After John Lennon left The Beatles in 1970, the band could have carried on as a trio at the time because they were the most influential band around the globe with chart-topping hits and massive followers.
However, according to Paul McCartney, it was “too painful” to continue as a trio when Lennon left.
During an interview with Sirius FM radio host Howard Stern, McCartney said that the other two members, Ringo and George, agreed that the “band would not be the same” without Lennon.
“When families break up, it’s to do with the emotion and the emotional pain,” McCartney told Stern.
Stern asked why the remainders of the Beatles didn’t continue making music, especially since he argued that George Harrison could’ve filled Lennon’s songwriting ability.
“You can’t just think of a smart idea like that at the time. You’re hurting too much so it wasn’t going to happen,” McCartney explained.
“It was easy to underestimate George because me and John had always written most of the stuff. But then he started to get interested — and boy did he bloom. He wrote some of the greatest songs ever.”
McCartney’s previous interview with Howard Stern, he opened up about Lennon’s departure, and a lot of people speculated that him leaving was influenced by his wife, Yoko Ono.
“Even though we thought she was intrusive, because she used to sit in on the recording sessions, and we’d never had anything like that,” McCartney told Stern in 2018. “But looking back on it, you think, ‘The guy was totally in love with her. And you’ve just got to respect that.’ So we did. And I do.”