True Lennon-McCartney
A genuinely co-written song where both Lennon and McCartney contributed substantially to both music and lyrics
Analysis
By Year
Song count per year
By Songwriter
% of each member's catalogue with this tag (by writing credit)
By Era
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Songs(19)
| # | Title | Year | Album | Lead Vocal(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Love Me Do | 1962 | Please Please Me | Paul, John | McCartney wrote the verse and chorus and Lennon contributed the middle eight |
| 2 | Misery | 1963 | Please Please Me | John, Paul | Started backstage at the King's Hall in Stoke-on-Trent for Helen Shapiro and finished at McCartney's home, with Lennon calling it more his song than Paul's and McCartney saying neither of them dominated |
| 3 | From Me to You | 1963 | Past Masters | John, Paul | Begun on the tour coach to Shrewsbury with Helen Shapiro and described by McCartney as very much co-written |
| 4 | Thank You Girl | 1963 | Past Masters | John, Paul | Written eyeball to eyeball as a tribute to the band's fan mail, with Ian MacDonald crediting Lennon the first line of each verse and McCartney the inner rhymes that finish them |
| 5 | I'll Get You | 1963 | Past Masters | John, Paul | Written at Lennon's Menlove Avenue home and credited by McCartney as a fifty-fifty collaboration |
| 6 | She Loves You | 1963 | Past Masters | Paul, John | McCartney's idea of an answering song, written on twin beds in a Newcastle hotel and finished the next day at his Forthlin Road home |
| 7 | I Wanna Be Your Man | 1963 | With The Beatles | Ringo | Written primarily by McCartney and finished by the two of them in the corner of a Richmond club while Jagger and Richards talked, who recorded it first |
| 8 | Little Child | 1963 | With The Beatles | John, Paul | Written by the two of them for Ringo Starr to sing, who was given 'I Wanna Be Your Man' instead |
| 9 | I Want to Hold Your Hand | 1963 | Past Masters | John, Paul | Written eyeball to eyeball at the piano in the Asher family's basement music room, which became the pair's new writing base |
| 10 | Baby's in Black | 1964 | Beatles For Sale | John, Paul | Co-written by the two of them, who then sang their vocal parts simultaneously through the same microphone |
| 11 | Drive My Car | 1965 | Rubber Soul | Paul, John | McCartney brought the tune and Lennon rejected the lyric, and the two of them rewrote it in one difficult session around the title Bob Spitz credits to Lennon |
| 12 | We Can Work It Out | 1965 | Past Masters | Paul, John | McCartney wrote the words and music of the verses and chorus and Lennon contributed the twelve-bar bridge |
| 13 | Yellow Submarine | 1966 | Revolver | Ringo | McCartney brought the chorus and title and Lennon combined it with a verse melody he had already written, though McCartney recalled the song as mostly his |
| 14 | A Day in the Life | 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | John, Paul | Lennon wrote the melody and most of the verse lyrics and McCartney contributed the middle eight and the line 'I'd love to turn you on' |
| 15 | She's Leaving Home | 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Paul, John | Paul McCartney wrote and sang the verse and John Lennon wrote the chorus |
| 16 | With a Little Help from My Friends | 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Ringo | Written fifty-fifty from McCartney's title line and structure, finished by the two of them in March 1967 as Ringo Starr's track for Sgt. Pepper |
| 17 | Baby, You're a Rich Man | 1967 | Magical Mystery Tour | John | Two unfinished songs joined at McCartney's Cavendish Avenue home, Lennon's verses from 'One of the Beautiful People' and McCartney's 'baby, you're a rich man' chorus |
| 18 | Birthday | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | Paul, John | Written on the spot at EMI Studios on 18 September 1968, McCartney arriving first and having the song down by the time the others came in |
| 19 | I've Got a Feeling | 1970 | Let It Be | Paul, John | McCartney's 'I've Got a Feeling' welded to Lennon's 'Everybody Had a Hard Year', the two stacked in counterpoint in the outro |
Love Me Do
McCartney wrote the verse and chorus and Lennon contributed the middle eight
Misery
Started backstage at the King's Hall in Stoke-on-Trent for Helen Shapiro and finished at McCartney's home, with Lennon calling it more his song than Paul's and McCartney saying neither of them dominated
From Me to You
Begun on the tour coach to Shrewsbury with Helen Shapiro and described by McCartney as very much co-written
Thank You Girl
Written eyeball to eyeball as a tribute to the band's fan mail, with Ian MacDonald crediting Lennon the first line of each verse and McCartney the inner rhymes that finish them
I'll Get You
Written at Lennon's Menlove Avenue home and credited by McCartney as a fifty-fifty collaboration
She Loves You
McCartney's idea of an answering song, written on twin beds in a Newcastle hotel and finished the next day at his Forthlin Road home
I Wanna Be Your Man
Written primarily by McCartney and finished by the two of them in the corner of a Richmond club while Jagger and Richards talked, who recorded it first
Little Child
Written by the two of them for Ringo Starr to sing, who was given 'I Wanna Be Your Man' instead
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Written eyeball to eyeball at the piano in the Asher family's basement music room, which became the pair's new writing base
Baby's in Black
Co-written by the two of them, who then sang their vocal parts simultaneously through the same microphone
Drive My Car
McCartney brought the tune and Lennon rejected the lyric, and the two of them rewrote it in one difficult session around the title Bob Spitz credits to Lennon
We Can Work It Out
McCartney wrote the words and music of the verses and chorus and Lennon contributed the twelve-bar bridge
Yellow Submarine
McCartney brought the chorus and title and Lennon combined it with a verse melody he had already written, though McCartney recalled the song as mostly his
A Day in the Life
Lennon wrote the melody and most of the verse lyrics and McCartney contributed the middle eight and the line 'I'd love to turn you on'
She's Leaving Home
Paul McCartney wrote and sang the verse and John Lennon wrote the chorus
With a Little Help from My Friends
Written fifty-fifty from McCartney's title line and structure, finished by the two of them in March 1967 as Ringo Starr's track for Sgt. Pepper
Baby, You're a Rich Man
Two unfinished songs joined at McCartney's Cavendish Avenue home, Lennon's verses from 'One of the Beautiful People' and McCartney's 'baby, you're a rich man' chorus
Birthday
Written on the spot at EMI Studios on 18 September 1968, McCartney arriving first and having the song down by the time the others came in
I've Got a Feeling
McCartney's 'I've Got a Feeling' welded to Lennon's 'Everybody Had a Hard Year', the two stacked in counterpoint in the outro
Updated