Paul McCartney’s Daughter Explains Why She Always Felt at Home at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios existed for decades before The Beatles came along, but the Fab Four made the building famous. The band recorded some of its finest work at Abbey Road. Their groundbreaking final album together, which was named after the studio, had a memorable and controversial cover. Yet Abbey Road Studios wasn’t a special place only for The Beatles. Paul McCartney’s daughter, Mary McCartney, who directed the Abbey Road Studios documentary If These Walls Could Sing, explains why she always felt at home in the building.
1 photo inspired Paul McCartney’s daughter, Mary McCartney, to make ‘If These Walls Could Sing’
Peter Jackson’s 2021 Disney+ documentary The Beatles: Get Back gave Fab Four fans an inside look and the recording process. Now, Mary McCartney gives Beatles aficionados a closer look at Abbey Road Studios. She always had fond memories of visiting the studio as a child, but one photo rekindled McCartney’s fascination with the studio. It drove her to make If These Walls Could Sing.
“[The Abbey Road Studios] family produced the music I loved. Iconic, original, pioneering records that have inspired and moved me and millions of others,” said McCartney, Paul McCartney’s oldest daughter with his wife Linda, in press materials shared by Disney.
“A photograph of my mum leading our pony, Jet, across Abbey Road’s zebra crossing sparked these memories again. Walking by the studios and watching people gather on the crossing to have their photos taken, people who had made the journey from all over the world, made me realize the significance of Abbey Road … It’s a shrine to creative, original thinkers and a treasure-trove of stories.”
McCartney has some personal stories about Abbey Road Studios, including one that illustrates why she loves the place just as her dad does.
McCartney recalls Abbey Road Studios always felt like home and employees babysitting for Paul and Linda McCartney
Mary McCartney once shared one of Paul’s backstage rituals that helps him wind down from concerts. Now she’s sharing the secrets of the world’s most famous recording studio.
The inside look stems from McCartney’s deep love of the place. She said the studio’s employees felt like family because they welcomed her with open arms and because many of them remained there for years.
Abbey Road’s employees were so close to the McCartneys that they would babysit for Paul and Linda, Mary said (per Yahoo):
“Sometimes, people from Abbey Road would babysit us if mom and dad were going out. It was quite a close relationship.”
Mary McCartney
The movie is McCartney’s directorial debut and originates from a place of love. It’s a passion she shares with her dad.
“It was great to hear him [talk about being] in the studio about when they recorded ‘Day in the Life,’ and there’s a big orchestral crescendo at the end of the song,” McCartney said of her dad, per Yahoo. “They were so experimental.”
Paul’s daughter reveals how integral studio employees were to helping The Beatles
The Beatles changed music history with their albums, but they needed a little help from the Abbey Road Studios employees.
The Fab Four tried many new recording techniques when they stopped touring and spent more time in the studio. John Lennon bragged about The Beatles using one recording trick before anyone else. The band needed the professionals’ help to make the new techniques a reality.
“The technicians were innovative and contributed to the music,” Mary McCartney explained to Yahoo. “The Beatles were like, ‘How do we do this?’ or ‘What if we could do this?’ And the people at Abbey Road would really work and collaborate with them. They wouldn’t be like, ‘They’re being weird. What are they talking about?’ They were like, ‘Oh yeah, and this is maybe how you could get the sound you want.’ I was surprised how [many times] that happened. I presumed that you go, record, and you’re done. But Abbey Road contributed, and to this day, they’re there to help make the music the best it can be. I respect that.”
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
