The Beatles’ ‘Michelle’ Was Co-Written by a Woman Who Wasn’t Credited
The Beatles‘ “Michelle” includes some French lyrics. Paul McCartney said a teacher helped him write the song. Subsequently, she received a check for her help but only years after the song’s release.
Paul McCartney said a teacher helped write The Beatles’ ‘Michelle’
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed the origin of The Beatles’ “Michelle.” He said he looked to a French teacher named Jan Vaughan to help him write the French lyrics of the song. Notably, Vaughn was married to Ivan Vaughan, the man who introduced Paul to John Lennon. Jan convinced Paul to rhyme “Michelle” with “ma belle.”
Eventually, Jan received compensation for her work. “I got that off Jan, and years later I sent her a check around,” Paul remembered. “I thought I better had because she’s virtually a co-writer on that. From there I just pieced together the verses.” Notably, Jan did not receive a writing credit on “Michelle,” which is credited to the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership.
Why the song matters so much in The Beatles’ discography
“Michelle” is a pretty important song in The Beatles’ canon. While The Beatles recorded songs primarily in English, singing words in French showed off their versatility. It probably helped fans in French-speaking nations connect with the band on a deeper level.
“Michelle” was not the only time The Beatles recorded music in a language other than English. For example, the Fab Four released a single called “Komm, gib mir deine Hand / Sie liebt dich.” The single contains German-language versions of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You.” Notably, the tunes keep the instrumentals of the original songs intact even though they don’t feature exact translations of the songs’ lyrics. Tracks like “Michelle” and “Komm, gib mir deine Hand” helped the band become an even bigger international phenomenon.
How ‘Michelle’ and ‘Rubber Soul’ performed in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Michelle” was never a single in the United States, so it didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s plausible the song would have flopped in the U.S., as French is not widely spoken in the country. The tune appeared on the album Rubber Soul. That record topped the Billboard 200 for six weeks, staying on the chart for 70 weeks.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Michelle” did not chart in the United Kingdom either. On the other hand, Rubber Soul was No. 1 in the U.K. for eight weeks. The album lasted on the chart for a total of 42 weeks.
Rubber Soul was an album that showed The Beatles’ maturation as artists. It also highlighted their willingness to experiment and borrow from other musical styles such as Indian classical music and American folk music. The use of the French language in “Michelle” is one example of that adventurous spirit, as is the song’s jazz influences.
“Michelle” is one of the most famous tracks from Rubber Soul and it wouldn’t be the same without Jan.
