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Paul McCartney became famous for creating hit songs with The Beatles. He said writing songs with John Lennon was so easy that it was almost effortless. The pair inspired each other, but McCartney found other muses in his life. Jane Asher was one. His relationship with his first serious girlfriend didn’t end well, but Paul’s photo exhibit shows he has never forgotten his first love.

Paul McCartney dedicated part of his photo exhibit to his first love, Jane Asher

Asher was a notable child actor before she met Paul in April 1963. That is to say, she was used to notoriety. Still, she stepped into a blazing hot spotlight in her relationship with Paul. At one point, the British paparazzi swarmed the couple at a theater while they watched a show.

The healthy relationship couldn’t survive the strain of two young, famous, working entertainers. 

McCartney and Asher’s 1967 engagement ended when she found him cheating on her and dumped him on live TV  in 1968. 

Despite the bitter ending of their relationship, Paul has never forgotten how sweet his first love was. McCartney photo exhibition at England’s National Portrait Gallery — “Paul McCartney, Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm” — includes a section titled “At Home With the Ashers,” according to Express.

McCartney lived with the Asher family for years. The lively atmosphere helped inspire Paul to write several songs. He was so committed to ingratiating himself with the family that he made a dangerous and secretive escape from the house to avoid rabid Beatles fans outside. 

McCartney curated the photos from his vast collection. Between making their first national TV appearance in England in 1963, debuting in the United States on The Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964, and touring Asia and Oceania later that year, he had plenty of images to choose from. You could argue that not including photos of Asher and her family would be disingenuous to the spirit of the exhibit. Or you could say that Paul’s photos prove he never forgot Asher as his first love or her family’s impact on him during his rise to fame.

McCartney wrote several Beatles songs about Asher

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Paul McCartney Said Staying With His Former Girlfriend Jane Asher and Her Family Was Like Living in a Novel

Living in the Asher’s attic exposed Paul to many of the family’s interests, including fine art, literature, and music. Yet once they were a couple, Jane Asher became McCartney’s biggest muse and the inspiration for several Beatles songs. 

She influenced many of The Beatles’ earliest hit songs, including “All My Loving” and “And I Love Her.” Paul came up with the former while shaving one day. John, who hardly praised Paul, called “All My Loving” a “damn good piece of work.” Macca gave as good as he got. He said Lennon’s guitar playing made the song magical.

Lennon and McCartney wrote “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on the Asher’s piano in their basement. Later on, Paul penned “Every Little Thing” with his girlfriend in mind. Ironically, the meaning of the song (the man is pleased that his woman would do anything for him) was what made Asher want to leave Paul. She didn’t just want to be the girlfriend of one of the biggest pop stars of the time.

Jane Asher was Paul McCartney’s first love, and she dumped him on live TV. The bassist landed on his feet, though. 

He married Linda Eastman in 1969, and they made music and raised a family together for decades. Paul’s second marriage to Heather Mills also ended poorly. Still, he again rebounded positively with his third wife, Nancy Shevell. Yet McCartney’s photos prove he never forgot his relationship with Asher and how it impacted his life.

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