Sir Paul McCartney gives the second of his two concerts in Paris this Thursday evening, December 5 with RTL. At 82 years old, this may be the last time he will perform with us. The opportunity to discover why scrambled eggs inspired Paul McCartney to one of the most famous songs in the world.
It all began one morning in 1965 in Liverpool. Paul McCartney slept at his girlfriend Jane's house where he has been living for some time. He wakes up and goes straight to the piano in the room. That night he dreamed of a song. He still remembers it, but doesn't want to take the risk of forgetting it, because the melody is great. So much so that Paul has a problem. He tells himself that unconsciously, he must have plagiarized a song that already exists.
So for a month, he played his music to lots of people to find out for sure. Relief, no one ever heard it. He has the music, now he needs words. As he used to do with John Lennon when they composed, he produces a working text without head or tail.
“Scrambled Eggs”
As when he scribbles these words, he is at a friend's house whose mother asks him if he wants scrambled eggs, he calls it “Scrambled Eggs”. The lyrics read, in French, “Scrambled eggs, my love, I love your legs, but I prefer scrambled eggs”. Obviously upon hearing this the other Beatles burst out laughing. It even becomes a joke between them. But this music obsesses McCartney. He plays it over and over in the hope that inspiration will come to him for the text. John Lennon tries to help him find suitable lyrics. In vain. Until a trip by Paul McCartney to Portugal.
After months of struggling to find the final text, he arrives in Lisbon to spend a vacation, still with his girlfriend Jane. And there eureka. The words come to him. He borrows a friend's guitar and as if by magic “Scrambled eggs” becomes “Yesterday”one of the Beatles' biggest hits, the most covered song in music history with more than 3,000 versions. From Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra via Marvin Gaye and Tino Rossi in French version. Today Paul McCartney no longer eats scrambled eggs, he has been vegetarian for almost 50 years, but he can thank them. So, like omelettes, you can't make a tube without breaking eggs.
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