McLennon:A Love Story in Songs(pt. 5/5)
Here Today by Paul McCartney
Here Today is a heart-wrenching song about wondering what would happen if John was āhere todayā
Paul talks about āthe night we criedā which is in reference to a night in Miami where they got drunk and cried together about how much they loved each other.
Paul says that this song is the first time he ever said I love you to John.
Tug of War by Paul McCartney
Is about how, if they were in another time, āin another worldā they couldāve been together.
Most people point to āIn another world, we stand on top of the mountain with our flag unfurledā
But I would like to direct your attention to āin years to come, they may discover what the air we breathe and the live we lead are all about. But it wonāt be soon enough for me.ā Which is just ssoooo much more heart wrenching.
The Lovers That Never Were by Paul McCartney
I mean, āWeāll be the lovers that never wereā and āWill we ever be much more than friends?ā Is quite self explanatory, isnāt it?
Remember when I said that people believe that when āsomebodyā or āgirlā is in a John or Paul song, itās them talking about each other? Well this song has got a double whammy with the line āI have always needed somebody, girlā
Early Days by Paul McCartney
Basically, itās Paul talking about all the people who insisted that they know more about The Beatles, than The Beatles.
A lot of rumors spread around that time, saying that John hated Paul, that John was the only talented one in the Lennon-McCartney duo, etc.
And Paul is like ātf you mean? You werenāt even there? Why do you think you know more about my homoerotic friendship than me?ā
Also, call back to Starting Over where John said ālike we used to in the early daysā
As You Lie There by Paul McCartney
Paul says this is about a girl he had a crush on when he a kid. I say itās about John because of lyrics like, āI like to think we could be together, foreverā which I kinda doubt is about a childhood crush over 60 years ago.
Days We Left Behind by Paul McCartney
This song is another song talking about the early days. I really love this one too āŗļø
But the most important lyric in it, which Paul says is about John, is
āWe met at Forthlin Road and wrote a secret code, to never be spoken, I stand by what I said, the promise that I made, will never be brokenā
(Forthlin road is where Paul lived at that time, btw)
People have asked him about the secret part of the song, and Paul has responded saying that, itās a secret, obviously he canāt tell. And then heās also said that āyou make up a lot of stuff when writing songsā. Basically just avoiding the question.
I think someone needs to ask him about the promise, instead of the secret.
Paul has mostly avoided talking about the meaning of those song, choosing to instead focus on how it was made and stuff like that.
This is interesting because itās a song that could actually be about John, Linda, or his current wife Nancy! But, obv, I believe this is about John.
Letās look at the lyrics..
āAlways, always, my friend, youāll be my only one.ā Which could very well be about Nancy(although, I donāt believe it could be about Linda, as I doubt Paul would be that cruel to Nancy). But I think that whenever John or Paul has a song that says āfriendā(and they have a lot like that), they are likely talking about each other.
āLast night, I dreamed of you, and saw what we could doā, I just have to think is about John. Why would he have to dream of what he and Nancy could do? They are both rich and famous, what couldnāt they do? Also Paul in the recent past, has said āI dream about [John]ā
And the line that is not only very McLennon-esque but also very queer sounding is, āWe wanna live for love, like other people doā. Why wouldnāt Paul and Nancy(or Paul and Linda) be able to live for love? I mean, donāt they? Paul and Linda were a very famous couple and everyone knew how in love they were. And to a lesser degree, the same is true for Paul and Nancy.
But you know who he couldnāt ālive for loveā with? John Lennon.
Thatās the end of the playlist, but the thing is, there are over 500 songs written by Paul McCartney. And I would assume around 300 written by John. Most of them being love songs. So you could easily find 100 more songs that seem like they are referencing each other. And Iām inclined to believe most(if not all) of their songs are in some way about each other.
Again, if you have any songs that you think I should add to the playlist, tell me
I wanna thank @bodhbdearg again, as their series Through the McLennon Lens, inspired me to write this, and they are where I got most of my ideas
I would like to thank you on behalf of the group(me, myself, and Wikipedia) and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition(to be apart of the other cool McLennon conspiracy theorists).
