The Beatles: This Rock Star Said John Lennon and Paul McCartney Were Like ‘Sweet & Sour’
Paul McCartney and John Lennon understood each other, but they didn’t always see eye to eye. Meeting when they were just teenagers, John and Paul became one of the biggest songwriting duos in music history. They wrote some of The Beatles’ biggest hits together but sometimes wrote songs separately. When they did this, it became apparent that John and Paul had really different personalities. Here’s how one rock star described the songwriting duo.
Ozzy Osbourne says Paul McCartney and John Lennon were like ‘sweet and sour’
Ozzy Osbourne once gave his top 10 favorite Beatles songs to Rolling Stone with some commentary. On his list were some surprising picks. He listed “She Loves You” as No. 1, then “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “I am the Walrus,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hey Jude,” “Help!” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Something,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “The Long and Winding Road.” You’d expect some of The Beatles’ heavier songs like “Helter Skelter” to appear on the Prince of Darkness’ playlist, but apparently not.
Under “I am the Walrus,” Osbourne described John and Paul perfectly. “Lennon and McCartney were like sweet and sour. Paul would be the guy who said, ‘It’s getting better all the time.’ John would say, ‘It couldn’t get much worse.'”
Osbourne’s assessment of John and Paul rings true. John wrote songs like “Help!” when he was stressed out. Meanwhile, Paul would write love songs like “And I Love Her.” The only time Paul’s songs got depressing was when he was going through troubling times with his then-girlfriend Jane Asher. When they were fighting, he wrote songs like “For No One.”
Speaking more on why he loves some of John’s weirder Beatles hits, Osbourne said, “I loved Lennon’s plays on words. I love any song where you can go, ‘I don’t know what that means,’ but you understand it anyway.”
The Beatles are Ozzy Osbourne’s favorite band
It might seem weird to some people, but Osbourne is one of the biggest Beatles fans you’ll meet. Osbourne’s life felt pointless before hearing The Beatles for the first time. He couldn’t hold a job, and the thought of spending his life working in a factory scared him.
However, when Osbourne first heard The Beatles, he felt hope. He said it was like finding the key and the way out. Hearing “She Loves You” on the radio was all it took for him to want to be a rock star.
“I feel so privileged to have been on this planet when the Beatles were born,” Osbourne told Rolling Stone. “They are and will forever be the greatest band in the world. I remember talking to Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. He said, ‘I didn’t like the Beatles.’ I said, ‘There’s something f**king wrong with you.'”
Osbourne has some pretty special memories from listening to The Beatles. Certain songs will remind him of particular moments in his life. It’s great to hear that artists like Osbourne love bands like The Beatles. You’d never know.
