James McCartney (right) and his “good friend” Sean Ono Lennon have collaborated on Primrose Hill
By Alex Taylor
BBC News Culture reporter
Come Together! There is new music from the Lennon and McCartney partnership, but not as you might expect.
James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon – the sons of Beatles bandmates Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon – have co-written a song, titled Primrose Hill.
The reflective, acoustic ballad is an ode to the power of London’s panoramic viewing spot in Regent’s Park.
Announcing the release with his “good friend” on Friday, McCartney said the track left him feeling “excited”.
“With the release of this song it feels like we’re really getting the ball rolling,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In a separate post on Instagram, McCartney revealed the track was inspired by a vision he had as a child on a summer’s day in Scotland.
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“Letting go, I saw my true love and saviour in my mind’s eye. Primrose Hill is about getting the ball rolling with me & finding this person,” he added.
Sir Paul offered his fatherly support for the track by sharing it across his social media channels, as well as sending “lots of love to Sean Ono Lennon who co-wrote the song”.
Ono Lennon is the younger son of the late John Lennon and artist Yoko Ono. James is Paul McCartney’s son with his late first wife Linda McCartney.
The pair’s collaboration adds to their numerous solo projects of varying success. Primrose Hill is McCartney’s second release this year after returning with Beautiful in February, his first release since 2016. Ono Lennon has a string of solo records to his name, as well as performing with a host of bands including Cibo Matto, The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, and The Lennon Claypool Delirium.
Sean and James are far from the only famous musical offspring to take the plunge and add to their family’s illustrious musical heritage. But doing so can be both a blessing and a curse – particularly amid online hostility to so-called ‘nepo-babies’.
As Eli Hewson, lead singer of rock band Inhaler and the son of U2’s Bono, told The Telegraph: “For me and for us as a band, we’ve known that there’s going to be doors open – but those doors will shut just as fast as they open if we’re not good.”
Here are some other famous examples:
- Miley Cyrus – as the daughter of country star Billy Ray, Miley may have begun her career on the small screen as the star of Hannah Montana, but her move into full-time pop stardom has ultimately seen her eclipse her father with hits such as Wrecking Ball and Flowers
- Natalie Cole – Cole first started singing alongside her father, crooner Nat King Cole as a child, performing on TV aged 11. A hugely successful music career followed despite persistent drug problems. Unforgettable…With Love, a jazz collection released in 1991, won six Grammys. This included album of the year, making Cole the first African-American woman to win the award
- Zak Starkey – the son of the much-loved but oft-maligned Beatles drummer Ringo has certainly forged his forged his own beat, working as a hugely respected session drummer for a plethora of rock bands, including The Who, Johnny Marr and Oasis
- Ziggy Marley – the son of Bob Marley, Ziggy carved out a career with family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers before striking out as a solo artist in 2002. His hits include 2002’s True to Myself and he has won eight Grammy awards
- Rufus Wainwright – the Canadian-American singer has released 10 studio albums, written two operas, composed music for numerous films and TV shows and recently scored Ivan van Hoe’s musical Opening Night, starring Sheridan Smith. He’s the son of folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle and the brother of musician Martha Wainwright
- Nancy Sinatra – the daughter of world-famous crooner Frank, Nancy managed to carve out a successful career of her own. She’s best known for the song These Boots Are Made for Walkin’
The collaboration from The Beatles offspring follows the release of the original Fab Four’s final farewell song, Now and Then, which topped the charts upon release last year.
Its arrival was 45 years in the making, with the first bars written by John Lennon in 1978 and the song finally completed in 2022.
All four Beatles featured on the track, which will be the last credited to Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
