How Did Relationship Between Michael Jackson And Paul McCartney Go Bad?

UNDATED—It was a friendship, and partnership, of two of the most famous entertainers on Earth…one that produced hits like “Say Say Say” and “The Girl Is Mine.“

Alan Light, former editor in chief, ‘Vibe’ and ‘Spin’ magazines: “They’re pure pop lovers with some of the greatest senses of melody. And, with both of them, with this strong sense of show business tradition. And, students of old Hollywood films and early rock and roll records and lovers of cartoons. And, there was a lot of common ground between them.“

But, the relationship between Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney soured in 1985, when Jackson entered into a bidding war with McCartney for the rights to the Beatles song-copyright catalog. Jackson won, paying $47.5 million for more than 200 songs, including classics like “Yesterday” and “Let It Be.“

Ben Sisario, music reporter, ‘The New York Times’: “The story goes that one day at Paul McCartney’s house they were having dinner and Paul casually mentioned that the way to make real money in the music business is through publishing…and Michael took that to heart.“

Alan Light: “And one thing that was speculated was that Michael kind of knew how much Paul was going to bid for this and knew what it was going to take to top that bid.“

McCartney’s anger was evident as recently as 2006, when he said: “You know what doesn’t feel very good, is going on tour and paying to sing all my songs. Every time I sing ‘Hey Jude,‘ I’ve got to pay someone.“

Ben Sisario: “There’s a huge amount of money at stake here. But, it’s not just about money, it’s about music. It’s about what Paul McCartney created with John Lennon. I mean, this is his legacy to the world. And naturally, he wants to own it, he wants to control it.“

After Jackson’s death, McCartney took a much softer line, issuing a statement saying: “I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul.“

Jackson’s death is now raising fresh questions about what will happen to the Beatles back catalog. Earlier this year, it was reported that Jackson, feeling badly about the rift with McCartney, had plans to leave Sir Paul the rights to the songs in his will.

Alan Light: “If this is true, then you know, you wonder, OK, is this something that he still felt guilty about, that he had sort of out-maneuvered Paul to acquire this stuff? I mean, all of a sudden, you have to start speculating on you know what that would mean.“