In a remarkable moment fortuitously caught on film, Paul McCartney, feeling the pressure of an approaching deadline on the Beatles eventual Let it Be project, makes productive use of time waiting for John Lennon, who is late to arrive.
It’s a breathtaking glimpse of songwriting genius–the birth of a hit song, verse and chorus, takes place in less than four minutes as Paul strums a bass guitar.
I can’t say it any better than the YouTube comments, so I’ll paste them here:
It’s just mind blowing, they’re sitting around waiting for John and this whole new song just falls out of Paul’s head. George is giving positive feedback, Ringo’s already working out the percussion… then John walks in, sits down and immediately picks up on it and joins in. The Beatles fully deserve to have their music listened to until the last human dies. To never be forgotten.
This is one of Paul’s most legendary songs and it was composed strumming his bass while waiting for John to show up. The guy was such a genius it’s not even funny.
The fact that this wasnt in the original Let It Be is baffling. What a moment. “We need another million selling hit single, lads” “Right, give me about 4 minutes”
My favorite song from the album and watching Paul just pull it out of his ass is pretty damn amazing. I’ve never understood how people can just create a song out of thin air like that.
This is a writer’s dream on how to create a song you’re proud of. You’re just noodling around the guitar or piano and suddenly magic happens. I’m sure there were times when Paul couldn’t come up with an idea to save his life, then something like that happens as if it’s always this easy. lol I love it.
“Hi guys, what have you been doing so far?” “…well, no big deal. In the meantime Paul has composed a new hit that will go down in music history, but stay humble!”
When Brian Ray joined Paul McCartney’s band in 2002, he was tasked with learning more than 40 songs — in one week.
“Fortunately, I listened to the Beatles nonstop throughout my life, so I already knew most of them,” he says. “Of course, it’s much different when you’re playing in a band that, oh yeah, is led by Paul McCartney himself. Needless to say, I immersed myself in the material.”
But Ray quickly discovered that there’s a difference between how the Beatles recorded the songs and how they need to be played onstage,
“It’s one thing to listen to these songs and appreciate them as a fan, as we’ve all done,” he says. “But when you start digging into them and analyzing them, you’re just astounded by the creativity and depth. Even stuff that sounds simple isn’t simple at all. I’m constantly amazed at the brilliance in these songs, and that feeling grows stronger all the time.”
Given his rarified position, Ray has some unique insights for guitar (and bass) players looking to incorporate Fab Four material into their repertoire.
“It’s important to have respect for the Beatles’ records,” he says. “On the other hand, you don’t want to sound like karaoke. And if you’re like me and you grew up on these records, they’re part of your DNA. You’ve memorized every upstroke and downstroke…
Howard Goodall explores why Sgt Pepper is still seen as so innovative, so revolutionary and so influential, with the help of outtakes and studio conversations between the band.