5 of John Lennon’s Favorite Beatles Songs by Paul McCartney

John Lennon wasn’t afraid to publicly bash Beatles songs, no matter if he or Paul McCartney wrote them. The two were a dynamic songwriting duo, but Lennon sometimes called out McCartney’s Beatles songs he felt were weak. However, Lennon praised several of McCartney’s songs, showing he appreciated his songwriting partner. 

Here are 5 of Paul McCartney’s Beatles songs that John Lennon liked

‘All My Loving’

“All My Loving” was released in 1963 on The Beatles’ second album With The Beatles. In Many Years From Now, McCartney told Barry Miles that it was the first song he had written the words to before the music. In the 1980 Playboy interview, Lennon said he wished he had written this song as it’s a “damn good piece of work,” and he complimented his own guitar-playing on the song. 

‘Why Don’t We Do it in the Road’

“Why Don’t We Do it in the Road” was released on 1968’s The White Album. The track was written and performed by McCartney, with Ringo Starr being the only other Beatle featured on it. John Lennon said most of the song was performed by Paul McCartney, and it’s a song he enjoyed. 

“We came in, and he’d made the whole record,” Lennon said. “Him drumming. Also, him playing the piano. Him singing. But he couldn’t – he couldn’t – maybe he couldn’t make the break from The Beatles. I don’t know what it was, you know. I enjoyed the track.”

‘The Fool on the Hill’

McCartney wrote “The Fool on the Hill” for the Magical Mystery Tour EP. The title refers to a wise person often considered a fool by those who don’t understand them. John Lennon appreciated the song and said it proved he’s “capable of writing complete songs.”

‘Hey Jude’

Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude” for John Lennon’s son, Julian, as a way of comforting him while his parents went through a divorce. The song became one of The Beatles’ biggest hits and remained one of Lennon’s favorites. In a 1972 interview with Hit Parader, Lennon said it was Paul’s best song, even though he misunderstood who it was meant for. 

“That’s [Paul’s] best song. It started off as a song about my son Julian because Paul was going to see him,” Lennon stated. “Then he turned it into ‘Hey Jude.’ I always thought it was about me and Yoko, but he said it was about him and his.”

‘Here, There and Everywhere’

“Here, There and Everywhere” is from 1966’s Revolver and is a love ballad that McCartney considers one of his personal favorite Beatles songs. Lennon agreed with McCartney’s sentiment and told Playboy he believes it’s about experimenting with psychedelic drugs, even though that’s not mentioned in the lyrics. 

“I think that was one of his best songs, too, because the lyrics are good, and I didn’t write them,” Lennon explained. “You see? When I say that he could write lyrics if he took the effort, here’s an example. It actually describes the experience taking acid. I think that’s what he’s talking about. I couldn’t swear to it, but I think that it was a result of that.”