Paul McCartney recalls how late John Lennon 'stuck little daggers' in him

Paul McCartney is looking back on his and late John Lennon's friendship, which suffered through business disagreements leading to a broken bond during the final years of The Beatles.

In a recent chat with NME, McCartney said he does not feel a special responsibility when talking about Lennon publicly.

​"I don't feel like I have to be respectful," he said. "He's just a mate – it's just this guy who I met, and we wrote songs together, so I don't feel a sense of responsibility. I hope it is responsible."

​The band's management became one of the main reasons for the tensions between McCartney and Lennon.

​While reflecting, McCartney admitted that he was left disappointed by Lennon's public criticism.

​"It was very hurtful, like sticking little daggers in me," said McCartney. "It was just annoying, because you thought, ‘I've got to answer him back, what am I going to do?' But I suddenly realized, ‘Wait a minute, this is John. This is the guy I've known since I was 16. That's just what he does.' It didn't sting so much once I realized it was just John being John."

​Despite the strained relationship, McCartney expressed his gratitude for having "very good" memories with Lennon and that they mended their friendship before Lennon's death in 1980.

​"I was lucky because we'd been separated because of the business trouble and stuff, and John eventually came round to my way of thinking that the guy they wanted to bring in [Allen Klein] was a crook," McCartney recalled.

​"It was good to hear John say, ‘I think Paul might have been right' begrudgingly," he added.