Paul McCartney Admired How John Lennon Dealt With His ‘Really Tragic Life’

While Paul McCartney and John Lennon both grew up in Liverpool, they had vastly different upbringings. Both lived in working-class environments, but Lennon dealt with several issues and tragedies involving his parents. McCartney said he admired how Lennon dealt with tragedy and how it led to his “vulnerability.”

Paul McCartney said the tragedy in John Lennon’s life gave him an admirable ‘vulnerability’

McCartney recently released a new book titled 1964: Eyes of the Storm. The novel is a collection of photographs Sir Paul took, highlighting moments from The Beatles’ first trip to the U.S. in 1964. The British singer-songwriter discussed his latest book with Conan O’Brien on his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. 

They discussed Lennon and how some photos showcased Lennon’s “vulnerability.” McCartney explained that Lennon had a “tragic” upbringing that led to him expressing himself this way. 

“Vulnerability is very true. And at this time, I wouldn’t really know that. Later, when I thought, as an adult, about John’s upbringing, he had a really tragic life really,” McCartney said. “As a kid, his mother was decreed to not be good enough to bring him up. Julia his mum, who we would visit and he loved – he wrote a beautiful song about her – but she had to give him up.”

“The father, Alf, had left the home when John was three, so that’s not too wonderful,” he continued. “And so John grew up with these minor tragedies throughout his life. He was taken in by his Aunt Mimi and was brought up by her. One night, Mum, Julia, was visiting them and had come to see her son, and on the way home, she got run over, she got killed by apparently an off-duty cop who maybe was a bit inebriated… it made me realize why he had that vulnerability.”

“I always admired the way he dealt with it because I’m not sure I would have dealt with it, well, with the stuff he went through.”

Lennon’s ‘vulnerability’ was expressed in his music

Paul McCartney mentioned a song John Lennon wrote about his mother. While he did write lyrics about his mom with The Beatles, he kept it more subtle. He wasn’t afraid to be more direct in his solo career, which shined in one of his earliest songs, “Mother”. 

“Mother” manifested itself after Lennon’s many sessions with Dr. Arthur Janov’s primal therapy, a type of psychotherapy that emphasized screaming to reach deeper levels of pain. The song is Lennon’s attempt to come to terms with what happened regarding both of his parents, as he sings in the last section, “Mama don’t go/Daddy come home.” 

The song was the opening track to his first solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. “Mother” was a heavy tune to begin an album, and Lennon acknowledged it may turn some listeners away. 

“Many, many people will not like ‘Mother’; it hurts them,” Lennon said in Lennon Remembers. “The first thing that happens to you when you get the album is you can’t take it. Everybody reacted exactly the same. They think, ‘f***!’ That’s how everybody is. And the second time, they start saying, ‘Oh, well, there’s a little…’ so I can’t lay ‘Mother’ on them.”