Has Paul McCartney Ever Seen a Ghost?

A lot of classic rock got pretty mystical. Interestingly, Paul McCartney was asked if he ever had a supernatural experience and he went on to reveal his views on ghosts. Other members of The Beatles had plenty to say about the paranormal.

What Paul McCartney did when his kids were afraid of ghosts

The Beatles had plenty to say about faith. John Lennon got in a lot of trouble proclaiming that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” He later penned the atheist/communist anthem “Imagine.” Meanwhile, George Harrison famously converted to Hinduism. His faith had a significant impact on his work with The Beatles and on his solo career. Paul’s views on these topics have not received nearly as much attention.

During a 2024 interview from PaulMcCartney.com, a fan asked the “Maybe I’m Amazed” singer was asked if he had ever encountered the supernatural. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “Not really. 

“My dreams are very supernatural, I can go anywhere there,” he added. “But not in real life. I’ve never actually seen a ghost or a spirit, and I’m not a great believer in all that. A lot of it comes from raising kids: when they’d say, ‘Dad, I’m scared of ghosts,’ I’d say, ‘There’s no such thing.’ You do a lot of that as a parent.”

The ‘Band on the Run’ singer has similar views of ghosts and religion

The “Silly Love Songs” singer went on to denounce the entire concept of the supernatural. “So, I don’t believe in it,” he explained. “I think the human mind is susceptible to getting a bit worked up and overexcited, and often these things have a rational explanation in the end.”

During a 2012 interview with The Independent, Paul was asked if religion plays a meaningful role in his life. “Not really,” he said. “I have a kind of personal faith in something good, but it doesn’t really go much further than that. It’s certainly not subscribing to any organized religion.”

Paul went on to denounce mainstream religion. “I think that [organized religion] is the cause of a lot of trouble — ‘My god is better than yours,'” he opined. “But I do think there is something greater than me … and that’s not easy to imagine.” Paul didn’t explain what the “something greater” was supposed to be, but given his other comments, we can probably assume it’s not a standard conception of God.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney agreed on something

While John and Paul did not see eye-to-eye on many subjects, they said similar things about mysticism. During a 1980 interview in the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” star said he viewed magic simply as science which had yet to be explained. Like Paul, his views on the subject were ultimately naturalistic. 

While Paul isn’t a believer, supernatural concepts impacted The Beatles’ work. One of their most famous album tracks is called “Magical Mystery Tour.” In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, the singer said “The Fool on the Hill” was inspired by The Fool, one of the most famous tarot cards.

Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, we can all agree The Beatles’ music is magic.