In an alternate universe John Lennon came to Paul McCartney with the start of “She Said She Said” and Paul said “That’s a great start. Let me know when it’s finished, then let’s record it.”

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In an alternate universe John Lennon and Paul McCartney met once every few months and shared musical ideas with one another. They’d critique one another’s melodies, hum out accompaniments, talk about the possibilities of rock and roll. Then each would take the new exciting ideas back to their session bands and try them out.

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In an alternate universe the Beatles signed a contract that obligated them to produce a new album each month for 19 years. This required them to spend every waking hour in the studio recording. There was no time to sit around idly thinking up melodies, much less to engage in non-musical activities. They wrote their songs in the process of recording their albums and discharging their contractual obligation. The band got really, really good at music.