Paul McCartney Reacts to Lennon & Harrison Letter – 31 March 1970

Paul McCartney Reacts to Letter from Lennon & Harrison – 31 March 1970

Tuesday 31 March 1970 | 7 Cavendish Avenue, London | Beatles History

On 31 March 1970, Paul McCartney reacted angrily to a letter from John Lennon and George Harrison regarding the release schedules of solo and Beatles albums. Ringo Starr personally delivered the letter to McCartney’s home at 7 Cavendish Avenue, acting as messenger on behalf of the other Beatles.

Background

By early 1970, The Beatles were pursuing solo projects while remaining in the public eye, though rarely together. Apple planned to release Let It Be on 24 April, while McCartney’s debut solo album McCartney had initially been scheduled for 10 April. Lennon and Harrison, advised by Allen Klein, requested the delay of McCartney’s release to avoid overlapping Beatles-related albums.

The Letter and McCartney’s Reaction

The letter from Lennon and Harrison read:

“Dear Paul, We thought a lot about yours and the Beatles LPs – and decided it’s stupid for Apple to put out two big albums within 7 days of each other (also there’s Ringo’s and Hey Jude) – so we sent a letter to EMI telling them to hold your release date til June 4th (there’s a big Apple-Capitol convention in Hawaii then). We thought you’d come round when you realized that the Beatles album was coming out on April 24th. We’re sorry it turned out like this – it’s nothing personal. Love John & George. Hare Krishna. A Mantra a Day Keeps MAYA! Away.”

Although McCartney had previously tolerated Apple’s corporate decisions, after months of acrimony he was furious. When Ringo delivered the letter in person, McCartney “gave him a bit of verbal,” saying:

“You guys are just messing me around.”

Ringo later recalled how McCartney reacted:

“He went completely out of control, shouting at me, prodding his fingers towards my face, saying: ‘I’ll finish you now’ and ‘You’ll pay.’ He told me to put my coat on and get out. While I thought Paul had behaved like a spoiled child I could see that the release date of the record had a gigantic emotional significance for him. Whether he was right or wrong, I felt that since he was our friend we should let him have his own way. So I persuaded the others and with some difficulty my release was put forward two weeks and the group’s Let It Be was put back.” – Ringo Starr

McCartney explained the confrontation in his own words:

“They didn’t send me round, it’s a misquote… Ringo… said, ‘Send it up, I’ll take it round.’ I couldn’t fear him then. But he got angry, because we were asking him to hold his album back… I did something I’d never done before, or since: I told him to get out. I had to do something like that in order to assert myself because I was just sinking. Linda was very helpful… I was getting pummelled about the head, in my mind anyway.” – Paul McCartney

Aftermath

The incident contributed to the final scheduling of McCartney’s solo album, which was issued in the UK on 17 April 1970, while Let It Be was delayed to 8 May. A press release on 10 April sensationally appeared to confirm The Beatles’ breakup, though McCartney later noted the media had misunderstood the situation.

Location: 7 Cavendish Avenue, London

FAQs

Why was Ringo Starr sent to deliver the letter?

He personally delivered the letter to avoid an office messenger delivering a sensitive message about the release dates.

What did Lennon and Harrison request?

They asked McCartney to delay his solo album to 4 June so Let It Be could be released first.

How did McCartney react?

He became furious, shouting at Ringo and telling him to leave the house.

What was the outcome?

McCartney’s album was released on 17 April, Let It Be was delayed to 8 May, and the confrontation caused tension that took years to heal.

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