Why Paul McCartney Once Brought a Pony to Abbey Road
People worldwide travel to the crossing outside Abbey Road Studios, made iconic by The Beatles. While The Beatles simply crossed the street for the Abbey Road album cover, the image became legendary. The Beatles members have been on that crosswalk many times, including Paul McCartney, who once brought his pony to Abbey Road.
A famous photo features Paul McCartney crossing Abbey Road with his pony
Shortly after The Beatles broke up, Paul McCartney continued to work in Abbey Road Studios with his band, Wings. One day, he and his then-wife, Linda, arrived at the studio with their pony, Jet, named after the band’s hit song. In the upcoming documentary, If These Walls Could Sing, McCartney explains the context behind the famous photograph of him, his wife, and Jet crossing the Abbey Road crosswalk.
“What happened was we lived close by, as you know,” McCartney said. “We had this little pony called Jet, and [Linda] just loved horses so much that we were coming over here to do something, she just brought Jet. And so there’s a picture of him doing the level crossing. And he came into the studio. I don’t think he disgraced himself.”
The photo inspired Mary McCartney to make the documentary
If These Walls Could Sing is an upcoming documentary highlighting the history of Abbey Road Studios and the many artists who made music there. While The Beatles are the studio’s most notable clients, the studio has also been the home for Elton John, Led Zeppelin, John Williams, and Oasis.
McCartney’s daughter, Mary, is directing the documentary and decided to take on the task after seeing the photo of her mother walking the horse across Abbey Road. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Mary answered how the photo inspired her to take on this challenge.
“Jet was our pony for a very long time. He was named after the [1973] song. He was a feisty little pony who we rode and loved. But it all comes back. I mean, that’s a very unusual photo. And I loved the idea that by doing this documentary, I have been able to show the world one of my favorite photographs, which is my mother taking our pony across the zebra crossing to the studio. I just think it shows her character to a T and what a rule-breaker she was.”
Paul has recorded most of his music in Abbey Road Studios
In a clip shared by Vanity Fair, Paul McCartney revealed why he kept recording in Abbey Road after The Beatles broke up. The singer-songwriter said he wanted to keep coming back because he was familiar with everything, and it was easier than recording anywhere else.
“In London, we had used other studios besides Abbey Road, but we always liked this the best,” McCartney shared. “So, when I was looking to record with Wings, I thought, ‘Well, this is the best studio. I know it. I know a lot of the people here, and love and were still here.’ A lot of them still are. It’s just a great studio. All the microphones work. I mean, that sounds silly to say, but you can go to some studios where they don’t. So, it was great. It was great to come back home.”
If These Walls Could Sing premieres on Disney+ on Dec. 16.
