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(With the release of Paul McCartney's "Back In The USA" live album in
2002, McCartney re-credited the Beatles songs featured on the album as "McCartney/Lennon," thus reversing a songwriting trademark
that had been established forty years earlier. Macca claimed that the songs he had performed had all been chiefly written
by him, i.e. "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday." While the claim is true, the gesture riled us in Beatlefan Land and this
is what I had to say about it.)
I love Paul McCartney. Always have, always will. But this is the bottom
line. It's a mistake for Paul McCartney to reverse the wording of Lennon/McCartney. It's a move of ego on his part and nothing
good comes from that. Better to remain true to the spirit of the thing that continues to allow him to perform these songs
in sold-out arenas at astronomical ticket prices with a bad hair-piece and a fading voice. It's a shame. Yoko should not say
a damn thing either, because her estate still makes the profit anyway. What's the difference to her? I'm pretty sure John
Lennon would say, "Screw him, let him do what he wants. I don't really care either way." It's Lennon/McCartney and that's
the end of that for anyone who gives a damn about such things anyway. It's probably the most genius thing Macca ever did aside
from writing all those incredible songs in the first place. Being Number Two always served him well. He never would have
made it being Number One. And he says just that in the Miles book, Many Years From Now. Anyone
who cares at all knows he wrote "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude," obviously. Anyone who doesn't probably won't buy this
record anyway. Anyone who buys the record gives Paul McCartney more money, so what's the problem really? It's childish. If
he wants to go around the world profiting from the genius of The Beatles and The Lennon/McCartney juggernaut, than he should
shut up and enjoy his golden years, his golden pockets and his Golden Slumbers.
Dec. '02
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