Francie Schwartz: Paul McCartney's one-time affair

By editorial board on February 4, 2024

The author of "Body Count" talks about life with John, Yoko, Ringo, George and Paul

Although "Body Count" (a very rare book) has a sexy reputation, there's a lot more to Francie Schwartz's story. She was present at the creation (and, in a few cases, contributed) to tracks that later ended up on "The White Album."

Francie Schwartz (born 1944) is an American scriptwriter and the former girlfriend, during the late 1960s, of Paul McCartney, who referred to her as “Franny”. At the time McCartney was engaged to the actress Jane Asher, who broke off the engagement after she found them in bed together. In 1972 Schwartz wrote an account of these events in her “early autobiography”, Body Count.Francie Schwartz

AFFAIR WITH MCCARTNEY
Intrigued by the Beatles‘ formation of the Apple Corps, which she had read about in the American magazine Rolling Stone, she went to London at the age of 23 to see if one of her scripts was of interest to what she regarded as the “non-establishment“. She met the Beatles at a critical point in their development, when they were making the White Album. (source McCartney.com)

She came to London on 3 April 1968 and, a few days later, walked into the reception room of their first office at 95 Wigmore Street. This was prior to Apple Corps’ move to Savile Row later in 1968.

McCartney was standing there in conversation with some business contacts. A relationship developed and he later invited her to move in with him at 7 Cavendish Avenue in St John’s Wood, where he was living at the time. McCartney gave her a job working for Derek Taylor, Apple Corps’ Public Relations manager, writing press releases for various Apple Corps artists including James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Badfinger and Jackie Lomax.

Schwartz says they had nicknames for one another: he was “Mr. Plump” and she was “Clancy”. According to most accounts, Asher returned to find them in bed together. One of the fans who used to hang around McCartney’s house at 7 Cavendish Avenue in St Johns Wood, London, says that “…Paul brought this American girl home…[and a little while later]…another car turned into Cavendish Avenue — it was Jane.   Jane went into the house. A bit later on she came storming out again and drove away.”

The relationship quickly degenerated. McCartney apparently made her leave several times before the final split between the two. Beatles associate Tony Barrow believed that Paul “used her” to break up with Jane.

RINGO: My heart went out to him (Ringo Starr) the night he came over to Paul's house (with his now deceased first wife Maureen, aka "Mo") and told Paul "I don't want to drum any more... it's not fun." I made a very vague reference to that incident in "Body Count". In the studio he rarely spoke or chatted between takes. He was always polite to me, but "we" were a clique within the extended group (Paul & I, John & Yoko) and Ringo was sort of the outsider. When I see him on TV nowadays, I think he's basically an older, wiser version of his young self. Steady as a rock, he is. What you need in a drummer.- Francie Schwartz.Francie Schwartz as she looked when she attracted Sir Paul in the summer of '68.

I sang backing with George on Revolution ("Take 2", the slow version on the "White Album") and they spent more than a week on the rhythm-and-vocal tracks. I was there almost every night at the beginning. I sang na-na's on "Hey Jude", which were first laid down at Trident the same night the brass was recorded, live, a large group. The video was done after I left, but I can still hear my own voice on the remixed backing track and remember how close I was to the mike. I played clip-clops for "Don't Pass Me By" but that track wasn't used in the final mix.

I watched them record "Blackbird" (see video anthology question), "Good Night", "Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except For Me and My Monkey)" and parts of "Helter Skelter". I was present at the remix of "Revolution No. 9" which was just John and Yoko, and played a duet on piano with Paul that evolved into "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" -- plus "Not Guilty" as I mentioned above. - Francie Schwartz.

 

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