Yeah John Loves Paul - Blog Posts

“The last time John Lennon set foot on a concert stage, it was Thanksgiving 1974, making a surprise appearance with his friend Elton John at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. When he and Elton cut “Whenever Gets You Thru” together, proposed a bet— if it hit Number One, John would sing it with him live. John agreed, never thinking he’d get called on it. But he was. The performance sounds shaky— John’s all nerves after a few years of hiding from live shows— but he steps up there to mach schau with Elton, doing the hit as well as Elton’s remake of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” John announces, “We thought we’d do one last number so I can get out of here and be sick. This is a number of an old estranged fiancé of mine called Paul.” They do “I Saw Her Standing There,” their big finale. Even in the raw recording Elton released as a B-side, you can hear John get caught up in the crowd’s excitement. It’s his night to shine onstage in New York, for the first time in years and the last time ever. Why is he doing a Paul song? Why is he making this moment about him and Paul, when all anybody wants is to cheer and shower John with love? But in the middle of the crowd, he calls Paul’s name” 

                                 - Rob Sheffield, Dreaming The Beatles (2017)

Last year, Rob Sheffield put out a book called Dreaming The Beatles. One of the chapters, chapter 4 is called “I Call Your Name”. The chapter is not that long, actually, but is dedicated, pretty much exclusively to John and Paul and their relationship. The book is a nice read, and it’s easy to digest, because Rob pulls quotes by both John and Paul, and other biographers, and his style reads more like a friend telling you all about the four boys from Liverpool that he adores..