Paul McCartney’s Emotional Tribute to Lennon and Harrison: “They Were My Brothers”
Sir Paul McCartney has opened up about his deep love for his late Beatles bandmates, John Lennon and George Harrison, in a moving new interview featured in the upcoming documentary Beatles ’64, debuting this Friday. Reflecting on the decades since their explosive rise to fame, McCartney revealed the message he wishes he could share with them if given one more chance.
“I would say I love you,” McCartney said with heartfelt candor. “Growing up in Liverpool, you never said that. You didn’t tell a guy you loved him—unless he was like your brother. And they were brothers.”
The documentary revisits the Beatles’ legendary first U.S. tour in February 1964, a three-week cultural storm that came just months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. McCartney believes the timing played a key role in their reception.
“America was still in mourning,” he said. “Maybe they needed something like us—to lift them out of that sadness, to remind them life goes on. You can see it in the faces of the audiences—like they’re being lifted out of sorrow.”
That trip, which launched the Beatles into international superstardom, is remembered not only for its historic Ed Sullivan Show performance—watched by over 73 million people—but for its raw, behind-the-scenes moments of wonder, culture shock, and friendship.
McCartney reminisced about writing with Lennon before the fame, often at his childhood home. “We wrote ‘She Loves You’ in the next room. My dad was in the living room when we played it for him. ‘She loves you, yeah yeah yeah.’ He listened, then said, ‘It’s nice, boys—but can’t you sing she loves you, yes yes yes?’ He thought there were too many Americanisms.”
For McCartney, America had always been a dreamland. “To us, it was the land of freedom,” he said. “But once we got there, we realized… it wasn’t quite the story.”
That contrast came into sharp focus during their U.S. tour. Despite the frenzy of fans and nonstop media attention, not every experience was welcoming. McCartney recalled being dismissed by hotel staff as “scruffy,” a slight that nearly brought George Harrison to tears and caused Lennon to storm out in anger. “We were working-class lads. We were used to it,” Paul shrugged. “When you face posh people, you expect to be looked down on.”
Still, moments of joy and connection colored that whirlwind trip—especially a secret escape arranged by Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes. One night, as thousands of fans surrounded their hotel, Lennon called Ronnie in desperation. “We’re prisoners,” he told her. Ronnie didn’t hesitate: she snuck into the hotel with two other Ronettes, gathered the Beatles, and spirited them away.
“I took them to Harlem,” she recalled. “Nobody noticed them there. They thought they were just some Spanish guys from the neighborhood.”
They ended up at Sherman’s Barbecue on 151st Street, where, for one brief moment, the most famous band in the world got to enjoy anonymity. “They loved it,” Ronnie said. “No one bothered them. They were just sitting on the floor, eating ribs, laughing, and listening to 45s.”
@thefab4archive Paul McCartney’s message to his brothers. 🤍 #thebeatles #georgeharrison #paulmccartney #johnlennon #love
Even in the midst of Beatlemania, the Beatles remained curious and humble. “They wanted to know everything,” Ronnie said. “About the food, the music, the dancing… They asked about Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the Marvelettes. They soaked it all up.”
Beatles ’64 captures that pivotal moment in history—when four lads from Liverpool arrived in a grieving America and unknowingly became symbols of joy and renewal. And in McCartney’s words, it was all rooted in something simple but profound: “We didn’t always say it, but we loved each other. We really did.”
