There was always a sense of friendly competition between Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The former songwriting partners always compared their writing, and their individual solo careers only exacerbated that. Once the pair parted ways, they penned songs about one another—some of which were pretty nasty. But, underneath any jealousy-induced squabbles was a deep-seated respect. That respect eventually allowed them to become friends again shortly before Lennon was murdered in New York.
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That respect also reared its head after Lennon heard one particular McCartney solo effort. It was so good that, apparently, Lennon decided he needed to get into the studio after hearing it. Find out which McCartney song made his former partner want to start writing again below.
The Paul McCartney Song That Got John Lennon in the Studio
McCartney got a little weird on his 1980 solo track, “Coming Up.” This song saw the former Beatle use pitched-up vocals and an era-defining musicality. It marked a departure from the sound many expected from McCartney and went on to impress even the toughest of crowds: Lennon.
“I went into the studio each day and just started with a drum track,” McCartney once said of this song. “It is very much like sitting down with a few lumps of clay and putting down one after another until it makes itself into a face or something. In this case, it just made itself into the song.”
He likened the recording process to being in a laboratory, trying out different experiments until he got musical fireworks.
“The absent-minded professor is what I go like when I’m doing those; you get so into yourself, it’s weird, crazy,” he added. “But I liked it.”
McCartney’s bravery in the studio was rewarded with this song. “Coming Up” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the UK Singles charts. It wowed audiences with its uniqueness and departure from McCartney’s typical fare.
John Lennon’s Thoughts On “Coming Up”
This song was released several months before Lennon was murdered. It was so inspiring to Lennon that he decided to get back in the studio himself.
“I thought that ‘Coming Up’ was great,” Lennon once said. “If I’m impressed by a record on the (radio), I immediately want to write (a song). Warren Beatty said it about movies. ‘A great movie is one that makes you want to make a movie.’”
It’s a pretty big compliment from a former songwriting partner to have inspired Lennon to make his own music so many years after the end of their tenure together. The news of this reached McCartney, who expressed mutual admiration.
“I heard a story from a guy who recorded with John in New York, and he said that John would sometimes get lazy,” McCartney added elsewhere. “But then he’d hear a song of mine where he thought, ‘Oh, s**t, Paul’s putting it in, Paul’s working!’ Apparently, ‘Coming Up’ was the one song that got John recording again. I think John just thought, ‘Uh oh, I had better get working, too.’”
(Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
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