who wrote what" wasn?t availaible in 1988, so many of his contributions to The Beatles weren?t counted. That's why the last paragrah of William's Holding book is "It should be noted that Lennon's total was helped by his many interviews in which he noted his contributions in writing parts of songs. McCartney has been less revealing ( more modest?) and many of his contributions to Lennon's songs are not known?. That?s why Paul accepted later to do Many years from Now book. There?s a lot new info after William Holding?s Book was publish, that contradicts his percentages . For example, William Holding said Wait is a 50/50 collaboration, but there's no comment of Paul or John to support that. In fact, Wait is a McCartney song, according to Paul and John. But that info wasn?t avaibable in 1988. In 2011, the journalist Ray Connolly (in his book The Beatles Archives) included an interview with John Lennon( in 1970) about good number of Beatles Songs. And this is what Lennon said about Wait. ? That must be one of Paul?s. I can?t remember it?. And in Many years from now book, Paul said ?Wait? was mostly, if not completely, his song. This is taken from many years from now: Of the remaining songs on Rubber Soul, 'Wait' was written in the Bahamas, during the filming of Help!, and was originally intended for the soundtrack album. The Beatles had a little house near the sea where they hung out whenever they had a day off from filming or if there was time between shoots. One of the people they met in the Bahamas was the actor Brandon de Wilde, a former child star who appeared in Shanein 1953 at the age of eleven as well as a TV series called Jamie. He managed to make the transition to adult roles and starred in Hud with Paul Newman in 1963. He was a member of the Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper group of Hollywood hard-livers who liked to hang out and get stoned. He died in a car crash in June 1972 and was the subject of Gram Parsons's moving requiem 'In My Hour of Darkness'. Paul: 'He was a nice guy who was fascinated by what we did. A sort of Brat Pack actor. We chatted endlessly, and I seem to remember writing "Wait" in front of him, and him being interested to see it being written. I think it was my song. I don't remember John collaborating too much on it, although he could have.' In my opinion, taking in consideration only Paul's and John's versións about who wrote what, and not someone else inacurate percentages, Paul wrote more than John during The Beatles. But is an endless debate. So I respect your opinión, and I hope you respect mine, because we can?t be sure who really is right. Like William Holding, we weren?t there.
Why are you an expert? Why should I dismiss those people, but accept what a fan says on a fan forum? You can think Paul wrote more all you like, but the fact is they were very nose to nose at first, and John dominated AHDN and after that there was not one LP that Paul dominated in the same way. Paul says he wrote Wait, even though John sang lead? That is ridiculous! I am highly suspect of how Paul is re remembering who wrote what, and it is ALWAYS in the direction of him having written more than John, even of songs that for decades everyone, including Paul, acknowledged as John songs. Sorry, but unless you can do a song by song analysis of each of their Beatle songs and prove Paul wrote more, well, then, I accept the previous assertions. Just because you want Paul to have written more doesn't make it so. Paul wrote a LOT but so did John.
Am I an expert? modesty aside, I think I am. I have read countless books about the music of the Beatles, Lennon and McCartney and spent two decades researching about their work. But no, that doesn?t mean you have to dismiss the well-known experts works nor believe in what I say. That?s not my point, you can believe whatever you want, I?m only saying that William Holding book is very flawed, and is far from being ?The Beatles Bible? about their music. But don?t get me wrong, I still think is interesting book. My point is no beatle expert could know more about Paul and John songwriting in The Beatles than the composers. Paul and John were there, not you, not me, not William Holding. With every album after AHDN, Paul began to increase his productivy, until he finally had more songs than John (in total) in The Beatles years. Let?s not forget that on Sgt Pepper, for example, McCartney was the principal writer of 8 songs and Lennon was the main responsible of 3 (4 songs, if you count A Day in the Life, but Paul not only contributed the woke up section, he also -according to Lennon- wrote the melody and lyrics of the mini chorus " I love to turn you ..." and -according to McCartney, but nobody seem to believe him anyway- helped on the lyrics in the Lennon section. If all of that is true, to me is an equal collaboration). So Paul recovered from the Lennonfest that AHDN was. You said: ? Paul says he wrote Wait, even John though sang lead? That is ridiculous! No, is not ridiculous! First, Paul and John share the lead vocal on Wait. That doesn?t mean they wrote it together ( do you remember A hard day?s night title track) . The verses are sung together, with Lennon only singing alone the first word of each verse ( that doesn't mean he wrote it, Paul is the lead vocalist in the verses of Day Tripper, and he is not the main writer of that song). Maybe McCartney probably wanted that arrangement, because he desired a more dramatic feel ( Lennon was good for that), and Paul was always more comfortable singing the higher part. The chorus is sung by Paul and John together, from start to finish, harmonizing. But who sings the