Remember when Paul McCartney wanted to switch around the writing credits for Beatles songs that he wrote on his own? McCartney-Lennon instead of Lennon-McCartney?
Fans were not pleased with this idea, which never happened. As we all know, there are about 250 songs credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Even songs we know are individual compositions — like “Yesterday” or “Let it Be” — are in that category.
Indeed, even Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” — fell under the Lennon-McCartney category.
But “Now and Then,” released on Thursday, is one of six Beatles records credited to all four members of the group. Written by Lennon, ASCAP lists the song as “Now and Then (Beatles Version)” to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starkey.
The publisher is different than the writer credit, however. In this case the publisher is Lenono Music. This means that Yoko Ono controls the song, rather than Lennon – McCartney. That was the same for “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” the two other songs salvaged by Paul from John’s 1977 demos.
Lenono owns 75% of the global music rights as well.
The three other songs credited to all four Beatles? “Dig It” from “Let it Be”; the instrumental “Flying” from “Magical Mystery Tour”; and “Christmas Time (Is Here Again).”
Beginning in 1984, Michael Jackson owned the Lennon-McCartney catalog. Jackson used the catalog as a bank and leveraged it to the hilt. But, also famously known, in recent years the songs reverted back to the songwriters and are now published by Sony Music. McCartney owns all his solo songs, as do George Harrison and Ringo Starr (aka Richard Starkey).
