It’s one thing to write a cutting song about your bandmate after you’ve broken up, which the Beatles did a lot of. It’s entirely another to do it right in front of their face. George Harrison once mocked Paul McCartney with a Beatles song, airing his grievances in front of his bandmate. It’s not the most well-known Beatles song, but it does highlight the cracks that were forming between “The Quiet Beatle” and his decisive counterpart.
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“Paul Couldn’t See Beyond Himself”
When Harrison left the band before their breakup, there was no mistaking the cause. His voice was all but forgotten in the studio. No matter how his songwriting shone, it was always eclipsed by the force of the Lennon/McCartney partnership. Though Lennon isn’t absolved from blame, it was McCartney that Harrison was most agrieved with. He found Macca to be a bulldozer, unable to see anything past his creative pursuits.
“At that point in time, Paul couldn’t see beyond himself,” Harrison once said. “He was on a roll, but… in his mind, everything that was going on around him was just there to accompany him. He wasn’t sensitive to stepping on other people’s egos or feelings.”
On one hand, McCartney was an expert songwriter. His talents had been proven time and time again with top Beatles hits. On the other hand, his style took a turn his bandmates would often label “silly” towards the end of their career. The Lennon-labeled “Granny Music” was starting to irk his fellow Beatles. Harrison decided to push back.
Harrison’s Chance to Get Back at McCartney
In response to McCartney’s strong-arming in the studio, Harrison penned “Savory Truffle.” The most damning lines in this track read, You know that what you eat you are / But what is sweet now turns so sour / We all know Ob-La-Di-Bla-Da / But can you show me where you are?
Now, this song has two angles. While the line above has led fans to think this is a jab at McCartney, other theories suggest that it is a reference to Eric Clapton’s sugar addiction.
“At that time [Clapton] had a lot of cavities in his teeth and needed dental work,” Harrison once said. “He always had toothache but he ate a lot of chocolates – he couldn’t resist them and once he saw a box he had to eat them all.”
While Clapton may have had a hand in inspiring this Harrison track, the reference to one of McCartney’s songs makes it hard to deny his involvement. Revisit this cutting Beatles song below.
(Photo by Bettman/Getty Images)
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