Paul McCartney has admitted that Yoko Ono’s presence during The Beatles’ recording sessions constituted “workplace interference”.
Yoko Ono met John Lennon in 1966 and the couple were married from 1969 until his death in 1980.
In a new episode of his 12-part podcast series McCartney: A Life In Lyrics, he discussed the band’s feelings towards Ono when they were brought into the studio by Lennon.
“John and Yoko got together and that must have affected the dynamic of the group,” McCartney told poet Paul Muldoon (via The Independent).
“The fact that Yoko was literally in the middle of the recording session was something that had to be dealt with. The idea was: If John wanted it to happen, then it had to happen. There was no reason not to do it.”
He continues: “It bothered us, but that’s how it was. We let it happen and didn’t make a big deal about it. And at the same time, I don’t think any of us particularly appreciated it.”
“It was workplace interference. We had a way of working. The four of us worked together with George Martin and it continued to work.”
His recent comments are similar to ideas he has previously expressed on the subject.
In this new episode he also mentions the Beatles song “Let it Be”: