The Beatles may have broken up, but that doesn’t mean they stopped inspiring each other. Paul McCartney got the inspiration for one of his biggest solo hits from George Harrison–after the band had already called it quits. Learn more about how Harrison inadvertently helped McCartney write “Band on the Run” while in legal discussions about their breakup, below.
How George Harrison Helped Spur Paul McCartney’s “Band on the Run”
Stuck inside these four walls
Sent inside forever
Never seeing no one
Nice again like you, mama
You, mama
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If I ever get out of here
Thought of giving it all away
To a registered charity
All I need is a pint a day
If I ever get outta here
After the Beatles decided to hang up their hats, they couldn’t avoid each other thanks to their ongoing legal struggles with their label, Apple. The ex-bandmates were forced to sit in meeting after meeting, trying to untangle the web manager Allen Klein had woven.
McCartney found Harrison’s comment during this era inspiring. The “quiet Beatle” once likened the meetings to a prison. McCartney used that inspiration on “Band on the Run,” one of his biggest solo hits.
“It started off with ‘If I ever get out of here,’” McCartney once explained of Harrison’s influence on “Band on the Run”. “That came from a remark George made at one of the Apple meetings. He was saying that we were all prisoners in some way, some kind of remark like that. ‘If we ever get out of here,’ the prison bit, and I thought that would be a nice way to start an album.”
The Many Meanings of “Band on the Run”
Despite that very specific origin, McCartney thought “Band on the Run” could be interpreted in many ways. Though the Beatles were trying to outrun their legal troubles, the song could also be about freedom in the general sense.
“It’s a million things, I don’t like to analyze them, all put together,” he continued. “Band on the run – escaping, freedom, criminals. You name it, it’s there.”
Inspiration for songs can come from anywhere. McCartney, ever the observant songwriter, took inspiration from a seemingly throw-away comment from Harrison. If anything, the story behind this hit should be taken as inspiration in itself for burgeoning songwriters. Revisit “Band on the Run,” below.
Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash
As we fell into the sun
And the first one said to the second one there
“I hope you’re having fun”
Band on the run
Band on the run
And the jailer man and sailor Sam
Were searching everyone
(Photo by ANL/Shutterstock)
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