Paul McCartney’s Wedding Showed How Far Apart The Beatles Had Grown
The Beatles did not end well. John Lennon once asserted he and Paul McCartney could power the band without George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Yet the deep divisions in their personal relationship are part of what drove the band apart. The band was still together and active in March 1969 when Paul married Linda Eastman, but their wedding showed how far apart The Beatles had grown in four years.
Paul McCartney wasn’t there when Ringo Starr got married surrounded by his Beatles bandmates, but he sent a gift
When Ringo became the second Beatle to tie the knot in February 1965 (John went first in 1962, just after Ringo joined), it was a big celebration. That one day was a snapshot of how good The Beatles’ relationships were at the time.
George, who served as a witness alongside Ringo’s stepfather, rode his bike to the ceremony. That after staying up most of the night working on songs with John (that was long before George had a fistfight with John, quit The Beatles during the Get Back sessions, and went into a shell at home). He was never known to be an early riser, but John and his wife, Cynthia, dutifully showed up for Ringo’s wedding, even though it was on short notice. Brian Epstein, the Fab Four’s manager, scheduled the wedding on short notice to keep the press at bay.
Paul’s Tunisian vacation precluded him from attending, but he brought back a silver apple as a wedding gift. Epstein had a lavish breakfast, threw an elegant dinner party, and arranged Ringo and Maureen’s honeymoon in Sussex, England.
Fast forward to March 1969, and Paul’s wedding to Linda Eastman showed how far The Beatles had fallen apart.
Paul’s wedding to Linda Eastman showed how far apart The Beatles had grown
Ringo’s wedding provided a snapshot of the Fab Four’s camaraderie at its best. Paul’s nuptials to Linda showed how far The Beatles’ relationships had fallen.
The ceremony happened at a register’s office in central London, yet none of the other Beatles bothered to attend, writes Peter Doggett in You Never Give Me Your Money.
John and Yoko Ono spent the day working at Abbey Road Studios. George remained at Apple Corps. headquarters. Ringo spent the day filming The Magic Christian with Peter Sellers, but seeing as the movie shot in and around London (per IMDb), he likely could have pulled away for the ceremony. The fact that the other three Beatles were minutes away and didn’t attend (presuming they were invited) speaks volumes.
Paul assumed leadership of the band with the Get Back sessions, which didn’t necessarily sit well with his bandmates. At the same time, the quartet battled over who should manage The Beatles and their business affairs. Paul wanted John Eastman (his eventual brother-in-law) for the job; the other three sided with Allen Klein.
Whether in the boardroom or the studio, John, George, and Ringo stood at odds with Paul in early 1969. They skipped his wedding, and it showed how far apart The Beatles had grown in the four years since Ringo’s wedding.
His marriage to Linda lasted decades
The other three Beatles skipped Paul’s wedding and showed how irreparable the band’s relationships had become. None that impacted Paul and Linda’s relationship.
He wrote a song when he first got together with Linda. A few years later, they started making music together in Wings, Paul’s post-Beatles band. Macca, Linda, and Wings recorded several albums throughout the 1970s. The band won Grammys for the songs “Band on the Run” from the album of the same name and “Rockestra Theme” from Back to the Egg.
Paul McCartney’s sparsely-attended wedding to Linda showed how far apart The Beatles had grown. Yet, as Macca lost three bandmates, he gained a life partner and future collaborator who stood by his side until her 1998 death.
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