What started as Cradle Song?
None of it was written down by us. It’s basically notation. That’s the bit I can’t do. Paul McCartney (2018)
The Beatles did not read or write music. Musical scores were of little functional use to them, but Paul McCartney did put one to practical use.
In 1968 he was visiting the house he had bought for father on the Wirral. His step-sister had left some sheet music on the piano. Paul was, of course, unable to decode ‘the dots on the page’ but the title of the piece intrigued him.
Cradle Song? It suggested a lullaby, so Paul began creating a new melody, which he memorised. This was the foundation for Golden Slumbers in the medley on Abbey Road.
