{"id":917997,"date":"2026-04-25T17:08:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T17:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/917997\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T17:08:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T17:08:28","slug":"the-1973-paul-mccartney-song-that-sounds-like-john-lennon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/917997\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1973 Paul McCartney song that “sounds like” John Lennon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"John<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n

Sat 25 April 2026 15:14, UK <\/p>\n

Paul McCartney<\/a>\u00a0is one of the all-time legends of the game, and despite being over 80 years old, he is still everpresent in culture, with his tap of creativity never ceasing to stop flowing. <\/p>\n

One of the greatest living songwriters, alongside the eminent Bob Dylan, without Paul McCartney\u2019s many different efforts, from The Beatles to Wings and as a solo artist, the world of music would be a completely different place. It is a testament to just how impactful the man from Walton has been.<\/p>\n

As a member of The Beatles,\u00a0alongside John Lennon, he formed the most extraordinary songwriting partnership <\/a>the world has ever seen, penning hits that range from \u2018Yesterday\u2019 to \u2018Let It Be\u2019. He has a knack for writing short but impactful anthems; duly, many of his songs are hailed among the best The Beatles ever wrote, with McCartney cited as a hero by many subsequent musical legends.<\/p>\n

Part of McCartney\u2019s enduring appeal lies in his ability to balance instinct with craft. While his melodies often feel effortless, there is a quiet discipline behind them, a deep understanding of how to shape a song so that it lingers long after it ends. It is this combination that has allowed him to move so fluidly between styles, adapting to changing musical landscapes without ever losing his core identity.<\/p>\n

That versatility also made the transition out of The Beatles less about reinvention and more about expansion. Freed from the dynamic that had defined his work with Lennon, McCartney was able to explore different facets of his songwriting, leaning into ideas that might not have found space within the band. It was a period of rediscovery, one that would ultimately shape the direction of everything that followed.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ Linda McCartney)<\/p>\n

As The Beatles were ending in the late 1960s, McCartney started his solo career, releasing McCartney in 1970 and the much-lauded Ram alongside his wife Linda in 1971. The couple then formed Wings later that year, with McCartney recalling: \u201cI didn\u2019t really want to keep going as a solo artist \u2026 so it became obvious that I had to get a band together \u2026 Linda and I talked it through and it was like, \u2018Yeah, but let\u2019s not put together a supergroup, let\u2019s go back to square one\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The formation of Wings was to be one of the most significant decisions of McCartney\u2019s life, with this period being one of the most fruitful of his career. Over the band\u2019s ten-year existence, they produced a variety of moments that include \u2018Band on the Run\u2019, \u2018Live and Let Die\u2019 and \u2018Arrow Through Me\u2019. <\/p>\n

One of their finest cuts, as the mainstream found out when it burst through the speakers at the cinema in Licorice Pizza<\/a>, is \u2018Let Me Roll It\u2019, the swooning B-side to \u2018Jet\u2019 from Band on the Run. An undeniable classic, at the time of release, the song was somewhat criticised for its similarities to John Lennon\u2019s iconic sound in terms of its slow-grooving R&B, with the heavy use of the tape echo on the vocals and the spiky riff. <\/p>\n

Of course, McCartney denied these accusations that he\u2019d ripped off his old friend\u2019s style. He later said: \u201cI still don\u2019t think it sounds like him [John Lennon], but that\u2019s your opinion. I can dig it if it sounds that way to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Macca maintained: \u201c\u2018Let Me Roll It\u2019 was not really a Lennon pastiche, although my use of tape echo did sound more like John than me. But tape echo was not John\u2019s exclusive territory! And you have to remember that, despite the myth, there was a lot of commonality between us in the way that we thought and the way that we worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the song\u2019s connection to The Beatles does not end there. The title was inspired by a portion of the lyrics from former bandmate George Harrison\u2019s song \u2018I\u2019d Have You Anytime\u2019 and the words \u201cLet me roll it to you\u201d. It has also been noted that Lennon utilised the \u2018Let Me Roll It\u2019 riff in his 1974 piece \u2018Beef Jerky\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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