Paul McCartney has reflected on the notorious break-up of The Beatles. The group, which included John Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, was unable to reconcile its differences throughout the late 1960s and, in 1970, decided to call it quits for good. The split – further encouraged by a lack of management – was announced in the notorious press release that Paul sent out alongside his debut album McCartney, also released in 1970.
The decision made McCartney very unpopular with his former bandmates and Beatles fans alike. But, in a recent interview for the Radio 4 documentary This Cultural Life, the musician denied that he had anything to do with The Beatles break-up. “I didn’t instigate the split. That was our Johnny,” he said. “This was my band, this was my job, this was my life, so I wanted it to continue.” Paul, speaking to interviewer John Wilson, said that it was in fact John Lennon who “instigated the split”.
“I am not the person who instigated the split. Oh no, no, no. John walked into a room one day and said, ‘I am leaving The Beatles’. Is that instigating the split, or not?” McCartney claimed. However, the period was also dominated by an anxiety borne out of the monetary losses endured by Apple Corps, and by the divisive management style of Allen Klein – an individual with whom Paul McCartney had a strained personal relationship.
As McCartney recalled, Allen Klein told The Beatles to keep the spilt a secret so that he could conclude a number of self-serving business deals. “So for a few months we had to pretend,” McCartney continued. “It was weird because we all knew it was the end of The Beatles but we couldn’t just walk away.”
Read more of the revealing interview
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