There are few topics more well-charted in songwriting than the break-up. For decades, heartbreak and heartache have retained a stable presence on our radios and in our playlists, the universal pain caused by the loss of love proving to be a limitless muse. In 1966, Paul McCartney penned his own entry into the genre for The Beatles, inspired by a horrible split he experienced.
Before he met his future wife, Linda Eastman, in the late 1960s, McCartney embarked upon a relationship with British actor and author Jane Asher. She would bear witness to McCartney writing some of The Beatles’ classic hits, including a break-up song about the end of their five-year romance.
That song was ‘For No One’ from Revolver. Released in 1966, the track is surprisingly perky in its instrumentation. Though the lyrics chart the breakdown of a relationship, of a love that should have lasted years, they’re surrounded by early baroque pop soundscapes. Horns and maracas punctuate McCartney’s contrastingly heartbreaking words.
The subject of McCartney’s words no longer holds affection for her partner; love no longer lingers behind her eyes. “She no longer needs you,” he repeats. The song may be a relatable and universal portrayal of heartbreak, but it was undoubtedly informed by McCartney’s own experiences of the topic.
Speaking about the track in The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present, McCartney explained, “In the song, I’m talking about two people who’ve broken up, but obviously, as with any writer, it all comes from your own experience, and inevitably you’re talking about yourself…”
“It’s a horrible moment when you’ve broken up with someone,” he continued, “And you look at them – this person you used to be in love with, or thought you were in love with – and none of that old feeling is there. It’s like it just switched off too, and it’s not great to be on the receiving end of that.”
McCartney went on to mention Asher specifically, noting how much more difficult a break-up is when there are years of history and love behind it. “Jane Asher and I were together for around five years,” he explained, “so at the back of my mind I expected to marry her, but as the time got closer, I think I also realised it wasn’t right.”
That same sense of understanding bubbles beneath the surface of ‘For No One’. Amidst the sadness and heartache, there’s a sense of idealism in the instrumentation surrounding it and a bittersweet quality to lines like, “You won’t forget her.”
Revisit ‘For No One’ below.
