Paul McCartney Wrote This Lesser-Known Beatles Track in Girlfriend’s “Peter Pan House,” Inspired by Motown 3,000 Miles Away

Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote some of their most iconic Beatles songs in the music room of 57 Wimpole Street, the home of McCartney’s girlfriend, Jane Asher. The home, described in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now as a “Peter Pan house,” was a sprawling, six-story home with plenty of room for Asher’s parents and siblings to live and work comfortably. McCartney joined the fold after getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop in an apartment Brian Epstein rented for The Beatles after hotel staff began complaining of squealing fans running rampant down the halls, looking for the young lads from Liverpool during their stay.

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That “fuzzy end” was the smallest room in the whole flat, which was the only one available after the rest of The Beatles called dibs on the room they wanted. (McCartney was late to arrive at the apartment, hence the smallest room.) After lamenting his living conditions for so long, Asher suggested that he move into her family’s house. Her mother already approved. He had a great relationship with the rest of the Asher family. And besides, how fun would it be to live with your girlfriend in a cushy London house that had all the homey atmosphere that The Beatles’ flat decidedly didn’t?

It was in these idealistic conditions that McCartney and Lennon wrote songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “Eleanor Rigby”, “I’ve Just Seen a Face”, “I’m Looking Through You”, and “You Won’t See Me”. The last two songs were loosely based on McCartney’s relationship with Asher, which was slowly deteriorating as both of their careers began to take off. Interestingly, “You Won’t See Me” also pulled inspiration from a music scene 3,000 miles away.

Paul McCartney Embodied the Motown Sound in “You Won’t See Me”

Speaking to Barry Miles, Paul McCartney explained that “You Won’t See Me” was unique in that he wrote the song around “two little notes, a very slim phrase,” instead of a full chord progression, like he usually did. Playing in the E position high on the neck, McCartney crafted a descending chromatic line that would eventually become the third track on the A-side of The Beatles’ 1965 album, Rubber Soul. 

“To me, it was very Motown-flavoured,” McCartney continued. “It’s got a James Jamerson feel. He was the Motown bass player. He was fabulous—the guy who did all those great melodic bass lines. It was him, me, and Brian Wilson who were doing melodic bass lines at that time, all from completely different angles. LA, Detroit, and London, all picking up on what each other did.” 

At the time that The Beatles were recording Rubber Soul, “You Won’t See Me” was the band’s longest song at three minutes and 23 seconds. Of course, it wouldn’t take long for the Fab Four to break this record, notably with the seven-minute “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and the eight-minute “Revolution 9”. (After the midway point of the 1960s, The Beatles were well past worrying about keeping their songs at a manageable length for radio airplay.)

Despite his failing relationship with Jane Asher (ah, young love), McCartney spoke incredibly highly of his time at Wimpole Street. “It was everything [the band apartment on Green Street] was missing,” McCartney told Barry Miles. “There were people there and food and a homey atmosphere, and Jane being my girlfriend, it was kind of perfect!”

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