Paul McCartney and John Lennon made up one of the most successful songwriting partnerships ever. While their music broke records for The Beatles, they didn’t push too many boundaries in terms of edgy or political material. McCartney said he wasn’t comfortable taking risks, but Lennon did not fear going out of his comfort zone.
Paul McCartney was careful with many of his career decisions
After The Beatles disbanded, McCartney knew he had to take his music career in a new direction. However, this required taking a risk with a new band. In an interview with his website, the “Let it Be” singer said he didn’t consider himself a “risk-taker”, but he had to take a risk when he formed Wings.
“I’m quite careful normally. There’s a couple of times in life when you are forced into taking a risk,” McCartney said. “After The Beatles, this was my situation: ‘Do I keep going with music, or not?’ Well, I want to keep going. So, ‘How am I going to do it? Am I going to have a band, or am I just going to busk outside train stations? How’s it going to work?’ Inherently, I’m not a risk-taker. I weigh things up and try to be pretty careful.”
Paul McCartney said John Lennon was the biggest ‘risk-taker’ of the pair of them
Paul McCartney mainly was reserved with his songwriting for The Beatles. Any references to drugs, sex, or politics, typically came from Lennon. For example, in “Blackbird”, McCartney wanted to make a statement on the Civil Rights movement but used a metaphor to be more subtle. For “Revolution”, Lennon was direct and called for social change while condemning violent protests.
McCartney told his website that Lennon was never afraid to take risks and was his “polar opposite.”
“I was the polar opposite to John. If there was a cliff to be jumped off, John would jump! He would just dive into things, and I would sometimes have to rescue him and say, ‘Hey man, you shouldn’t be doing that!’ Or, he sometimes wouldn’t pay his taxes, for example, and so I said, ‘You’re going to have to, or you’re going to jail!’ But then it was very exciting to be around someone with such a different personality. That was part of the fun and attraction.”
Both McCartney and Lennon took more risks in their solo careers
Paul McCartney and John Lennon were more conservative with The Beatles. Once they went on their own paths, they began to take more risks with their music. Lennon had always been an activist, and his music stirred the pot as it became more political. Songs like “Woman is the N***** of the World” and “Gimme Some Truth” pushed the boundaries of how politics and rock music could interact.
McCartney also became slightly more political with tracks like “Give Ireland Back to the Irish,” but he also experimented more with his sound with Wings and in his solo career. His style of rock became heavier, and he initially refused to rely on the Beatles’ hits while on tour. Fortunately, Wings was wildly successful during the 1970s, proving that the risk paid off.
