Paul McCartney talks about the famous Beatles ballad, which started as a song he played to impress people at parties

In the latest episode of the McCartney: A Life in Lyrics In the podcast series, Paul McCartney talks about the popular Beatles ballad, which started as a song he played as a teenager to impress people at parties. Years later, McCartney performed the song specifically for a first lady.

The song was “Michelle,” which appeared on the Beatles’ classic 1966 album rubber core.

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McCartney said the song's origins lie in a piece he came up with using a few interesting chords he learned from various sources. He first played the chords at parties attended by John Lennon's art school classmates.

“I remember going to one [party], and I took my guitar with me,” McCartney recalled. “So I sit mysteriously in the corner with my black turtleneck, trying to look French and seem interesting to this older audience. And so one of the weapons I used was to play this kind of French-sounding song and make guttural noises, half thinking that someone would think, 'Well, he's probably French.'”

McCartney explained that the chords he used in the song included one he learned from Jim Gretty, a guitar salesman who worked at the Liverpool music store Hessy's, and another that belonged to the Coasters hit “Along Came Jones.” “was taken.

To conclude writing “Michelle”

McCartney noticed this years later when the Beatles were putting together songs for what would become rubber coreLennon suggested that he revisit the French-sounding song he used to play at those school parties.

While he was working on completing the song, McCartney said he thought about the 1959 Edith Piaf song “Milord.” The rock legend said he liked the sound of the word “Milord” and wanted to use something similar in his song, and the name “Michelle” came to mind.

McCartney also wanted to include some real French in the song, but he had never learned the language during his school years. He said he had a very close schoolmate, Ivan Vaughan, who had actually introduced him to Lennon years before, and he knew that Vaughan's wife, Jan, taught French, so he asked her to help with the tune.

“I said, 'Jan, what rhymes with Michelle?' Two syllables. Can you think of anything?'” McCartney recalled. “She said, 'Ma belle?' I said, 'I love it.' What does that mean?' … [She answered,] “Well, my beauty.” 'Oh, all right. Michelle, my beautiful one. I think it's beautiful!'”

Jan Vaughan also translated McCartney's line “These are words that go well together” into French and also included this phrase in the song.