McCartney opens – As Paul McCartney promotes his new solo album “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” he speaks candidly about missing John Lennon and George Harrison—framing the ache as something shared, not solitary, even as he leans on music and memory.
Paul McCartney is back with a new solo album, “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” and on the press trail he’s not just talking about songs. He’s talking about absence—specifically the ongoing loss of two Beatles bandmates, John Lennon and George Harrison.
The album draws from McCartney’s childhood and the early days with the Beatles. and it includes a duet with Beatles drummer Ringo Starr on the song “Home to Us.” The collaboration is a public detail. The private one comes in when McCartney turns to what comfort looks like when people you love are no longer there.
In an interview with The Guardian, McCartney said, “My collaborator was probably one of the best writers of the century, so, yeah, you’re going to miss him.” He added, “But that’s life. You lose people.”
He then reflected on what George Martin told him about aging—words that land differently now that both Lennon and Harrison are gone. “The terrible thing about it is all your mates start popping off,” Martin said, according to McCartney.
McCartney continued: “Now I’m probably at that age, and I’m very conscious of that, having lost John and George – two big touchstones for anything we’re talking about [in this interview].” He also said, “So, yeah, you do miss them.”
When the sadness hits. he described the moment of friction inside himself—the way grief can arrive and then prompt a reminder that it’s not unique to him. “I start to get very sad. and I have to think. ‘Wow. wait a minute. everyone misses them.’ It’s not just me. So that makes me feel a bit better,” McCartney said. He finished with the blunt philosophy he keeps returning to: “I think. ‘Well. sod it. it’s life. and it’s what we’ve got.’”.
For McCartney. the emotional through-line of “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a deliberate meeting of past and present. On “Home to Us. ” he brings Starr back into the mix. and the renewed connection to Beatles history is felt at the same time as the reality of missing Lennon and Harrison remains sharp.
Paul McCartney The Boys of Dungeon Lane John Lennon George Harrison Ringo Starr Home to Us George Martin Beatles
Losing John and George is just brutal.
I thought he was gonna say something shady or political lol. But nah it’s just grief and music, makes sense I guess. Also “Home to Us” with Ringo sounds kinda sweet though.
Wait so where is Harrison in this? Like is he alive? Cuz the title makes it sound like he’s still around but then it says he’s gone. I’m confused. And who’s George Martin, like the producer right? Either way that “everyone misses them” line hit me even if I don’t fully get it.
“Boys of Dungeon Lane” is such a weird title, I can’t tell if it’s funny or sad. But I guess it’s sad. Still, feels weird that they’re talking about Lennon like it’s a normal thing like “yeah you lose people.” Like we get it, but damn. Also I saw somewhere that Paul “confronted” Lennon in a song? So this headline had me thinking it was like a beef or something lol.