Paul McCartney Says John Lennon Needed Glasses Even Though He Didn’t Like Them
John Lennon’s iconic fashion style consisted of long hair and glasses. However, in the early days of The Beatles, Lennon rocked the same bowl cut as the other three and put the glasses aside. However, that was more of a fashion decision than one that benefitted his eyesight. Paul McCartney said one incident in Liverpool proved John Lennon needed to wear glasses.
Paul McCartney told a hilarious story about John Lennon making a mistake due to his poor eyesight
When The Beatles were first formed, they needed to decide on a unique style that made them stand out. They started out with bowl cuts and matching suits, with many fans donning the haircut once the band achieved fame. The Beatles notably didn’t have any glasses, despite Lennon needing to wear them.
In an interview with Conan O’Brien on his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Paul McCartney said John Lennon was severely shortsighted. However, he chose not to wear glasses. This led to some funny visual mistakes for the “Imagine” singer, and McCartney shared one error he made while walking back to his house in Liverpool.
“John was like really shortsighted, and he used to come down from his house, which was a mile or two away from where I lived, and we would write songs, and have a little session,” McCartney explained. “On this occasion, it was Christmas. After we finished, he would walk back up in the dark to his place. I knew the route he took, and it was a place called Booker Avenue. And on the corner was this little posh bungalow.”
“So, he walks home, and we talked the next day, and he said, ‘Do you know that house on the corner of Booker Avenue? I went past it. Those people are crazy.’” he continued. “I said, ‘Why? What do you mean?’ He said, ‘They were out. what time did we finish? Midnight.’ He said, ‘They were out on the veranda on the porch playing cards at midnight.’ I said, ‘I don’t get it.’ So, I went up and looked. It was the manger. It was the baby Jesus.”
McCartney said Lennon didn’t wear glasses because he wanted to impress girls
Sir Macca released a new book called 1964: Eyes of the Storm, a collection of photographs from The Beatles’ first trip to the U.S. In an interview with his website, paulmccartney.com, Paul McCartney said many of his favorite photos are of John Lennon wearing glasses. He misses his former bandmate, but it also reminds him of how Lennon used to take them off when talking to girls.
“Whenever I see John with these sorts of glasses, it reminds me of the way he would take him off when there were girls around,” Sir Paul said. “For some reason, people think they look better without their glasses! And now, whenever other people do that, it always reminds me of John. I’d be chatting with him or writing a song, and he would take his glasses off and clean them. And because nobody in my family had glasses, I’d never seen someone just chatting and absent-mindedly cleaning them.”
Based on McCartney’s story, it would seem wise for Lennon to have kept his glasses on, even if he wanted to impress the ladies.
