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Sir Paul McCartney was almost hit by a car at the iconic crossroads on his Abbey Road album cover during his time with the Beatles.
The anecdote was shared by Sir Paul’s daughter Mary, 53, who revealed that her father was nearly shot down in the area where the 1969 cover was filmed.
Mary revealed that it almost happened when she wanted to recreate the moment of the zebra crossing in her new documentary, If These Walls Could Talk.
Oh no! Sir Paul McCartney was nearly hit by a car at the iconic crossroads on his Abbey Road album cover during his time with the Beatles.
Mary recalled in an interview with the Mirror: ‘The part where the car almost hit him at the crosswalk, that was a lot of fun.
‘When we were leaving [the studio]I said, ‘I’m going to film you [on the crossing]’, and he left and this car didn’t stop for him!’
Mary, who is the daughter of the late Linda McCartney, worked with her father on the new documentary looking at the famous London recording studio.
Family: The anecdote was shared by Sir Paul’s daughter Mary (pictured), 53, who revealed that her father was nearly shot down in the area where the 1969 cover was filmed
It comes weeks after Sir Paul revealed he “couldn’t talk about” the death of his friend and bandmate John Lennon after he was assassinated in 1980.
He said he found it “very difficult” after his former Beatles bandmate was shot dead outside his New York City apartment.
Sir Paul detailed how he returned home from the studio on the day his friend died and turned on the television to watch people reflect on “what John meant” to them.
Sir Paul admitted he was unable to do the same because the loss was “too deep” and he could not “put it into words”.
He said: ‘When John died it was very difficult. He had hit me so hard that I couldn’t really talk about it.
“I remember coming home from the studio the day we heard the news of his death. Turning on the TV and watching people say, “Well, John Lennon was this” and “Whatever he was, was this” and “I remember meeting him.”
‘He had hit me so hard’: He said he found it ‘so hard’ after his former Beatles bandmate was shot dead outside his New York City apartment.
“I was like, ‘I can’t be one of those people. I can’t go on TV and say what John meant to me.’ It was too deep. I couldn’t put it into words.
Sir Paul added how he managed to express his grief over the loss of John in his 1982 song Here Today.
The artist revealed that she “sat on the wooden floor in the corner with my guitar” and came up with the first few chords for the track.
Sir Paul also added that the line “the night we cried” was referring to when he and his late friend, who was murdered over 40 years ago, had a heart-to-heart and “spoke some truth to each other” and how much they love each other.
Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon on the night of December 8, 1980, as he and Yoko Ono were returning to their Upper West Side apartment.
He said: ‘When John died it was very difficult. He had hit me so hard that I couldn’t really talk about it. It was too deep. I couldn’t put it into words.
The killer is serving a 20-year to life sentence at the Green Haven Correctional Center in New York’s Hudson Valley.
He has repeatedly expressed remorse during his parole hearings over the years and has recently been denied parole for the twelfth time.
In denying him release, the board said Chapman’s action has left “the world reeling from the vacuum you created.” His next parole board appearance is scheduled for February 2024.
Sir Paul is currently promoting the documentary If These Walls Could Sing, a love letter to Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded all of their albums, run by their photographer daughter, Mary McCartney.
The Disney+ movie reveals the ‘untold story of the Abbey Road studio’, which is still considered ‘the heart of the music industry’.
“In this personal film of memory and discovery, Mary McCartney guides us through nine decades to see and experience the creative magic that makes it the world’s longest-running and most famous studio,” the synopsis reads.
The documentary features cameo appearances by stars including Sir Elton John and Oasis legend Noel Gallagher, alongside handpicked archival footage and session tapes.
“These conversations, along with vivid archival footage and session tapes, provide exclusive access to these famous private studios,” the synopsis concludes.
If These Walls Could Sing is scheduled for a global release on December 16 on the streaming platform, but has been pushed back to January 6 for UK and Irish viewers.
Opening: Sir Paul added how he “sat on the floor with my guitar” and expressed his grief over the loss of John, coming up with the opening chords of his 1982 song Here Today.