middle eight ( which appears twice)? Is PAUL alone, double tracked. So John definitely is not the only lead singer on Wait. Second, strange you not mentioned it, but John also said that Wait must be a Paul?s song, and that he can?t remember anything of it ( he said that in early 1970, only five years after they recorded it). Decades after he recorded Wait, Paul remembers where he wrote it, how he wrote it and even who was present. ?But NO, Paul is lying!?? Say the hardcore John fans,? John is dead, so everything Lennon said, because he did first, is true, and everything that Paul says after John?s death is a lie". To me, that is ridiculous! and unfair to McCartney. So Paul and John sing together Wait ( with Paul singing solo in the middle eights); both said it was a McCartney song; Paul remembers almost everything how and where he wrote it; Lennon didn?t remember a s**t about it ( less than five years after they recorded it); and you say it?s ridiculous! that McCartney says he wrote the song. Well?., ok It?s your opinion. You said
I am highly suspect of how Paul is re remembering who wrote what, and it is ALWAYS in the direction of him having written more than John, even of songs that for decades everyone, including Paul, acknowledged as John songs?. So I expect you don?t like John?s seventies interviews because they are the product of revisionist history too. He basically rewrote Beatles History (changing his views and comments drastically in many cases) several times in the seventies (with his polemic Rolling Stone Interview, Hit Parader and Playboy Interview). Why Paul didn?t talk about The Beatles songs in the seventies?. First because, unlike John, he didn?t want to talk extensively about The Beatles, he wanted to talk about first and foremost about Wings. And, at that time, even if the critics hated the band, Wings was one the most successful groups of the world. Unlike Lennon, nobody asked to do an interview song by song . In 1984, when Playboy Magazine invited Paul to talk about The Beatles songs, he did it, but the interview was much shorter than Lennon?s. Third, he probably didn?t want to start another media battle after the recent Beatles Breakup war. In the seventies, Paul was very busy promoting and selling millions of records, defending Wings of the critics and conquering the world again. He only saw the real need of set the record straight about his contributions to The Beatles songs? when Lennon died. Why? Because immediately after John was shot, everybody began to write books taking Lennon`s version of the Beatles history as the only one, ?the truth? (even if his comments sometimes don?t match or left many doubts and questions) and declaring Lennon as the only and true genius of the band. So understandably, Paul finally gave his version and defended his contributions to the band. It doesn?t matter if some rabid Lennon?s fans call him a liar or an opportunist, McCartney?s decision to reveal his version (IMHO, it?s not flawless but more consistent, credible and detailed than Lennon?s) put him again in the same league as Lennon in The Beatles history and public perception. And I think is fair, because Paul was as important as John for the success of the band. You said : ?Sorry, but unless you can do a song by song analysis of each of their Beatle songs and prove Paul wrote more, well, then, I accept the previous assertions.?. I can do it, I have the knowledge but I don?t have the time and nor the will to do it. That would be a hard and long work, and I?m sure, even if I?ll do that, you won?t be convinced. You said; ?Just because you want Paul to have written more doesn't make it so?. Well R Martinez, the same goes for you: ?Just because you want John to have written more doesn't make it so? You said Paul wrote a LOT but so did John?. Finally we are agree with something. Well, I share too your opinion that Paul should write with Jeff Lynne (I?m an ELO fan), and I think Jeff?s latest album is great.I just found the study interesting. We may never REALLY know who wrote what, since it can be arbitrary what constitutes "writing" versus "suggesting." George Martin likely should have got some songwriting credit on a lot of Lennon and McCartney songs, and Harrison songs too. But he didn't. And George and Ringo certainly contributed their unique ideas to John and Paul songs. I have yet to read a study that shows Paul wrote more. But I am open to it. Again, I am suspect of Paul saying he wrote more of a Lennon song than he ever said before, since John is not here to corroborate or reject such claims. As Paul himself once said about John's name being first on Yesterday, how much glory does one person really need? Also, I misspoke about Wait. I confused it with The Word. I have always considered Wait a Paul tune, both sing lead, as you said, and Paul sings lead on the bridge. I stand corrected!
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R Martinez Wrote: "I just found the study interesting. We may never REALLY know who wrote what, since it can be arbitrary what constitutes "writing" versus "suggesting." George Martin likely should have got some songwriting credit on a lot of Lennon and McCartney songs, and Harrison songs too. But he didn't. And George and Ringo certainly contributed their unique ideas to John and Paul songs". R Martinez, I agree. I think it's very hard to to know clearly who" wrote" what and who "suggest" what. George Martin, Ringo and George surely helped more than we will ever know.
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I have always thought that George Martin should have gotten writing credit for some of the Beatles' songs!
