Paul and revisionism

[Nancy R]

RMartinez:

Nancy R:

RMartinez:

Nancy R:

RMartinez:

JoeySmith:

It's important to get history right so I understand why Paul is doing this. For example the song In my life is regarded as one of the best songs ever. Most everyone thinks it's 100% Lennon song whereas Paul says he wrote the melody of the song. I think it's important to know what really happened. I tend to believe Paul's vs Johns version of the truth.

I don't believe Paul's take on In My Life. There is nothing to indicate he wrote the melody. John sings the main melody. Paul sings the harmony, which is not the main melody and does not go all the way through the tune. There are also stories that both had agree to start writing songs about Liverpool, and the story is John started to write down places he had know in Liverpool (which suggests HE may have had the idea for Penny Lane before Paul did!) but when nothing came of it, he just started to write about his life, which became In My Life. Even the melody is pure John, very horizontal with no real extreme intervals between notes. To be fair, I know at some point John claimed he wrote most of the lyric to Eleanor Rigby. While he may have contributed a line or two, I believe that is mainly Paul's song. It's a Paul song. Why dispute it now? In My Life is a John song. Period.

Yeah, I agree. A book I have (100 Best Beatles Songs by Spignesi & Lewis) says: The source of the song's melody is disputed. Paul has stated publicly that he remembers writing all the music to the song himself. He claimed to have gone off with John's lyrics and worked out a melody on a Mellotron. He said "his" melody was probably inspired by "You Really Got A Hold On Me" by the Miracles. John's position was that "[Paul's] contribution melodically was the harmony and the middle eight itself."

And the song doesn't have a middle eight. I have no problem believing Paul wrote the harmony lines on the song. But that is a far cry from writing the melody. It is writing a harmony to a melody John wrote. It is a very cool part, though!

I believe they were (or rather John was) referring to the instrumental break where George Martin played the piano.

For the middle eight? Perhaps. But that is not a middle eight, it is a solo over the chords of the verse. And I don't think Paul had a thing to do with that. George Martin played it and recorded it when the Beatles were not even there, I believe.

I KNOW that is not a middle eight! That is just what John called it. He was always saying "the middle eight" as an expression when technically it was not. I was also under the impression George Martin composed that piano bit. My book says the Beatles were there when Martin did it and that originally they tried a Hammond organ but nobody liked it. This was Oct. 22, 1965.

[SusyLuvsPaul]

RMartinez:

SusyLuvsPaul:

We're not walking in his Super Star shoes, so who but him can know about that. He doesn't come across as insecure and shaky in self-confidence all that often, IMO, nor overly puffed up with pride very often. Actually, Lennon should not be regarded as the end all and be all in the Beatles and Paul sort of a nothing in comparison. That's wrong He's right to take up for himself, about that issue. Among others.

Who has ever said that in these threads? Who here has ever said John was everything and Paul was nothing? All we are saying is Paul seems to want not only the credit he gets for his amazing career and songwriting and performing, but even for things John did. Which he does not need to do. Paul is brilliant for what he has actually done. Claiming he wrote part of Mr. Kite or that he wrote In My Life is not helping him or augmenting him in any way. Too many people know what happened. I know Paul was there and I wasn't, but John was there too and so were the others and George Martin, and there is nothing to support much of these recent claims.

I didn't say it was said in "these message boards."