Paul McCartney Praises Film Proving Beatles’ Split Is Not His Fault

Paul McCartney praises the new Beatles documentary by Peter Jackson for proving that it wasn’t his fault that the band broke up.

Titled The Beatles: Get Back, the film captures the band in the middle of making the 1970 album Let It Be, which became infamous for its dysfunctional working atmosphere. One instance was when McCartney confronted lead guitarist George Harrison regarding his guitar playing.

Jackson reedited the footage for The Beatles: Get Back, which McCartney believes is a better representation of the band’s relationship dynamics the period. “It was so reaffirming for me, because it proves that my main memory of the Beatles was the joy and the skill,” he told the Sunday Times. 

The Sunday Times also reports that new clips featuring lighthearted moments were present the film. There was one particular scene where McCartney and John Lennon were seen performing Let It Be’s opening track as if they were ventriloquist.

“The proof is the footage,” he said. “I bought into the dark side of the Beatles breaking up and thought, ‘Oh God, I’m to blame.’ I knew I wasn’t, but it’s easy when the climate is that way to start thinking so.”

“But at the back of my mind there was always this idea that it wasn’t like that, but I needed to see proof. There’s a great photo Linda took, which is my favorite, of me and John working on a song, glowing with joy. This footage is the same. All four of us having a ball,” McCartney continued.

The co-founder says that the new film gave him a better perspective on the band’s last days. The documentary was scheduled to be released this year, but was pushed backed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, McCartney will be releasing his latest solo album, McCartney III, on December 18. It follows the previous releases, McCartney from 1970, and 1980’s McCartney II.