Paul McCartney Says "Let it Be" Inspired Kanye West's "Only One"

In a recent interview with The Sun, Paul McCartney detailed Kanye West's hit single "Only One," and how it was inspired by the Beatles' "Let it Be."

The process of writing the Beatles staple "Let it Be," inspired the rapper to explore his emotions and pen the song from his deceased mother, Donda West's point of view. Both artists lost their mothers at a young age.

"We sat around and talked an awful lot just to break the ice. One of the stories I told him was about how I happened to have written 'Let It Be.' ... My mum came to me in a dream when she'd died years previously. I was in a bit of a state—it was the '60s and I was overdoing it. In the dream she said, 'Don't worry it's all going to be fine, just let it be.' And I woke up and thought, 'Woah' and wrote the song," McCartney told The Sun. Kanye followed, 'I'm going to write a song with my mum.' So then I sat down at the piano."

The 72 year-old Beatle continued to compare West's working habits and writing styles to those of John Lennon's. "When I wrote with John, he would sit down with a guitar. I would sit down. We'd ping-pong till we had a song," McCartney said. "[Working with Kanye] was like that."

Initially, McCartney was unsure about collaborating with the notorious hip-hop icon, stating that "He is amazingly talented but controversial and can make eccentric moves. I realized if it didn't work out we'd just say so and shake hands and leave." Instead of parting ways, the duo created "Only One," and later brought Rihanna into the mix to craft "FourFiveSeconds."

McCartney had the honor of iducting his fellow Beatle and companion Ringo Starr at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony where he also chatted with Rolling Stone about West. "Oh, it was great, man! It was really exciting. I didn't know what was going to happen from one minute to the next. But then he'd send me these hits! Suddenly I'm working with Kanye—and then suddenly I've got a hit with Rihanna! But it's cool!"

Tags

Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Let it be