"To keep the record straight, it wasn't always John and Yoko. We've all accused one another of various business things; we tend to be pretty paranoid by now, as you can imagine. There's a lot of money involved"
About this Quote
The line about it “wasn’t always John and Yoko” is a quiet redistribution of blame. McCartney isn’t exonerating Lennon so much as refusing the convenient scapegoat. Then he slides into the more revealing admission: “We’ve all accused one another… we tend to be pretty paranoid by now.” That “by now” matters. It implies paranoia as a learned condition, the inevitable psychological tax of being a band that turned into a multinational brand. Success doesn’t just buy freedom; it buys lawyers, factions, and the constant suspicion that affection is being leveraged.
“There’s a lot of money involved” lands like an anti-lyric: blunt, unsentimental, almost embarrassing. McCartney is puncturing the romantic fantasy that great art is ruined only by ego or muses. The subtext is harsher: when friendship becomes governance, everyone starts talking like a shareholder. The intent isn’t to confess weakness; it’s to make the breakup legible as adulthood, not melodrama.
Quote Details
| Topic | Business |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
McCartney, Paul. (2026, January 16). To keep the record straight, it wasn't always John and Yoko. We've all accused one another of various business things; we tend to be pretty paranoid by now, as you can imagine. There's a lot of money involved. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-keep-the-record-straight-it-wasnt-always-john-137681/
Chicago Style
McCartney, Paul. "To keep the record straight, it wasn't always John and Yoko. We've all accused one another of various business things; we tend to be pretty paranoid by now, as you can imagine. There's a lot of money involved." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-keep-the-record-straight-it-wasnt-always-john-137681/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"To keep the record straight, it wasn't always John and Yoko. We've all accused one another of various business things; we tend to be pretty paranoid by now, as you can imagine. There's a lot of money involved." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-keep-the-record-straight-it-wasnt-always-john-137681/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
