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Paul McCartney and John Lennon were an incredibly successful songwriting duo. While the Lennon-McCartney name is attached to hundreds of Beatles songs, many were primarily written by either Lennon or McCartney. Lennon wrote plenty of iconic tracks for the band, and McCartney revealed which of his friend’s songs from The Beatles is his favorite. 

Paul McCartney said ‘Julia’ is his favorite Beatles song by John Lennon

Lennon had a tragic childhood while growing up in Liverpool. His father abandoned him at a very young age, and his mother was deemed unfit to take care of him. He did have contact with his mother, Julia, but he lived with his Aunt Mimi. In 1958, his mother was struck by a car and killed. Lennon’s complicated emotions toward his parents, especially his mother, often manifested in his music. 

He wrote a few songs about his mother, such as “Julia” for The Beatles and “Mother” in his solo career. In an interview with The Adam Buxton Podcast, McCartney was asked to name his favorite Lennon song from The Beatles era. He listed a few tremendous honorable mentions but selected “Julia” as it’s a deeply introspective song. 

“From the Beatles era, there’s a few,” McCartney shared. “You know, they always ask you what’s your favorite song. But there’s a few. ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’ I love. ‘Across The Universe’, I love. ‘Julia,’ which is about the mom he couldn’t live with. So I love the poignancy of that because I’d been with him round to Julia’s house to visit her. And I knew how deeply he loved her. So ‘Julia,’ I would go with.”

“Julia” was released in 1968 on The Beatles’ The White Album. Lennon wrote the track during The Beatles’ 1968 trip to India. He also received assistance from Scottish musician Donovan, who showed Lennon the song’s finger-picking guitar style. 

McCartney said ‘Beautiful Boy’ is his favorite Lennon song from his solo career

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After The Beatles split up in 1970, Lennon wrote more personal music that became more political and more revealing. His final album before he died in 1980, Double Fantasy, featured many of his most experimental and personal music. He was heavily influenced by his wife, Yoko Ono, who was known for creating more avant-garde art. 

One track from Double Fantasy is “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”. The track is dedicated to his second son, Sean Lennon, who was five years old at the time of the song’s release. In an appearance on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Paul McCartney selected this John Lennon song as one of eight songs he would bring to a deserted island. 

“I haven’t chosen any Beatles records, but if we had more than eight, I probably would have,” McCartney said. “I haven’t chosen any of my records so, to sum up the whole thing, I have chosen one of John Lennon’s from Double Fantasy which I think is a beautiful song very moving to me. So, I’d like to sum up the whole thing by playing ‘Beautiful Boy’.”

Lennon’s songwriting was at its best when he was at his most vulnerable, and McCartney appreciated when his friend expressed his emotions. 

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