You're thinking ohhhhh, aren't they just ADORABLE together! Well you're right, but I hope you realize you're looking at the greatest singer/songwriter combination in the history of civilization. And beyond. That's my humble opinion, but the humbility disappears when you take into account the thousands of others who agree, and even more so when you take out your Beatles LPs and sit in your room and just LISTEN.... I myself am a musician; I grew up in a musical family that lived through those trippin' sixties, and I play piano, guitar and drums. I've also composed a few mediocre riffs, melodies, etc., but right now I'm concentrating more on improving my own skills. I'm heavily trained in music theory and I also have a trained ear, so I believe I can see even more of the genius of the Lennon/McCartney combination than most people can, just in their musical genius- and th fact that they DIDN'T have training. We're talking two teenagers that meet each other in the late fifties and share a love for rock 'n' roll, and not only embrace it for themselves, but manage to lead the most successful group of all time to the top of the charts, pioneering the way to endless new ideas that influenced music so much that many people say the Beatles WERE the sixties. And just by some lucky chance, they happen to be cute! John and Paul each had something major to contribute to their partnership. Though they didn't collaborate on their songs later in the Beatles' career, their influence on each other was essential to the music they produced during that time. When the Beatles broke up in 1970 and John and Paul instigated their own solo careers, they may have produced a few gems, but it is evident that with the link between them missing, their music would never have the ingenuity and magic that it had before. James Paul McCartney was an incredibly intelligent boy, growing up with superior grades and a keen mind. The undoubtedly helped his perfectly coordinated songs, complete with catchy and innovative melodies and rich harmonies. Paul actually taught himself to play the piano! Many connections have been made between talented pianists and people with high IQs and success in academics. I think it's safe to say that Paul had a lot of help with his quick mind and natural musical ability. My guess is that Paul learned every chord by ear while he was playing around with his first guitar, and once that much is down, a musician can apply that knowledge to any instrument. Hence Paul's success with the bass, piano, and others. Paul's sense of pitch is incredible; he was the one that could tune the guitar back when he was in the Quarrymen. His voice is clear and very controlled and in my opinion, quite beautiful. Paul's music is usually very logical, with inventful melodies and corresponding harmonies. His music is the type that sticks in your head...AHHH! John Winston Lennon grew up within close proximity of Paul, yet as a person he is surprisingly very different. John thought little about school with his traumatized childhood, and more about his image and his own creativity outside academics. The first time John heard rock 'n' roll he was hooked, and when he got his first guitar he was hooked. Though a musical background was not in his family, he worked hard to develop his own astounding musical talent. John had an active imagination as a child and throughout his life, which can be seen not only in his creative and ground-breaking music, but also in his whimsical writings and poetry and his drawings. John's music was identifiable by his imaginitive lyrics and artistic style of melody and meter in his songs. John's voice has a wide range- he can be straining and powerful in his angrier or faster songs, but in the slower, more imaginative compositions his vocals are mesmerizing- flowing, free and effortless. There is something magical about it, just like Paul's voice, but in a different sense. The two areas of the mind are represented here in both parts of the partnership. Paul was most proficient in the logic and musicality, while John's emphasis was imagination and fantasy. Each possessed some of the others' strength and dexterity as well, so when the historic combination actually occured, the balance between the two portions of ability was flawless, and later proved to be virtually infallible. As the Beatles hit the charts in the early sixties, John and Paul worked together and literally shared the writing of their songs, trying to give the people what they wanted while using their own creativity to make the songs their own. This succeeded tremendously, and each learned from the other many tips and theories that would eventually help them to produce the unprecedented songs that showed up later in their career. As Paul would listen to John's ideas, he would absorb some of them and be able to implement them into his own works, and vice versa with John. The mutual sharing of ability and notions would nuture the two boys and put some of the polish on them as musicians. Starting with teenybopper classics like "Please Please Me" and "She Loves You", John and Paul began to develop their individual methods as well as shared methods of producing music. Though the Lennon/McCartney credit was put on every song written by either one of them, John and Paul did not actually collaborate 50/50 on every song they wrote after the earliest albums. Even during the early years, some of Paul's compositions such as "And I Love Her" and "All My Loving" stood out as spectacular, as well as John's "Help!" and "If I Fell." As time progressed, they became less dependent on each other, but the connection still existed. As John would come up with a Dylan-like composition called "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", Paul