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Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney are one of the most beloved couples in the history of classic rock. A 1960s rock star said that Paul wasn’t faithful to his wife. The star also revealed whether or not she had an affair with Paul.

Linda McCartney worried 1 star was having an affair with Paul McCartney

Marianne Faithfull was one of the more prominent female artists from the British Invasion. She is primarily known for dating The Rolling Stones’ frontman, Mick Jagger. She also performed two famous songs that Jagger wrote with Keith Richards: her signature song, “As Tears Go By,” and “Sister Morphine.” The Rolling Stones later recorded both of these tracks.

During a 2011 interview with Louder, Faithfull discussed her relationship with the McCartneys. “I liked Linda McCartney very much, but she didn’t like me,” she said. “She wasn’t sure whether I’d had an affair with Paul. She thought everybody had because he had a lot of affairs. Not me, though. I wasn’t one of his affairs.”

Why Marianne Faithfull’s claim the cute Beatle cheated on Linda McCartney is shocking

Faithfull’s comments might be surprising to people — especially The Beatles fans.  Paul’s relationship with Linda was the focal point of so many beautiful love songs. Beyond that, Paul and Linda are widely believed to have had an incredible romance. The idea that Paul was constantly cheating while Linda was looking over her shoulder to spot potential affairs flies in the face of their public images. Furthermore, it’s shocking that  Faithfull seemed so nonchalant about divulging this information.

Even if Faithfull and Paul were not romantically involved, they were close on both a personal and artistic level. “I’m still very close to Paul,” Faithfull said. “I sang on ‘All You Need Is Love.’ I went to a lot of Paul’s sessions — I was there when he did ‘Lovely Rita’ and ‘Fixing a Hole.’ Always late evening. 

“That’s when I saw John [Lennon] mostly,” she added. “He was very forbidding. He didn’t like other people being there. I was always very shy and quiet. Even with the Stones, I didn’t want to be noticed. I sang on ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want,’ but I wore a dark green floppy hat so you couldn’t see me. At least Paul was welcoming.”

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Marianna Faithfull performed the best version of 1 of Paul McCartney’s best songs

Perhaps the most notable crossover between Paul’s career and Faithfull’s was her cover of The Beatles’ “Yesterday.” To this day, “Yesterday” is often cited as Paul’s crowning achievement as a songwriter. After proving her skills as a balladeer with “As Tears Go By,” it made sense for Faithfull to tackle “Yesterday.”

The Official Charts Company reports Faithfull’s “Yesterday” was one of her biggest hits in the United Kingdom. There, her cover reached No. 36 and charted for four weeks. The tune appeared on the album Go Away from My World. That record did not chart in the U.K.

The real legacy of Faithfull’s “Yesterday” isn’t its chart position. It’s the cover’s quality. Faithfull’s “Yesterday” is gorgeous. Her delicate voice and the choral backing are perfect for the song. It might be rock ‘n’ roll blasphemy, but I prefer Faithfull’s “Yesterday” to The Beatles’.

Faithfull improved one of Paul’s best songs, even if she might have worsened his public image.

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