In a recent “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” iHeart Radio podcast, Paul McCartney talked about his recollections of John Lennon’s legacy issues. The singer revealed that he was worried about how his late bandmate, who died unexpectedly at the age of 40 outside his New York City residence, will be remembered. Says McCartney: It kind of astonished me when he said to me, “Paul, I worry about how people are going to remember me when I die.” “All right, hold on, just hold it right there,” I urged. You’ve already done enough to show that you were excellent, so people will think that you were. The bassist went on, remembering how he would console the deceased artist: “I resembled his clergyman. Frequently, I would have to reassure my son, “You’re amazing; don’t worry about it,” and he would accept it. It would alleviate his discomfort. McCartney also discussed his 1982 song “Here Today,” which he penned as a remembrance to Lennon, in the same show. “I was recalling stuff about our friendship and all of the things we had accomplished together. From simply hanging out in one other’s front rooms or bedrooms to taking walks together down the street or taking ridessharing.
I was sitting there in this empty room thinking of John and realizing I’d lost him, so it was quite poignant and heartbreaking. And it was a profound loss, so talking to him through song was consoling in a way. I was back with him somehow. In other news, on November 2, the Beatles released their final song, “Now and Then,” which John Lennon penned in the late 1970s. Thanks to technological advancements, the song has the late band member’s vocals, which were isolated from a recording from the 1970s. In the documentary “Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song,” McCartney discussed John’s potential response to the song, stating: Is this something we ought not to do? Every time I had a notion like that, I would stop and consider it. Assume I got the chance to ask John. “Hey John, do you want us to wrap up your last song?” You know the answer would have been “yes,” I’m telling you. That would have delighted him. November 3 marked the release of Peter Jackson’s music video for “Now and Then.” Rare Beatles footage is featured, along with recordings from their 1995 Anthology sessions, fresh performances by McCartney and Starr, private videos of Harrison, and clips by Pete Best.
