Paul McCartney Included an Overlooked Reference to Linda McCartney in The Beatles’ Song ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’
Paul McCartney developed a knack for finding inspiration for his songs in front of him. It wasn’t always that easy. One musician called McCartney and John Lennon idiots as songwriters in the early 1960s. The dynamic duo teamed up to prove him wrong before their partnership ended. In the late 1960s, McCartney snuck in a reference to his wife, Linda McCartney, in a sad Beatles song that also lamented the business affairs that made the band’s split an ugly one.
Paul McCartney referenced the carefree side of his life with Linda McCartney in ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’
Despite the bitterness surrounding the band in late 1969, The Beatles managed to crank out a gem of an album with Abbey Road. It was the last record they made together.
“You Never Give Me Your Money,” the song that kicked off the Side 2 medley, expressly mentioned the messy business dealings. The mini-suite began by mentioning funny papers and negotiations. Paul once said the song wasn’t directed at his bandmates. It might be true, but it was also hard to believe, considering they spent the better part of 1969 arguing about their money and how to handle it.
It was a brief yet sad behind-the-scenes look at The Beatles’ financial troubles. By the end of the song, though, McCartney found a way to reference his new wife Linda with a hopeful look toward the future (per Paul McCartney: The Lyrics):
“There was an upside, however. I’d got married to Linda, and our relationship offered some respite from the dreary infighting and the financial stuff. The lines ‘One sweet dream / Pick up the bags and get in the limousine,’ were a reference to how Linda and I were still able to disappear for a weekend in the country. That saved me.”
Paul McCartney
The Beatles recorded “You Never Give Me Your Money” in mid-1969. The third section of lyrics (before the repeated mantra “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven / All good children go to heaven”) included lines in which Paul referenced his and Linda’s penchant for escaping reality: “Soon we’ll be away from here / Step on the gas and wipe that tear away / One sweet dream came true today.”
By the end of the year, Paul and Linda made good on his promise to get in the limousine. Or was it their Land Rover? They retreated to his farm in Scotland as the Fab Four fractured. He began drinking heavily, but Linda helped him escape his funk and got him making music again before his solo debut landed in 1970.
The lyrics for The Beatles’ song ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’
The full lyrics for “You Never Give Me Your Money” prove Paul had money on the mind. He offered a look at The Beatles’ money struggles in the first section, sang about freedom from money (and responsibility) in the second portion, and then wrapped up with his references to Linda and his desire to escape.
Section 1:
“You never give me your money / You only give me your funny paper / And in the middle of negotiations / You break down”
“I never give you my number / I only give you my situation / And in the middle of investigation / I break down”
Section 2:
“Out of college, money spent / See no future, pay no rent / All the money’s gone, nowhere to go”
“Any jobber got the sack / Monday morning, turning back / Yellow lorry slow, nowhere to go”
“But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go / Oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go / Nowhere to go”
Section 3:
“One sweet dream / Pick up the bags, get in the limousine / Soon we’ll be away from here / Step on the gas and wipe that tear away”
“One sweet dream came true today / Came true today / Came true today / Yes, it did”
McCartney wrote several songs about Linda on his first solo album
McCartney and Lennon found an ease writing songs together, which helped launch The Beatles to superstardom. Later, each musician took inspiration from his significant other. McCartney wrote several stellar songs about Linda, and his McCartney debut leaned heavily on odes to his wife.
“The Lovely Linda” and “Maybe I’m Amazed” were obviously about her. Songs such as “Oo You” (with lines such as “Dress like a woman” and “Love like a woman”) and “Man We Was Lonely” (specifically the “Now, let me lie with my love for the time / I am home” lines) seemed to reference Linda, too.
Paul shared songwriting credits with Linda on several Wings songs, including “My Love,” an ode to the depths of his love for her. Singing about his wife and their life happened frequently, and it all started with McCartney’s reference to Linda in The Beatles’ song “You Never Give Me Your Money.”
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