Jordan Karlesson
Just about every fan of pop music likes — or loves — the Beatles. Which is why it must’ve been a hard day’s night for Paul McCartney when he found out that Prince, did not.
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“He came to the group relatively late in life,” Diffuser.fm reported in July 2017. “Prince tended to treat their towering legacy with a trademark standoffishness.”
But that didn’t stop Paul McCartney from sharing his admiration for the Purple One.
Prince Eventually Comes Around to ‘Come Together’
Let’s not forget, Prince — regardless of his feelings for the Beatles — actually did cover their songs in concert.
Prince frequently tried his hand at “With a Little Help From My Friends,” “The Long and Winding Road,” and “Come Together” at his concerts in the 2000s. Prince included his “Come Together” cover in his set at Coachella in 2008.
But perhaps most memorably, Prince covered “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at his March 2004 induction ceremony into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Dhani Harrison joined Prince for his jaw-dropping tribute to Dhani’s father, Beatle George Harrison. To get an understanding of the performance’s seismic impact, it has more than 115 million views on YouTube.
For his own part, Macca paid tribute to Prince by covering his song “Let’s Go Crazy” in his Minneapolis hometown. Prince died on April 21, 2016. McCartney paid tribute to him at his shows on May 4 and 5 of the same year.
What Did Paul McCartney Tell Prince?
As it turns out, Paul McCartney reached out directly to Prince in 1996. This was before Prince started covering the Beatles at his performances, so it wasn’t a letter of thanks per se.
Much to the contrary, the Beatles bassist wrote to the Purple One asking for a donation to his Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Macca opened the center the same year he wrote the letter.
Here is the humorous letter/solicitation that the always-charming Paul McCartney sent Prince:
“Dear Princely person,
Hi there! I know how hard it is to always be getting letters that ask for some favour or another, so it was not easy for me to accept the job of Lead Patron for a Performing Arts School to be located in my home town [sic], Liverpool. But, you guessed it! I did agree to do it, so now I’m writing to ‘friends and all good people’ to try and interest them in the scheme. The story started just after the inner-city riots in Liverpool a few years ago. A friend suggested that ‘what the city needs is a “Fame” School.’
“I liked the idea as a possible positive focus for local and overseas kids, but it was only later when I went back to my own old school that was in ruins, that I thought by locating a Performing Arts Centre there we could save the 1825 building in the process. So….. (phew!) We’re now well on our way, as the enclosed info shows, but there’s still a lot to be done. Now the hard part. A donation from you would be a great boost to the project, and I know your involvement in some way, would be a thrill for everyone concerned. Hope you didn’t mind me writing this, it’s so long since I’ve written letters I feel like I’m back at school myself.
“Anyway, one of these days you’ll have to come and teach a class some moves!! Who knows, it may turn out to be something special for thousands of future kids. Thanks for looking at this.
“Cheers, & love
“Paul (McCartney)”
