There are a lot of stories about how the Beatles eventually came to break up, and Paul McCartney is well aware that he’s at the centre of some of those theories. But in an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the prolific singer said that there was nothing but loving feelings between himself and John Lennon—so much so that sometimes he dreams about his late bandmate.
“The thing is when you’ve had a relationship like that for so long—such a deep relationship—I love it when people revisit you in your dreams,” the singer said. “I’m often with John, just talking about doing something, and I go to get my half of the bass, and it’s covered in sticky tape.” Sounds like typical dream weirdness, but he also notes that when Lennon’s around in his dreams, it’s always good.
As Abbey Road approaches its 50th anniversary this week, McCartney also revealed a song that came to him in a dream. Featured on the 1965 LP, Help! the single “Yesterday” came to McCartney as he was sleeping one night. “I woke up one morning and there was a tune in my head. I happen to have a piano by my bed, so I,” he said, trailing off while imitating a piano. “So I went around to all my friends, including John, asking ‘what’s this tune?’ and he said, ‘I don’t know.’"
After a few weeks, he claimed it as his own (still is, for the record). What resulted was one of the most recognisable songs in the Lennon/McCartney songbook. There aren’t a lot of dream worlds that sound interesting enough to visit, but if one officially makes the list, it’s got to be Paul McCartney’s.
Justin Kirkland is a Brooklyn-based writer who covers culture, food, and the South. Along with Esquire, his work has appeared in NYLON, Vulture, and USA Today.
