Watch Paul McCartney’s Revealing Interview on ‘Colbert’: On His Mother’s Passing When He Was 14, John Lennon’s Lasting Impact on His Life and More

Sir Paul McCartney does not do many interviews — the Beatles legend is rather selective with what he shares with the world.

So when he goes on a television show and opens up, sharing personal stories relating to his mother, John Lennon, and others, it’s captivating.

.@PaulMcCartney recounts dreams he's had of his late friend John Lennon. #LSSC https://t.co/BBSQgKuF0s pic.twitter.com/BFeSDlucNA

— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) September 24, 2019

On Monday night, a lengthy interview with Sir Paul and Stephen Colbert aired on the Late Show on CBS. During the conversation, which was primarily geared around the recent release of Paul’s new children’s book, Hey, Grandude!, McCartney covered a number of topics, revealing some personal insight that makes for a very engaging conversation.

The interview was so detailed, it was broken up into four parts. In the first, McCartney talks about Korean boy band BTS singing “Hey Jude,” among other topics:

In the second part, Sir Paul discusses his burgeoning love of Elvis Presley in his formative years as an aspiring musician and the impact that had on his songwriting:

In a particularly fascinating segment, Paul said that he often dreams of his longtime friend and band mate John Lennon — as the impression Lennon left on his friend is still very strong today, decades after his untimely and premature death in 1980.

Going off the concept of loss and how, at age 14, McCartney lost his mother, he then spoke about how that helped forge an indelible bond between himself and Lennon, who had also lost his own mother.

McCartney tells a story about how somebody suggested the Beatles song “Yesterday,” with its lyrics of “Why she had to go/ I don’t know she wouldn’t say,” was inspired by his mother. He hadn’t realized that, and conveys that the revelation pretty much blew his mind in a way he hadn’t considered.

It’s powerful stuff:

There was also a silly gag video purporting that the Beatles had conceived early versions of both “Old Town Road” and “Baby Shark,” the inescapable hits that remain in the pop culture conversation nonstop today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXAjeXGVzlY

It’s rare to hear this much insight from Paul McCartney, so definitely take the time to watch all four parts of this extensive interview if you have an opportunity.