How The Beatles' love story shaped the 20th Century

<p>A fateful meeting at a village fête "tilted" the 20th Century "on its axis"</p><br /><p>So argues Ian Leslie in his new book, <em>John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs.</em></p><br /><p>In the book, Leslie argues that The Beatles didn't just dominate pop culture - they redefined how we see ourselves.</p><br /><p>He reframes the relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a kind of love story, which shaped the second half of the 20th Century and continues to influence us today.</p><br /><p>Leslie joins Kate Mossman on Culture from the New Statesman to discuss the book, The Beatles and their legacy.</p><br /><p><em>John &amp; Paul: A Love Story in Songs </em>is available from March 27 in book shops and online. <a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/john-and-paul-a-love-story-in-songs-ian-leslie/7751121?ean=9780571376117" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pre-order it here</a>*</p><br /><p>The author Deborah Levy <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2025/03/beatles-brilliant-friendship-ian-leslie-john-and-paul" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">has reviewed the book for <em>New Statesman</em></a><em>. </em>Her review is available to read online now, and will appear in the March 20 issue of the <em>New Statesman</em> magazine.</p><br /><p>Get full access to all the <em>New Statesman</em>'s cultural reviews - as well as our leading politics and global affairs reporting - by becoming a subscriber from just £8.99 per month. Visit <a href="https://secure.newstatesman.com/offer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.newstatesman.com/offer</a>.</p><br /><p>Get the best of the <em>New Statesman</em> direct to your inbox every weekend for FREE by signing up to our newsletter, The Saturday Read. Visit <a href="saturdayread.substack.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">saturdayread.substack.com</a>.</p><br /><p>*<em>Purchasing a book may earn the New Statesman a commission from Bookshop.org, who support independent bookshops.</em></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><strong>LISTEN AD-FREE:</strong></p><p>📱<a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2022/06/newapp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Download the New Statesman app</a></p><br /><p><strong>MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:</strong></p><p>❓ <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/2022/10/you-ask-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ask a question</a> – we answer them every Friday</p><p>⏰ <a href="https://morningcall.substack.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get our daily politics newsletter</a> every morning</p><p>✍️ <a href="http://saturdayread.substack.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Enjoy the best of our writing</a> via email every Saturday</p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>