Paul McCartney has finally admitted that The Beatles are probably “the greatest band ever”, after years of dismissing the title.
READ MORE: Paul McCartney – ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ review: a guided tour of the long and winding road
For years now, McCartney has somewhat played down the massive impact that the Fab Four have had on the world around them, including inspiring future generations of musicians and helping shape the landscape of rock and roll.
He has also recurrently said that the title should probably go to The Everly Brothers – citing the huge impact they had on him over the years, and writing in his 2021 memoir that they were the biggest source of inspiration for him and John Lennon.
Now, while promoting his new album ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist seemed to embrace the unmistakable impact that The Beatles had. Speaking on a livestream Q&A with fans on TikTok, McCartney said: “I think The Beatles were the greatest band ever… I’m a fan”.
He also explained that neither he nor his bandmates ever expected their legacy to stick around as long as it has – revealing that he thought their fame would only last a couple of years.
the full live if anybody wants to watch it!! pic.twitter.com/SBgR9FT33v
— darcy (@leftbankcafe_) May 27, 2026
“When we started out, we were just kids and rock ‘n’ roll was just really coming in,” he said. “We thought, ‘If we’re lucky, we’ve got a couple of years. That’s how long people normally lasted.”
“We expected maybe five years max, and then that became 10, and we were kind of still going, and the scene’s still there,” he continued. “Then it became 20, then 30, and now it’s right up there. It’s great; it is a lovely feeling.”
“People will come to me and say, ‘My kids love your music’ and that’s something, because you can’t indoctrinate kids. They just either like it or they don’t.”
Macca’s new album, ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ arrived today (Friday May 29) and includes a duet with former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr on ‘Home To Us’ – a nostalgic reflection on their Liverpool roots, that marks their first ever vocal collaboration. It also features Texas’ Sharleen Spiteri and The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde.
Paul McCartney announces new album ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’. Credit: Press
The record is the first from McCartney since 2020’s ‘McCartney III’ and explores his childhood in Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon before they found fame with The Beatles.
‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ was given a four-star review from NME, with Jordan Bassett describing it as a release that sees Macca “pushing forward musically” while providing “a guided tour of the long and winding road”.
“Elsewhere, against all odds, given that this album arrives some 63 years after the Beatles’ debut ‘Please Please Me’, Macca actually makes history on ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’,” the review read. “Remarkably, the jaunty ‘Home To Us’ is his first-ever duet with Ringo Starr, who assists him in celebrating their rough-and-tumble hometown. ‘Days We Left Behind’, though, is the album’s real tear-jerker, as Paul nods to the “secret code” he shared with John Lennon but will never reveal.
“Still, despite the absence of any real bombshells, it’s a pleasure to accompany McCartney as he gets back to where he once belonged.”
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