When the Assassination of John Lennon occurred in December 1980, the news shocked the entire music world. But for Paul McCartney, it was not just the loss of a legendary musician. It was the loss of a friend he had known since their teenage years in Liverpool.
When reporters approached McCartney shortly after the news broke and asked how he felt about the death of John Lennon, he gave a surprisingly brief response:
“It’s a drag.”
At the time, many people were puzzled by the remark. Some even thought the reaction sounded distant. But McCartney later explained that he was in deep shock. He said he simply did not know how to express such a profound loss in front of cameras.
In the days that followed, McCartney largely stayed away from the public. He spent time with his family and close friends while trying to process the news. People close to him later said that Lennon’s death affected him deeply.
A few years later, McCartney expressed that grief through music. In 1982 he released the song Here Today on the album Tug of War. The song was written as an imagined conversation with Lennon.
In the lyrics, McCartney reflects on what they might say to each other if Lennon were still alive. The song carries a strong sense of regret about the things left unsaid between them.
Since then, McCartney has often performed the song during concerts as a tribute to Lennon. Each performance serves as a quiet reminder that behind the global fame of The Beatles was a friendship that began long before the world knew their names.
