The Song Paul McCartney Played to Impress John Lennon

John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met while growing up in Liverpool. While Lennon was slightly older than McCartney, the pair bonded over their shared love of music, and McCartney eventually joined John and his band. Paul had to prove to John he had talent, and he still remembers the song he played for his future bandmate to impress him.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney met at a church performance

Before The Beatles were even an idea, John Lennon was a member of The Quarrymen Skiffle Group. On July 6, 1957, the Quarrymen performed at the garden fete of St. Peter’s Church in Woolton, Liverpool. Lennon was the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band. In attendance at the performance was a young Paul McCartney. McCartney was beginning to develop a love of rock n’ roll and was thrilled that there was a group around his age in his hometown. 

In an interview with Record Collector, McCartney recalled Lennon performing an improvised version of “Come Go With Me”, where he only knew the chorus and made up the rest. He was the only “outstanding member,” as the rest seemed to blend in the background. 

“I just thought, ‘Well, he looks good, he’s singing well, and he seems like a great lead singer to me,’” McCartney said. “Of course, he had his glasses off, so he really looked suave. I remember John was good. He was really the only outstanding member, all the rest kind of slipped away.”

McCartney played ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ as an unofficial audition for Lennon

Paul McCartney needed a way to meet with John Lennon and show him his musical talent. Fortunately, he had a school friend who knew Lennon and managed to arrange a meeting between the two. In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, McCartney recalled auditioning for The Quarrymen and the song he played for Lennon.

“I’d just turned fifteen at this point, and John was sixteen, and Ivan knew we were both obsessed with rock and roll, so he took me over to introduce us,” McCartney wrote. “One thing led to another – typical teenage boys posturing and the like – and lended up showing off a little by playing Eddie Cochran’s ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ on the guitar. I think l also played Gene Vincent’s ‘Be-Bop-a-Lula’ and a few Little Richard songs too.”

“Twenty Flight Rock” was released by Eddie Cochran in 1957. It was originally included in the 1956 film The Girl Can’t Help it, and was released as a single the following year. While it was a moderate hit in the U.S., it was more successful in Europe. 

George Harrison joined The Quarrymen shortly after McCartney

After Paul McCartney’s audition, John Lennon invited him to join The Quarrymen. McCartney had befriended another guitar player at school, who just happened to be George Harrison. He invited George to watch The Quarrymen, and Harrison was impressed by what he saw. He tried out for the group and got an invitation, as Lennon didn’t want to lose someone with his talent. 

“We asked George to join because he knew more chords,” Lennon said in Anthology. “We got a lot from him. Paul had a friend at school who would discover chords, and these would be passed ’round Liverpool. Every time we learned a new chord, we’d write a song around it.”

Harrison, Lennon, and McCartney were the only three members who stayed for the long haul and eventually formed The Beatles, bringing in Ringo Starr as their permanent drummer.