Paul McCartney says his late wife Linda encouraged him to embrace freedom and let go of being uptight
Linda’s phrase “It’s allowed” helped the former Beatle overcome self-imposed limitations and inspired him to take risks
The pair were married from 1969 to Linda's death in 1998

Paul McCartney had a lot to learn from his late wife Linda.

The legendary musician, 83, offered rare insight into the effect that Linda had on his life in a new clip from his Words + Music installment with Audible, which PEOPLE is exclusively premiering.

In the episode — which is an expansion of his recent documentary Man on the Run — McCartney says Linda was a “freeing influence” when they first got together in the 1960s.

“She had grown up in a posh bit of New York. She was on track to become the sort of company wife. But she didn’t like that. She liked rock ‘n’ roll,” McCartney says. “And she would do things like sneak out of the house late at night and drive into New York with a boyfriend. So there was a lot of freedom in her thinking. So I think that really was good for me.”

When Linda and Paul met, she was a divorcée with a 7-year-old daughter, Heather. The pair married in 1969, and went on to have three more children together: Mary, 56, Stella, 54, and James, 54. They remained together until Linda’s death from breast cancer in 1998 at age 56.

Source: people.com/Rachel DeSantis

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One of Paul McCartney‘s all-time favourite songs was written by his Beatles bandmate, George Harrison.

The Wings frontman confirmed as much during a Reddit Ask Me Anything on the r/Music subreddit. McCartney was asked for his favourite songs by members of the public, with the Let It Be hitmaker going one step further and naming an album release by Harrison as one of his favourites. McCartney confirmed Brainwashed, Harrison’s posthumous release, which dropped in 2002, was among his favourite albums. In a Reddit AMA to promote his 2020 album, McCartney III, McCartney confirmed Here Comes the Sun was one of his favourite songs from Harrison.

He wrote: “It is a brilliant song and the kind of song that’s really good in times like these.” The “times like these” McCartney refers to in his comment is the lockdown the United Kingdom, and other countries across the world, experienced due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

A previous compilation release from McCartney saw the legendary songwriter name a Brainwashed track as another favourite from Harrison’s discography.

Source: cultfollowing.co.uk/ Ewan Gleadow

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It sounds like something straight out of a 1960s dream. And for a lucky group of Beatles fans, it actually happened.

On this day in 1964, George Harrison stepped out for a rare public outing alongside Disney teen star Hayley Mills. The two attended a midnight charity screening of the film Charade at the Regal Cinema in Henley-on-Thames, England.

Mills, now 79 years old, was already a household name thanks to her roles in Disney classics like Pollyanna and The Parent Trap, arrived with her mother, Mary Hayley Bell. But it was her unexpected escort—Harrison, then at the height of Beatlemania—who turned the evening into a headline-making moment.

At the time, The Beatles were dominating the global music scene, with Harrison and his bandmates sparking a cultural phenomenon unlike anything seen before. Pairing one of the world’s biggest music stars with one of Disney’s most beloved young actresses created a rare crossover of two massive fan worlds.

The event itself was a charity benefit, adding a feel-good element to the already buzzworthy night. While details of their interaction remain relatively low-key, the image of Harrison escorting Mills to the screening captured the imagination of fans and still feels like a perfect snapshot of 1960s pop culture.

Moments like this highlight just how interconnected entertainment worlds can be. Long before celebrity "collabs" became a regular thing, a Beatle and a Disney star sharing a night out was enough to make history.

Source: yahoo.com/Lauren Anderson

There aren’t many bands that were formed more than half a century ago that stand even a shot at charting a hit song in the United Kingdom with any regularity. Of course, The Beatles are no typical group, and more often than not, the Fab Four appear on at least one singles ranking in their home country. Which tune British listeners favor changes from week to week, and there are occasions when no individual song can be found and The Beatles only appear on albums rosters. One non-single by the pop-rockers finds its way back to a pair of charts as it becomes a bestseller again.

The Beatles’ "Golden Slumbers" Returns to the U.K. Charts

"Golden Slumbers," taken from The Beatles’ masterpiece Abbey Road, is once again a top performer in the U.K. The track, which was never pushed as a single, but which remains a fan favorite, is back on the Official Singles Downloads list at No. 72. The track can also be found once more on the Official Singles Sales chart, where it makes a home at No. 77.
The Beatles’ "Golden Slumbers" Reaches New Peak Positions

"Golden Slumbers" debuted on the two tallies on which it currently appears in November 2017. The track launched at No. 46 on both rosters, and then quickly disappeared, and it wouldn’t be seen on either ranking for nearly a decade.

 "Golden Slumbers" returned just last month, when it became a bestseller again. The cut hit new highs of No. 37 on the Official Singles Downloads chart and No. 41 on the Official Singles Sales list, where it narrowly failed to earn The Beatles another top 40 showing. The Abbey Road tune held on for two periods, then slipped away, and now, only a few weeks later, it is back.

Source: forbes.com/Hugh McIntyre

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A so-called “dark day” for George Harrison led to the Quiet One of The Beatles writing one of his most brutal songs.

The track, which featured on his triple album, All Things Must Pass, has been interpreted as a knock at his former bandmates, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Though the pair were still working with Harrison at the time he wrote the song, it appears clear the words to Wah Wah are a chance for Harrison to channel his frustrations. Fans praised the Here Comes the Sun songwriter for his brutal honesty in both the song and a diary entry which has gone down as a legendary moment for the musician.

Studio session tensions bubbled over for Harrison during the Get Back rehearsals, prompting him to briefly quit the band. Ringo Starr had previously departed the band towards the end of The White Album recording but rejoined a short while later. Starr had felt he “wasn’t playing great” and that he was “an outsider” but after a holiday to Sardinia, he rejoined the band. Harrison’s departure from the Get Back sessions lasted five days and has since been immortalised in a diary entry.

Source: Ewan Gleadow/cultfollowing.co.uk

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In the 1960s, The Beatles were enjoying No. 1 hits like candy. And on this day in 1967, they scored yet another No. 1 in the United States with a psychedelic pop jam. On this very day, March 18, 1967, The Beatles scored a hefty hit with “Penny Lane”. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on this day. It remained at the top for one week. “Penny Lane” would remain on the chart in some fashion for 10 weeks.

The song was released as a double A-side with “Strawberry Fields Forever”. That song ended up being a bit less popular in the United States than “Penny Lane”. “Strawberry Fields Forever” peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100.
The Origins of “Penny Lane”

“Penny Lane” was written by Paul McCartney. The tune makes some pretty direct references to where he and bandmates George Harrison and John Lennon grew up in Liverpool. The lane in question was a real place, a street in Liverpool that McCartney traversed often in his youth, as did two of his bandmates. “Penny Lane” is the most stark reference to the street. Though, Lennon had previously written the song “In My Life” with an original lyric that referenced the street.

Much of Lennon and McCartney’s songwriting partnership can be linked back to bus rides taken via Penny Lane throughout Liverpool. McCartney confirmed that notion himself.

Source: americansongwriter.com/Em Casalena

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