John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs
A look at the songwriting partnership between John Lennon & Paul McCartney
One of my reading rules is Physical Books Only. Well, I broke that rule over the past month to listen to John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie. It came highly recommended by
and he interviewed author Ian Leslie on his Econtalk podcast.There are forty-three chapters in this book and they are all titled after songs by the Beatles, John Lennon, and/or Paul McCartney. I never went through a Beatles phase, so even though I recognized most of the songs, I didn’t know the stories behind them.
This book actually worked well in the audio format. Before listening to each chapter, I’d listen to the song being referenced. Ian Leslie does a brilliant job of highlighting the inspiration for each song, identifying John or Paul as the initiator, discussing unique features of each song, and sharing the reasons for the lyrics, music, and/or recording style.
He also intersected stories of the rise of the Beatles, the personal lives of John & Paul, their drug habits, their meditation phase, each album, the relationships, and changes in recording technology.
Here are some of my key takeaways:
Chapter 12: Yesterday
Paul McCartney woke up one morning with a tune in his head. He immediately sat down at his piano and worked it out. It seemed so familiar that he was certain he was remembering a song that he had heard before. He’d play it for others and ask them if they recognized it. They all said no. He eventually realized that it was his song. There is an element of that song that seems to be timeless.
Discord
I was struck by the amount of disfunction in the band. Marriage partners, contract negotiations, creative jealousies, and drug-infused rants all impacted the band in different ways. They members eventually arrived at a situation of irreconcilable differences and never got back together. Despite that, Paul & John had one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in history.
Drugs
There’s a romantic notion that drugs open up the creative airways. Maybe they do, but drugs destroyed the Beatles. It was interesting following the progress of the band and seeing when drugs entered into the picture and how that impacted their music, their friendships, and the ultimate course of the band.
Into their Souls
John Lennon & Paul McCartney would stare into each other’s eyes while writing songs (and during drug-infused sessions) and would see into each other’s souls. I’m not sure what to make of that but they were so closely connected on a variety of levels and that came through in their song writing, composition, and performances.
Regret
After John Lennon was killed, Paul McCartney said he’d never fall out with anyone ever again. Life was too short. That chapter was heart-wrenching.
If you’d like to purchase this book, we have it at Landmark Booksellers and can ship across the United States.
I did the same after the EconTalk episode. I really enjoyed it. I would recommend the Get Back documentary from a few years ago. It was a great follow up for me after the book.