McCartney Talks Beatles Songs

07/09/09 2:26pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Paul McCartney says he is not "devastated" Michael Jackson's will did not leave the former Beatle his share in his old band's songs, contrary to media reports.

In a statement published on his website on Tuesday, Macca said he felt the need to "put things straight" because he'd been reading articles with things that were made up.

"Some time ago, the media came up with the idea that Michael Jackson was going to leave his share in the Beatles songs to me in his will which was completely made up and something I didn't believe for a second," McCartney wrote.

"Now the report is that I am devastated to find that he didn't leave the songs to me. This is completely untrue. I had not thought for one minute that the original report was true and therefore, the report that I'm devastated is also totally false, so don't believe everything you read folks!

"In fact, though Michael and I drifted apart over the years, we never really fell out, and I have fond memories of our time together."

Jackson outbid McCartney and Yoko Ono to the rights to 200 Beatles songs in 1985. He merged the Beatles catalogue with Sony to create the Sony ATV music publishing company, of which he owns 50 per cent. Jackson and McCartney, who previously collaborated on Jackson's "The Girl Is Mine" on 1982's Thriller and other tracks, reportedly had a falling out as a result.

Earlier this year, Britain's Daily Mirror published a story which stated Jackson felt McCartney not owning his own songs was not right and Jackson's will would bequeath the songs to McCartney. It did not.

Paul McCartney will play these shows:

July 11 Halifax, NS @ Halifax Commons w/Joel Plaskett Emergency, Wintersleep and Sierra Noble
July 17-18, 21 Flushing, NY @ Citi Field
Aug. 1 Landover, MD @ FedEx Field
Aug. 5-6 Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
Aug. 15 Atlanta, GA @ Piedmont Park
Aug. 19 Dallas, TX @ Cowboys Stadium