Paul McCartney "broke down" over a John Lennon song on Desert Island Discs in 1982.
Having become disillusioned, The Beatles split up in 1970, but the members eventually rebuilt their bridges and became friends once again. Paul and John were the oldest friends in the band, having grown up together in Liverpool in the 1950s.
So when Lennon was murdered in 1980, McCartney was utterly crushed. The former Fab Four star remembered his best friend fondly two years after Lennon's death in 1982 when he appeared on Desert Island Discs.
READ MORE: Three Merseyside schools rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted inspectors
The BBC show - which has been running for more than 80 years - invites artists to pick their favourite songs and records to take on a desert island with them. When McCartney attended, he included such massive hits as Chuck Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen, Gene Vincent's Be-Bop-A-Lula and Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel.
However, Macca finished off his collection with a song from his friend, Lennon. Fighting back tears, he told host Roy Plomley: "Okay, well, this one... I haven't chosen any Beatles records. But if we had had more than eight, I probably would have. I haven't chosen any of my records."
With a deep breath, he went on to introduce his final song choice of the show. McCartney said: "So, to sort of sum up the whole thing, I've chosen one off of John Lennon's record Double Fantasy."
Double Fantasy is Lennon's third solo record, and is quite a poignant part of his musical history. The album was released on November 17, 1980, less than one month before he was murdered in front of his home (The Dakota Apartments in New York City) on December 8, 1980. The album was made in tandem with his wife, Yoko Ono.
McCartney went on to announce which track he had chosen: "I think it is a beautiful song. It's very moving to me. So I'd like to sum up the whole thing with a song called Beautiful Boy."
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) is one of Lennon's love letters to his son, Sean Lennon, his second child and first with Ono. In the footage McCartney can be seen visibly moved by the lyrics of the heartfelt track.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT
Much-loved ‘Sir Alf’ who was ‘one in a million’ dies
Killer shakes head as he’s found guilty of murder after battering man to death
Fireworks set off in early hours next to Real Madrid hotel in Liverpool
ITV This Morning viewers ‘switch off’ after guest’s confession
