Why Paul McCartney Walked Out On One Beatles Song
via Ronnie Wood / YouTube
The dissolution of The Beatles marked the end of an era, a seismic shift that left a colossal void in the world of pop music. As the members embarked on their solo journeys, each navigated a unique musical path. While Abbey Road served as the last harmonious studio collaboration, tensions simmered, and Paul McCartney reached his breaking point during the creation of a timeless track.
The strains within the band were not new.
From the Sgt Pepper sessions to The White Album, the members grappled over album content, with McCartney spearheading the ambitious concept album. The White Album, featuring contributions from every member, revealed the growing tensions, leading to heated arguments and separate recording sessions.
The Let It Be sessions at Twickenham Studios, fueled by a lack of confidence in the material, resulted in shelved recordings. McCartney, keen to conclude on a positive note, persuaded the band to reunite for a final album under the guidance of George Martin.
Abbey Road, a masterpiece, showcased George Harrison’s standout tracks, including ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes the Sun.’ Lennon’s avant-garde influence, shaped by collaborations with Yoko Ono, brought artistic depth to his contributions, notably ‘Come Together,’ inspired by Chuck Berry’s ‘You Can’t Catch Me.’
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While McCartney played a pivotal role in crafting the iconic bassline, tensions flared during the mixing stages.
Studio engineer Geoff Emerick recalled McCartney’s frustration, quoting,
“‘What do you want me to play on this track, John?’ Don’t worry, I’ll do the overdubs on this,” replied Lennon.
The breaking point came when McCartney, after recording the bassline, confronted the electric piano segment in the song’s midsection.
In Emerick’s book ‘Here There and Everywhere,’ he detailed the moment,
“For a moment, I thought there was going to be an explosion. Instead, he contained himself, shrugged his shoulders, and simply walked out of the studio – one of the few times he left a session early.”
Abbey Road highlights The Beatles’ brilliance, but it also marked a turning point in the creative divergence between McCartney and Lennon.
The camaraderie that once fueled their musical synergy was gradually giving way to individual artistic paths.
The unraveling tensions during the creation of ‘Come Together’ symbolized the bittersweet coda to The Beatles’ extraordinary journey, as the members embarked on separate musical odysseys, forever changing the landscape of popular music.
