Lennon–McCartney facts for kids

Paul McCartney (left) and John Lennon (right) in 1964

Lennon–McCartney was the amazing songwriting team of John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942). They were both English musicians from the famous band the Beatles. Many people think they were one of the greatest and most successful songwriting duos ever. The Beatles sold over 600 million records worldwide by 2004!

Between 1962 and 1970, Lennon and McCartney wrote about 180 songs together. Most of these songs were recorded by the Beatles and became a huge part of their music collection.

Unlike some songwriting teams where one person writes the words and another writes the music (like Elton John and Bernie Taupin), both John and Paul wrote both the lyrics and the melodies. Sometimes, especially when they first started, they would work very closely, "eyeball to eyeball," as Lennon said. Later on, one of them might write most of a song alone, with the other adding just a few ideas.

Before the Beatles became super famous, John and Paul made a deal. They agreed that any song either of them wrote would be credited to both "Lennon–McCartney." This meant they would always share the credit, even if one person did most of the work.

Many other musicians have recorded songs written by Lennon–McCartney. For example, the song "Yesterday" has been recorded by more musicians than any other song in history!

How They Met

Paul McCartney had seen John Lennon around their local area, but they didn't know each other. Their first real meeting was on July 6, 1957. It happened at a church fair where 16-year-old Lennon was playing with his band, the Quarrymen.

Paul, who was 15, came along with a friend named Ivan Vaughan. Paul really impressed John with his guitar skills and his performance of Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock". Soon after, John asked Paul to join the Quarrymen, and Paul said yes!

John and Paul loved music from artists like the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. They learned many of their songs and tried to sound like them.

Their first songs were written at Paul's house, John's aunt Mimi's house, or at the Liverpool Institute. They often invited friends like George Harrison to listen to their new songs. The very first song they wrote together was called "Too Bad About Sorrows."

Their Special Way of Writing Songs

John Lennon once said that the main goal of the Beatles' music was to connect with people. He felt that he and Paul shared this goal.

Even though John and Paul often wrote songs on their own, it was rare for a song to be finished without some help from both of them. Often, one writer would have an idea or a small part of a song. Then, they would take it to the other to finish or make it better. Sometimes, two unfinished song ideas would be combined into one complete song.

They would often add a "middle eight" (a different section in the middle of a song) or a "bridge" (a part that connects different sections) to each other's songs. George Martin, their producer, believed that their friendly competition helped them write such high-quality songs. This mix of competition, inspiration, and working together is a big reason why the Beatles were so creative and popular.

As time went on, songs became more the work of one writer. The other partner might only offer a few words or a different chord. "A Day in the Life" is a famous example where both John and Paul added a lot. Paul's song idea ("Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head...") was used in the middle of John's song ("I read the news today, oh boy...").

"Hey Jude" is another example of a later Paul McCartney song that John helped with. When Paul was showing the song to John, Paul thought a line ("the movement you need is on your shoulder") didn't make sense. He told John he would change it. But John told him to keep it, saying it was one of the strongest parts of the song!

Even though they worked together less closely in later years, they still influenced each other. John said in 1969, "We write how we write now because of each other. Paul was there for five or ten years, and I wouldn't write like I write now if it weren't for Paul, and he wouldn't write like he does if it weren't for me."

Song Credit: Lennon–McCartney

When Paul and John first started writing songs as teenagers, they decided that all songs they wrote, whether together or alone, would be credited to both of them. This agreement was made when they were about 15 or 16 years old.

Their first official Beatles song released in the UK was "Love Me Do" in October 1962. It was credited to "Lennon–McCartney." For a short time after that, some songs were credited as "McCartney–Lennon." But by August 1963, with the song "She Loves You", the credit went back to "Lennon–McCartney." This order stayed the same for almost all future Beatles songs.

Years later, after John Lennon passed away, Paul McCartney wanted to change the credit order to "Paul McCartney and John Lennon" on some of his live albums. He said they had agreed they could do this. However, Yoko Ono, John's wife, didn't agree. In 2003, Paul decided to keep the original "Lennon–McCartney" order, saying he was proud to be part of that famous name.

Songs with Other Writers

A few songs written mostly by John and Paul, and recorded by the Beatles, also included credits for other band members:

• "What Goes On" (1965): Lennon–McCartney–Starkey
• "12-Bar Original" (1965): Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey
• "Flying" (1967): Harrison–Lennon–McCartney–Starkey
• "Jessie's Dream" (1967): Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey
• "Los Paranoias" (1968): Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey
• "Dig It" (1969): Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey
• "Maggie Mae" (1969): Arrangement by Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey
• "Suzy Parker" (1969): Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey
• "Free as a Bird" (1995): Original by John Lennon; Beatles version credited to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
• "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)" (1995 edit of 1967 fan club version): Lennon–McCartney–Harrison–Starkey
• "Now and Then" (2023): Original by John Lennon; Beatles version credited to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr

Even the German-language versions of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" gave credit to extra songwriters who helped with the translation.

Their Impact on Music

The Lennon–McCartney songwriting team, along with other British bands, changed the music world. Before them, many popular songs were written by professional songwriters for other artists to sing. But the Beatles wrote and performed their own music, which was a new and exciting trend.

In 1963, The Sunday Times newspaper even called Lennon and McCartney the greatest composers since Ludwig van Beethoven!

The Lennon–McCartney style became a model for many other rock bands. For example, the Rolling Stones' songwriting team of Jagger–Richards was inspired by them. Other bands were often compared to Lennon–McCartney. The band Squeeze's songwriters, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, were called the "new Lennon–McCartney" by music writers.

When Paul McCartney worked with Elvis Costello in 1989, some people said Costello's sharp style reminded them of John Lennon. Paul agreed that Costello had "a bit of Lennon in him."

The Beatles' Songs

Most of the songs in the Beatles' music collection were written by Lennon and McCartney.

• Their first two UK albums had 12 cover songs (songs originally by other artists) and 15 Lennon–McCartney songs.
• Their third UK album, A Hard Day's Night (1964), was special because every single song on it was a Lennon–McCartney original!
• After that, they still wrote most of the songs, but George Harrison started writing more of his own. Ringo Starr also wrote two songs and got a shared credit for another.
• "Flying" and "Dig It" were even credited to all four Beatles!

John and Paul often gave songs for Ringo Starr to sing. They also gave songs to George Harrison before he started writing his own. For the songs they kept for themselves, each usually sang the song they wrote, often with the other person singing harmonies. Sometimes, if they both contributed parts to a song, they would each sing their own part, like in "I've Got a Feeling" and "A Day in the Life".

Songs for Other Artists

Many songs credited to Lennon–McCartney were first released by other bands, especially those managed by Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager. Having a Lennon–McCartney song helped new artists become famous. Many of these songs were put on a special album in 1979 called The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away. The Beatles did record their own versions of some of these songs, but they weren't released until much later.

Recently, in April 2024, the sons of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon, worked together on a song called "Primrose Hill."

Paul McCartney also released some songs and a soundtrack album on his own during this time:

Songs Not Released

Some songs are believed to have been written by Lennon and McCartney but were never officially released by the Beatles or other artists. Many of these have appeared on special unofficial recordings called "bootlegs." One famous unreleased song is "Carnival of Light". This list includes some of their very first songs from when they were the Quarrymen.

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See also

In Spanish: Lennon-McCartney para niños

• Outline of the Beatles
• The Beatles timeline
• List of songs recorded by the Beatles
• List of songwriter collaborations
• The Beatles bootleg recordings
• Jagger–Richards