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John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs

John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs

by Ian Leslie

Celadon Books ·2025 ·424 pages ·Culture
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Top of the Pile
I Index
76/99
Near the Top

57/99

Critics

Top of the Pile

95/99

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Scholars

37/99

Rating

77/99

Volume

96/99

Rating

94/99

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About This Book

John Lennon and Paul McCartney knew each other for twenty-three years, from 1957 to 1980. This book is the myth-shattering biography of a relationship that changed the cultural history of the world. The Beatles shook the world to its core in the 1960's and, to this day, remain an active ingredient in our cultural bloodstream, as new generations fall in love with their songs and their story. At the heart of this phenomenon lies the dynamic between John and Paul. Few other musical partnerships have been rooted in such a deep, intense and complicated personal relationship. John and Paul's relationship was defined by its complexity: compulsive, tender and tempestuous; full of longing, riven by jealousy. Like the band, their relationship was always in motion, never in equilibrium for long. John and Paul traces its twists and turns and reveals how these shifts manifested themselves in the music. Yoko Ono remarked on the resemblance of their friendship to a romantic relationship and suggested that at some point that's what John wanted it to be. The two of them shared a private language, rooted in the stories, comedy and songs they both loved as teenagers, and later, in the lyrics of Beatles songs. In John and Paul, acclaimed writer on human psychology and creativity Ian Leslie traces the shared journey of these men before, during and after The Beatles, offering us both a new look at two of the greatest icons in music history, and rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration, and human intimacy.


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Reviews

"It is stunning to follow Leslie's insights into how far and fast John and Paul traveled, how profound their preternatural alliance was, and how epic their heroic journey."

T Bone Burnett· The New York Times Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Let it be the new gold standard in Beatles studies ..."

Anthony Quinn· The Guardian Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Leslie meticulously works through the canon, with the bio unfolding."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Leslie is bracingly forensic in his reading of both the early days of the Lennon-McCartney partnership and the road to its dissolution."

Elizabeth Nelson· The Wall Street Journal Read review ↗ Near the Top

"He shows a new and more compelling image of the Lennon-McCartney relationship ..."

Brett Rohlwing· Library Journal Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Too often Leslie makes interpretations to suit his own inclinations ..."

Sibbie O\'Sullivan· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

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