Lennon and McCartney: two voices, one song
In this year's Festivaletteratura, Ian Leslie and Peter Florence sat together at Aula Magna of Mantova University to present Leslie’s latest book: John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs. The event felt like a lively chat between friends sharing their favourite music tracks. John & Paul explores the extraordinary musical and personal bond of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the central duo of the legend that was The Beatles. Starting with their first meeting as teenagers in 1957, each chapter centres on a song that was particularly meaningful to them in some way.
The Beatles started as a cover band, but everything changed in 1962, with the release of Please Please Me. This song introduced Lennon-McCartney as an artistic and legal partnership. From this moment on, both names appeared in the credits, removing individual egos and fostering collaboration. Playing face to face allowed the pair to be intimate and emotionally vulnerable in ways they couldn’t without music.
Producer George Martin was crucial to The Beatles’ rise, becoming an essential creative partner. Ringo Starr, who joined later, was the perfect drummer for the band, with his honed talent and easygoing personality.
"The most famous Double A side in history", joked Florence, as the audience sang along to a recording of Strawberry Fields, followed by Penny Lane. Over the course of the 1960's Lennon and McCartney’s songwriting evolved from the indistinguishable styles of these two tracks, into two distinct but harmonious voices.
The conversation turned to The Beatles' romantic lives, noting how personal struggles influenced their music. After Paul’s infidelity led to Yesterday, John felt pressured to match his success. Years later, playing Imagine for the first time, John will ask “but is it as good as Yesterday?” Later on, their friendship and rivalry shaped songs like Don’t Let Me Down (John’s plea for support) and Get Back (Paul’s call to return to their roots).
The event concluded with Hey Jude, a song Paul wrote to comfort Julian Lennon after his parents' divorce. Its lyrics celebrate male friendship (rarely a topic of music), and the healing capacity of music.
As the last part of the song played, Florence recalled what he describes as “the best night of Britain’s life”: the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony, when Paul McCartney performed Hey Jude to a global audience of 1,5 billion people. The crowd in the Aula Magna joined in the “Na-na-na-na-na-na-na” refrain, demonstrating the enduring impact of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's friendship.