John and Paul made up the song-writing duo responsible for the majority of The Beatles hits, publishing a total of 180 songs together including ‘Help’ and ‘She Loves You’. The group went on to reach global fame through their music. By 2004, they had sold more than 600 million records across the globe and continue to influence artists today, even though they disbanded decades ago. However, disputes between the bandmates caused the Beatles to officially split in 1970 and – it was by no means amicable.
Unearthed tapes published by the New Zealand Herald in 2009 revealed how the split actually occurred in September 1969.
Apparently, John announced his departure informally to the group during a band meeting at Apple head office.
John told the interviewer: “At the meeting Paul just kept mithering on about what we were going to do, so in the end I just said: ‘I think you’re daft. I want a divorce.’”
However, later that day the Beatles signed a new deal with a recording company Capitol which was to give the band high royalty rates.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon were both in the Beatles (Image: Getty)
The Beatles disbanded officially in 1970 (Image: Getty)
The deal was so sensitive that the group’s manager Allen Klein and bandmate Paul persuaded John not to mention anything about the split until the next album Let it Be was released, along with the band’s film in 1970.
In 2016, Vanity Fair published a letter which John wrote to his former bandmate’s wife, Linda, circa 1970, which attacks Paul for how he handled John’s announcement.
John writes: “Finally about not telling anyone that I left the Beatles – PAUL and Klein both spent the day persuading me it was better not to say anything – asking me not to say anything because it would ‘hurt the Beatles’ and “let’s just let it petre out’ – remember?
“So get that into your petty little perversion of a mind Mrs McCartney.
READ MORE: How Princess Margaret and husband had brutal row next to Elton John
Paul and John were known as a song-writing duo (Image: Getty)
“The c**** asked me to keep quiet about it. Of course, the money angle is important – to all of us – especially after all the petty s*** that came from your insane family/in-laws and GOD HELP YOU OUT, Paul – see you in two years – I reckon you’ll be out then.”
Curiously, he signs the abusive letter off with “love to you both”.
In April 1970, Paul announced that he was in fact leaving the band to go solo. The public assumed this move was the reason for the Beatles’ disbandment, without knowing John had actually left the previous year.
Paul used the opportunity to announce his own solo album called McCartney which was released before the other bandmates had wanted, and took the spotlight over the band’s Let it Be album which had been scheduled for publication at a later date.
DON’T MISS
How John Lennon said he and Yoko Ono had ‘more intelligent interest’ [INSIGHT]
Elton John snub: How Keith Richards insulted Diana elegy [ANALYSIS]
Princess Margaret’s savage takedown of Twiggy revealed [REVEALED]
John married Yoko Ono and they wrote ‘Imagine’ together (Image: Getty)
John’s letter was addressed to Linda McCartney, Paul’s wife (Image: Getty)
John was furious at this self-promotion after he had promised to hold back on his solo work.
Biographer Bradford E Loker claimed that he took the credit for the band’s split: “I started the band. I disbanded it. It’s as simple as that.”
In December 1970 in a Rolling Stone interview with Jann Wenner, John said: “I was a fool not to do what Paul did, which was to use it to sell a record.”
He then went on to frequently denigrate his former bandmate’s solo efforts over the following years, condemning them as “muzak” – background music – and claiming the only good song Paul ever wrote was ‘Yesterday’.
Paul also established a solo career (Image: Getty)
The two other members of the band, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, also briefly left throughout 1968 and 1969, but returned to the band each time.
All four of them pursued solo careers after the band’s split.
However, before John’s assassination in 1980 he and the other members were reportedly on better terms once again.
