Based On “Love Me Do: The Beatles’ Progress” By Michael Braun For The Observer (5 July 1964).

JOHN LENNON: "When the Beatles were depressed -thinking the group was going nowhere, and this is a shitty deal, and we're in a shitty dressing room- I'd say, 'Where are we going, fellas?' And they'd go, 'To the top, Johnny!' And I'd say, 'Where's that, fellas?' and they'd say, 'To the toppermost of the poppermost!' and I'd say, 'Right!' Then we'd all sort of cheer up."

I never realized John joined Paul on the stairs. I thought John had left by then. Good show of support.

John Lennon & Paul McCartney at the British Embassy after their concert in Washington, DC | 11 February 1964 © Fred Ward

John & Paul

I like when Mimi stands up for John

‘“It makes me livid when people make snide remarks about John’s millions and ask what he ever did for Liverpool,” Mimi blasts. “To set the record straight, he gave away one-tenth of his income every year secretly to a charity for spastic children. He didn’t make a big fanfare about it. It was just something he wanted to do without a fuss. If people have the chance to make money, they would be mad not to. The secret is to make sure it doesn’t ruin your life and make you swollen headed. John still cared deeply about people and about the world. In his last letter to me, there was one paragraph that summed it all up. It read, ‘so many people are dying so young from getting cancer or some other such horror. I count my blessings, Mimi. Believe me.’ Sometimes it worried me that he cared so deeply about things.”’

- Aunt Mimi Smith on John Lennon (c. Feb. 5th 1981), from The Dream Is Over: Off The Record 2 by Keith Badman (pg. 288)

Note: While I think we all can recognise both the good and the bad side to john in the beatles fandom - I think theres a lot of sort of “outsiders” who’ll see Johns peace movements and charity work as a solely public facade. And yeah, it partly was and we’d be naive to say otherwise - but I still think there was something genuine about that image; and stories like this are evidence of that.

OK, but is 'The Long and Winding Road' for John? I don't know any story about the song, I only have lyrics that brings me a lot of mcln-feelings and tears. It was 1969 so I think lyrics match perfectly. It sounds for me like 'You broke my heart on Abbey road, you left me for her, I tried so hard to return to you and I don't know what to do now 'cuz I still love you'. Don't you tell me you've never cried over this song!

I’ll tell you a story about this song. I never actually loved it, it was never my favourite beatles song. When I went to Paul’s concert 4 years ago it was the song that hit me the most, I cried like a baby, it was so emotional. 

All the songs in the Let it Be and Abbey Road album written by Paul are about loss, separation and broken hearts. Paul was engaged with Linda in 1969 and seemed quite happy too, so WHY WOULD HE WRITE SUCH A SAD COMPILATION OF SONGS?

Because he was breaking up with John, he was losing him, and tried his best to have him back. He knew it was over and he could do nothing but sing his desperation away. ‘let it be’ is about dreaming his mother telling him that that’s life, that he had to let it happen, no matter if it hurted. ‘Oh!darling’ was a desperate scream of love. ‘The long and winding road’ is his resignation, he gave up, singing how much he tried to come back to him, to put the pieces together and start again.

Many times I’ve been aloneAnd many times I’ve criedAny way you’ll never knowThe many ways I’ve tried

He’s completely lost and desperate, still begging forgiveness from John, waiting for him to come back 

Don’t leave me standing hereLead me to your door

We all know that it will never happen. 

Lovely

Thinking about them

McLennon for sure.

John’s “not that I care” series on Paul’s arrest according to Dakota Days by John Green

Instead of quoting the whole chapter, which i admit, is very tempting, I have decided to just post mini quotes of every time that John tells his psychic that he doesn’t really care about Paul’s arrest in 1980.

Here we go. I’ll start with this introduction from the book:

The Lennons were still maintaining separate living quarters and separate interests when they heard the news of Paul McCartney’s arrest. Paul had been arrested for trying to smuggle marijuana into Japan while visiting there to perform in a concert tour.  

Yoko worried that the news of Paul’s arrest might throw John back into the old depression. But when I talked to him over the phone one afternoon a few days after the incident, his voice held no depression, only righteous indignation and sympathy for Paul. (p, 229)

“It’s lousy, Charles. Typical, but lousy. Some petty official probably needed a promotion and set Paul up to get it. Not that I have great love for the man, you understand. (…) If he wanted his smoke, you know he wouldn’t have had to carry it on his own person” (p. 229 - 230)

“Paul’s been busted before, you know. Ths is only going to make life more difficult for him. Not that I care, but it’s just the meanness of the thing that irks me. “ (p. 230)

“So what are they holding him for? That’s just the work of some power-mad little creep showing off to the world, knowing that the longer he holds Paul the longer he is important”

“For someone you claime not to care about you seem awfully upset”

“It’s the injustice of the thing that upsets me. (…) Maybe it affects me a little more because it’s Paul, and I know him, and he’s a musician, but I doubt it. It would bother me no matter who they got”. (P. 231)

“You don’t think they are mistreating him, do you, Charles?”

“Aside from the fact that they are holding him in a jail cell, I doubt that there is any mistreatment”

“That’s good. Not that I really care, you understand, but I wouldn’t want to think they are abusing him in any way”

“You keep telling me how much you don’t care. I begin to wonder if it’s true”

“Of course I care! Not that I want to, but you can’t know a person as intimately as I’ve known Paul and not care. I’m pissed at him, and have been for years, but that’s my private war with him” (p, 234)

Two days later Paul was released. The concert had been canceled and he and Linda left Japan immediately. John greeted the news with a great sigh of relief. 

“I’m glad that’s over. I feel like I’ve been keeping a vigil for him. Not that I care, you understand” (p. 238)

And that is the series of Not That I Care by John Lennon. I just find it amusing and endearing, and thought i’d share. 

Please keep in mind that this has been sourced from Dakota Days by John Green. Many people consider him an unreliable source. Others, like myself, stand in the middle. There is no arguing that when it comes to insiders, he could be considered one. I believe his insight could be valuable, but at the same time I completely understand why people might feel differently. That said, enjoy! Bwahahahahaha 

Gorgeous

PAUL MCCARTNEY being interviewed after the Beatles received their MBEs from the Queen; October 26th, 1965.

Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison performing as Japage 3, photographed by Mike McCartney on March 8, 1958. This was taken at Paul's Aunt Gin's house during the wedding reception of his cousin, Ian Harris. The person standing next to Paul is Dennis Littler, a friend of Ian's.

Cute

Referring to the Liverpool Institute’s February, 1960, production of Saint Joan:

Fred Bilson (L.I. teacher): “Macca was in the jury in the trial scene. For reasons too tedious and shaming to repeat, he had to wear a 'cozzie' which was a black dressing gown covered in gold cut-out suns and moons—a magician’s outfit. He thought it was cool.”

— “Tales from the Inny” Beatlology Magazine (Vol 4 No. 1, Sept/Oct 2001)