Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney are arguably two of the most iconic musicians in history. Their story dates back to 1974, when they first met, creating a connection that would last for years.
At the time, McCartney was riding high with Wings, while Jackson was carving out a name for himself beyond The Jackson 5.
At that stage, Jackson was still signed with Motown Records and hadn’t yet revolutionized the pop world. A few years later, though, he became nearly unrecognizable due to his skyrocketing fame.
Even so, the two artists maintained their friendship. When they bumped into each other at the Beverly Hills wrap party for Wings Over America, McCartney had a surprise up his sleeve.
During the party, McCartney revealed to Jackson that he had written a song specifically for him. Titled “Girlfriend,” the Beatle offered the track to Jackson, and they agreed to keep in touch to work on recording it. However, due to some unexpected events, this plan didn’t quite come to fruition.
Reflecting on the moment in his autobiography Moonwalk, Jackson explained: “We shook hands amid a huge crowd of people, and he said, ‘You know, I’ve written a song for you.’ I was very surprised and thanked him. And he started singing ‘Girlfriend’ to me at this party. So we exchanged phone numbers and promised to get together soon, but different projects and life just got in the way for both of us and we didn’t talk again for a couple of years. He ended up putting the song on his own album London Town.”
The story didn’t end there. McCartney went ahead and included “Girlfriend” on Wings’ 1978 album London Town. Although Jackson initially passed on the track, Quincy Jones, who was producing Jackson’s Off The Wall album, came across the song and recommended it.
Jones didn’t realize Jackson had already been offered the song by McCartney.
Their friendship continued to grow over the years, and the two collaborated on several projects.
Unfortunately, things took a turn when McCartney, during a conversation in the studio, encouraged Jackson to invest his wealth in music publishing. This suggestion led Jackson to purchase the rights to much of The Beatles’ back catalog, an event that strained their relationship.
According to McCartney, their friendship slowly faded after that. He described the situation during a 2009 interview with David Letterman: “So I kept thinking, it was time for a raise … I did talk to him about it, but he kind of blanked me on it. He kept saying, ‘That’s just business, Paul.’ You know. So, I thought, ‘Yeah, it is,’ and waited for a reply, but we never kind of got to it … It was no big bust-up. We kind of drifted apart after that.”
Years later, in 2017, McCartney finally regained control of The Beatles’ back catalog after a lengthy legal battle.
