It’s hard to imagine a world without The Beatles. The band are so intrinsically woven into the cultural fabric of our lives that their places are unshakable as figures of artistic prowess. However, as well as being two of pop music’s greatest songwriters as part of the Fab Four, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also two lads from the rougher side of Liverpool.

The group may have travelled all over the world and even picked up the odd revolutionary practice via Eastern philosophy or primal therapy, but underneath it all, they were still two working class mates. What that means is sharing feelings, thoughts, and, most notably, praise is not something that is done outwardly, if at all, and certainly never face to face.

Having spent much of their formative years with one another, the duo had developed a relationship similar to that of brothers and were often either joking or jibing with one another, Lennon naturally leading the way with his cutting edge and caustic wit. The two boys, and later men, would poke fun at one another and deliver a sarcastic smirk as a de facto response. There was one song, however, that Lennon genuinely complimented McCartney for.

While promoting his 2018 album Egypt Station, Paul McCartney reminisced about The Beatles and opened up about a particular song that John Lennon loved. McCartney admitted he found it “pathetic” that he still cherished the compliment so deeply, but the track in question was, of course, ‘Here, There and Everywhere’. It was a rare moment where Lennon expressed admiration for McCartney’s songwriting, and the praise stuck with him for years.

Sharyn Alfonsi asked McCartney whether the Beatles legends had ever complimented each others’ songwriting face to face, McCartney said, “Once. Once John gave me a compliment. It was only once the whole time. It was ‘Here, There and Everywhere,’ one of my songs on [Revolver]. John says just as it finishes, ‘That’s a really good song, lad. I love that song.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes! He likes it!’”

It would be harsh to think that Lennon never shared his appreciation for McCartney outwardly. Through countless interviews, the bespectacled Beatle was well aware of the talent Macca offered. About ‘Here, There and Everywhere’, Lennon said: “Paul’s song completely, I believe. And one of my favourite songs of The Beatles.” Lennon was not afraid to recognise McCartney as not only his equal when it came to creating music but, in many aspects, his better half.

Endorsements are always easier to give when you’re not faced with the person in question and there was clearly something about the shared moment between McCartney and his friend that he still treasures to this day. “I’ve remembered it to this day,” he said. “It’s pathetic, really.”

There was an undeniable competition between the two by the end of their career with The Beatles, but Macca insists he was far more forthcoming than Lennon. “I would tell him his stuff was great,” he recalled. “You’d normally have to be a little bit drunk. It helped.”

He concluded, “We’re obviously just two mates.”

It’s clear that Lennon’s opinion of the song has been integral to McCartney’s own perception of the track. Often leaving out ‘Yesterday’ as his favourite song of The Beatles to put ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ at the top of the pile among the best he ever wrote for the Fab Four and one of his personal favourite pieces.

Speaking to Scott Muni in 1984, McCartney said: “Well, it’s difficult to choose the favourite. It (‘Here, There and Everywhere’) is one of my favourites. You look at your songs and kinda look to see which of the ones you think are maybe the best constructed and stuff,” says McCartney. “I think ‘Yesterday’—if it wasn’t so successful—might be my favourite.”

“But, you know, you get that thing when something is just so successful… people often don’t want to do ‘the big one’ that everyone wants them to do. They kind of shy away from it,” continued McCartney. “‘Here, There and Everywhere’ with ‘Yesterday’ as a close second.”

There’s a very good chance that Lennon, who was never really a big fan of ‘Yesterday’, had a little bit of sway here. While the two men may have been constricted by their traditional upbringings, considering McCartney takes Lennon’s opinion so seriously, it’s clear they also held a great deal of love and respect for one another. Even if they didn’t say it out loud.