Paul McCartney Never Performed This Iconic Beatles Song Live—but Why?

americansongwriter.com

Paul McCartney Never Performed This Iconic Beatles Song Live—but Why?

BY EM CASALENA

American Songwriter

UPDATED:  AUGUST 30, 2024

The Beatles quit touring for good in 1966, and many of the songs from later releases never got a proper Fab Four performance. That being said, each respective member of The Beatles went on to perform a number of those post-Beatles songs during their solo runs. But surprisingly, there’s one hit track that never got a performance; not even from the man who wrote it.

That song would be “Martha My Dear” from the band’s 1968 self-titled album. The track was written by Paul McCartney and is a heartfelt tribute to his beloved sheepdog, Martha. Some have interpreted the song as a reference to his public breakup with Jane Asher, notably with the lyrics “Don’t forget me”. The lyrics “Help yourself to a bit of what is all around you” is seen as a dig at a potential alleged affair Asher had while McCartney was traveling with The Old Vic Theatre. 

However, McCartney has never verified these claims. He’s also never performed the song live.

Why Paul McCartney Never Performed “Martha My Dear” Live?

“Martha My Dear” is a major fan-favorite among Beatles superfans and casual listeners alike. The band’s contemporaries and other artists love it too, with the likes of Brass, World Party, Phish, and more covering the track. It’s quite surprising that McCartney never played the song live with Wings or during his solo endeavors. Ironically, the song sounds as close to a Wings song as you can get. 

However, the most likely reason behind McCartney never performing “Martha My Dear” live makes perfect sense.

“Martha My Dear” has quite a noticeable (and fantastic) brass accompaniment. That could be hard to reproduce. Just as well, quite a few professional pianists with years of experience have said that the piano part on “Martha My Dear” is incredibly hard. We imagine it’s even harder to play the piano bit while also singing. It’s quite likely that McCartney just couldn’t replicate it live, so he avoided performing the song for years.

McCartney has not confirmed this notion nor has he spoken about it. But if it’s true that he just couldn’t play the song, we understand. Even the best musicians avoid certain songs if they know it could hamper their set. At the very least, we can enjoy everyone’s favorite song about a dog with the recorded version.