3 Songs John Lennon Wrote About Paul McCartney

The songs John Lennon wrote about his ex-bandmate are mostly full of anger. Soon after The Beatles decided they were best as solo artists, tensions ran high between the former songwriting partners. Lennon made his disdain for McCartney quite clear, penning several songs that criticized McCartney’s behavior. Though they made up in their private lives before Lennon’s assassination, the songs the late Beatle left behind tell a very different story.

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“How Do You Sleep?”

This is the song most fans know when it comes to Lennon-penned McCartney insults. Lennon left everything out on the table with this track, leaving no confusion about how he felt about his former bandmate. “You live with straights who tell you you was king / Jump when your momma tell you anything / The only thing you done was Yesterday / And since you’re gone you’re just another day,” he sings in “How Do You Sleep?”

This song came as a shock to fans when it was first released, breaking the hearts of anyone still reeling from the band’s breakup. This is perhaps Lennon’s most stern message to McCartney, making it a good place to start on this list.

“Steel and Glass”

Many listeners have interpreted this song to be about Lennon and his bandmates’ tensions with Allen Klein, but others see a McCartney tie-in as well. “Well, your mouthpiece squawks as he spreads your lies / But you can’t pull strings if your hands are tied,” Lennon sings in this track. While these lines clearly point to The Beatles’ difficulties with their late-stage manager, McCartney was also a point of contention during this period of the band’s career. This fact raises doubt about who this song is truly about.

“I Found Out”

Lennon makes a nod to McCartney and his mythos in “I Found Out.” “I seen religion from Jesus to Paul / Don’t let them fool you with dope and cocaine / No one can harm you, feel your own pain,” Lennon sings. This is both a nod to his former bandmate and his own “More popular than Jesus” remark.

This song as a whole is about feeling misled by others. To mention McCartney in a song of this nature speaks to his viewpoint at the time. He clearly didn’t see McCartney in a completely positive light.

(Photo by Steve Morley/Redferns)