would be right there to give John the opinions he wanted and the missing links in his music. Paul might write up 90% of a song called "Another Girl", and John would help him with the middle eight. You could still hear both of them in the songs. Then came the pivotal moments for the two. Paul rolled out of bed one day and hurriedly wrote down a song he called "Scrambled Egg." The song was twisted, turned, and developed into the song we all know as "Yesterday", all by Paul's skillful technique and trained ear. Though he asked for opinions and contemplated whether or not he was sticking to his rock 'n' roll roots, the song was undoubtedly one hundred percent Paul's. Similarly, John came up with many compositions without any collaboration, such as Norwegian Wood and In My Life, both breathtaking. The connection to the past was the opinions the two gave each other about the songs. They trusted each others' judgement and evaluation, taking into account what the other said about their work. This is the period where you can see the original personas of the two boys coming through in their individual compositions. A real Beatles fan can listen to a later Beatles song and determine if it's John or Paul's work. One obvious clue is that they usually used their own vocals on their own songs, but there are other distinctive features. A typical Paul song will mesh melody and harmony together perfectly, often with orchestration and anything new Paul could gets his eager hands on. He often used piano as the beginning melody or the basis of the whole song, such as in "The Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be." You will also notice Paul hinting at nostalgia in his classics like "When I'm 64","Your Mother Should Know", and "Honey Pie." Paul composed most of the lovely ballads that everyone knows, such as "Michelle", "The Fool On The Hill", and "Here, There and Everywhere." His somewhat romantic personality showed up in many of his songs, though there were a few that broke from the ordinary and gave us a lovely surprise, such as his quiet and beautiful "Blackbird." John's typical rhapsody will have imaginative lyrics that can often be interpreted in many ways. His melodies are usually more abstract and unexpected. John seems to steer away from too much orchestration, sticking mainly to the guitar and his rock 'n' roll roots, like in "Hey Bulldog" and "Come Together." You will find an occasional ballad in John's repertoire, such as his gentle and lovely "Julia." John's songs often contained drug references or experiences similar to drug experiences or just general ventures into whatever it may be. It depends on your opinion of his songs such as "I'm Only Sleeping", "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "She Said She Said. John was responsible for the really weird stuff, which he was quite proud of. Try interpreting something like "I Am The Walrus." Though sometimes it is unbelievably obvious who came up with the idea for a song, like the Sgt. Pepper album's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (Lennon) and "Getting Better" (McCartney); in some wonderful moments there will be a song where you can see both personalities combined. A perfect example, also on Sgt. Pepper is "A Day In the Life", which is literally two incomplete songs, one Paul's and one John's, put together into one magical song. One can easily determine that the beginning part is John's and the upbeat middle section is Paul's, but they still had to collaborate to form the enchanting transitions and to mesh the two as flawlessly as they did. Later on you can also hear both contributing to songs such as "I've Got A Feeling", even though one person may have written the majority, they share vocals and I believe you can hear both of their donations contained in the song. When the Beatles broke up in 1970, it wasn't because of one thing like Yoko attending the sessions or the failure of Apple, it was just the general tension that had been building up between the guys. They needed to break out and explore what they could on their own. John and Paul both became successful soloists and held bands of their own, but they were past their prime. When they worked to together, the real chemistry was there. Paul went on with his wife Linda to produce many of the first disco songs and several beautiful ballads and creative tunes. John and his new wife, Yoko worked together to promote peace and John wrote many emotional songs, including the incredibly famous "Imagine" that has immortalized his cause for all time. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were perfect for each other from the start. They both grew so much because of the other that it cannot be measured except in the joy and influence they brought to the world. Though their differences eventually drove them apart, they both were aware of the power of their coalition. And the world will see this power in their music, both recorded and their live performances, which were simply electrifying. John and Paul weren't just two kids from the streets of Liverpool, and the Beatles weren't just another band. They were what made music what it is today, what influenced endless aspects of society, what made millions of girls faint at the sight of them, what instigated the British Invasion, what brought happiness not only to Europe but to the US after Kennedy's death, and so much more. Though if separated from each other and music, John and Paul are human beings like you and me with families and lives, when combined with music and each other, they are the unequaled singers/songwriters of all time. 8/30/97 By Kate Nodulman Dedicated to John Lennon, who lives in all of us who love him. Thanks for your time! ~Kate