shyGirl
Dec 20, 2002, 11:22 PM
http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/fabnews.htm
Sir Paul McCartney is in grave danger of alienating his fans in a row over his song credit, a Liverpool Beatles experts said last night.
The musician has been fighting with Yoko Ono over whether he has the right to put his name before John Lennon's in song credits.
Ono is threatening to sue him after he changed the traditional credit Lennon-McCartney to "by Paul McCartney and John Lennon" on his new live album.
Jean Catherall, of the Beatles fan magazine, Beatles Scene, said: "I think Sir Paul McCartney is in danger of alienating a large number of fans by appearing to care so much about a petty thing like this.
"People know that Hey Jude and Yesterday were written by him without this action.
"He's in grave danger of making peo-ple remember him for this, rather than for his music and his personality."
She added: "Originally, Lennon always came first because it was a convention within music companies at that time to put names in alphabetical order.
"After a while, the phrase Lennon, McCartney stuck and they kept it even when Harrison had collaborated and should have had precedence because of the 'H' in his name.
"I understand that it was never a written part of the contract but a spoken agreement.
"Most real Beatles fans don't care about which order the names appear because they know who penned which song. And, as for the casual fans - I doubt they read the small print or care very much."
Popular music expert Spencer Lee agreed: "I think it's a bit ridiculous for McCartney to be doing this so late in the day.
"In fact, on their very first single, Love Me Do, the credit was McCartney/Lennon.
"I think the record company must have persuaded them that it sounded better the other way around.
"I don't know what the legal validity is. It would be most interesting to see it tested in court." However, other Beatles fans said they would be happy for McCartney to have his name put first on the songs he wrote.
Jerry Goldman, director of the Beatles Story museum at the Albert Dock, said: "He is a great artist and John Lennon was a great artist.
"Great artists feel very proud of their work, so if he thinks it is important to have his name first then why not? It has always been Lennon-McCartney so why not have McCartney-Lennon on occasion? Yoko Ono has taken on the mantle of John Lennon and she carries the pride he felt in his work."
Rod Davis, who played with John Lennon in The Quarrymen skiffle group, added: "I can understand why Paul feels that he should get proper credit for the songs he wrote. I suppose on balance he should take his name off songs that John wrote, so perhaps it would be better to leave well alone."
WHO WROTE WHAT?
McCARTNEY
Love Me Do
Can't Buy Me Love
We Can Work It Out
Paperback Writer
Yellow Submarine
Eleanor Rigby
Penny Lane
Hello Goodbye
Magical Mystery Tour
Lady Madonna
Hey Jude
Get Back
Let It Be
Yesterday
Back In The USSR
Lovely Rita
You Never Give Me Your Money
Golden Slumbers
Come And Get It
LENNON
Please, Please Me
A Hard Day's Night
I Feel Fine
Ticket to Ride
Help!
Day Tripper
Strawberry Fields Forever
All You Need is Love
Ballad of John and Yoko
Come Together
Hello Little Girl
World Without Love
I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
I Don't Want to Spoil The Party
You're Going to Lose That Girl
Nowhere Man
She Said She Said
I Want You
Because
Polythene Pam
Cold Turkey
Dig It
LENNON & McCARTNEY
From Me to You
She Loves You
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Anytime at All
Girl
Get Back
Sir Paul McCartney is in grave danger of alienating his fans in a row over his song credit, a Liverpool Beatles experts said last night.
The musician has been fighting with Yoko Ono over whether he has the right to put his name before John Lennon's in song credits.
Ono is threatening to sue him after he changed the traditional credit Lennon-McCartney to "by Paul McCartney and John Lennon" on his new live album.
Jean Catherall, of the Beatles fan magazine, Beatles Scene, said: "I think Sir Paul McCartney is in danger of alienating a large number of fans by appearing to care so much about a petty thing like this.
"People know that Hey Jude and Yesterday were written by him without this action.
"He's in grave danger of making peo-ple remember him for this, rather than for his music and his personality."
She added: "Originally, Lennon always came first because it was a convention within music companies at that time to put names in alphabetical order.
"After a while, the phrase Lennon, McCartney stuck and they kept it even when Harrison had collaborated and should have had precedence because of the 'H' in his name.
"I understand that it was never a written part of the contract but a spoken agreement.
"Most real Beatles fans don't care about which order the names appear because they know who penned which song. And, as for the casual fans - I doubt they read the small print or care very much."
Popular music expert Spencer Lee agreed: "I think it's a bit ridiculous for McCartney to be doing this so late in the day.
"In fact, on their very first single, Love Me Do, the credit was McCartney/Lennon.
"I think the record company must have persuaded them that it sounded better the other way around.
"I don't know what the legal validity is. It would be most interesting to see it tested in court." However, other Beatles fans said they would be happy for McCartney to have his name put first on the songs he wrote.
Jerry Goldman, director of the Beatles Story museum at the Albert Dock, said: "He is a great artist and John Lennon was a great artist.
"Great artists feel very proud of their work, so if he thinks it is important to have his name first then why not? It has always been Lennon-McCartney so why not have McCartney-Lennon on occasion? Yoko Ono has taken on the mantle of John Lennon and she carries the pride he felt in his work."
Rod Davis, who played with John Lennon in The Quarrymen skiffle group, added: "I can understand why Paul feels that he should get proper credit for the songs he wrote. I suppose on balance he should take his name off songs that John wrote, so perhaps it would be better to leave well alone."
WHO WROTE WHAT?
McCARTNEY
Love Me Do
Can't Buy Me Love
We Can Work It Out
Paperback Writer
Yellow Submarine
Eleanor Rigby
Penny Lane
Hello Goodbye
Magical Mystery Tour
Lady Madonna
Hey Jude
Get Back
Let It Be
Yesterday
Back In The USSR
Lovely Rita
You Never Give Me Your Money
Golden Slumbers
Come And Get It
LENNON
Please, Please Me
A Hard Day's Night
I Feel Fine
Ticket to Ride
Help!
Day Tripper
Strawberry Fields Forever
All You Need is Love
Ballad of John and Yoko
Come Together
Hello Little Girl
World Without Love
I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
I Don't Want to Spoil The Party
You're Going to Lose That Girl
Nowhere Man
She Said She Said
I Want You
Because
Polythene Pam
Cold Turkey
Dig It
LENNON & McCARTNEY
From Me to You
She Loves You
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Anytime at All
Girl
Get Back