I'm currently on a Beatles trip, and I wondered how much truth there is to this "term". I don't really believe that they co-wrote all those tracks, except of course for the Harrison and Starkey songs here and there. Did the other get the credit even if he did next to nothing? Any why did McCartney recently changed the credits to McCartney/Lennon on some tracks?
Also, I've read that a song on Lennon's "Imagine" was a bitter song about his old band mate... what happened between them?

I'm getting "A hard day's write" soon but till then I thought you here would know the details jsut as well.

It was an agreement they made--a partnership within the partnership of the band. In general they helped finish each other's songs in the beginning. Adding an extra verse/chorus/bridge--whatever the song needed. You can hear it--John:"It's been a hard days night" Paul:"When I'm home everything seems to be right"

Later on they wrote more songs by themselves.

Paul didn't like John getting first billing for songs like Yesterday, which he did mostly (if not all) by himself (I don't think John is on the recording even).

How Do You Sleep? is a song that asks that question to Paul, who's sound "is Muzak to" John's ears. George plays on the song, too. It's just bitterness, like you might have for an ex. Supposedly they weren't really on bad terms by 1975 or so.
[Edited 9/30/05 14:37pm]

In terms of the actual writing of the songs, only about 35 were actually written in even collaboration as far as I know. Usually either Paul or John would write a song separately and then look to the other for minor suggestions or missing pieces. Occasionally one or the other would come up with an entire bridge or something. Yes, George and Ringo would add riffs or other ideas from time to time to the Lennon/McCartney compositions as well. Paul was definitely the most domineering/tyrannical personality of the group and would usually learn all the different parts of the song before going to record it and show/order the others to play the part he outlined. There's actually a really good website that has excerpts from interviews of them concerning each song. Here's some examples of their songwriting dynamic

Taxman-written by George, Lennon contributed a few one liners to the lyrics
We can Work it out-Main song by Paul, Bridge by John, George's idea to put the bridge in waltz time
Drive My Car-Tune and groove by Paul, lyrics developed collectively, George's idea to quote the guitar riff from Otis Redding's "Respect"
Baby You're A Rich Man-verses by John, chorus by Paul
Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds-mostly John composition, Paul came up with the hallucinogenic imagery like "kaleidoscope eyes" etc..
Tomorrow Never Knows-basic song by John, tape loops recorded and mixed by Paul
A Day in the Life-Main song by John, middle section by Paul, orchestral crescendo Paul's idea
Piggies-George's song, John contributed some one-liners once again


Here's a link to the website I was talking about

http://www.geocities.com/...songs.html

site
I also dig this site http://www.beatles-discography.com/

Sometimes it was as small as Paul's song "It's getting better all the time" to which John adds "it couldn't get much worse."

Or Paul's nonsense lyric "The movement you need is on your shoulder" which John insisted he leave in Hey Jude.

Still, John insisted he only had 2 partners in his life--Paul & Yoko.

the credit was changed on some of the songs Paul wrote because it has something to do with control, depending on who's name is listed first on a song.


also, i really believe that these 2 needed each other to achieve greatness. even at the point where they weren't actually writing the songs together, Paul had a way of keeping the acerbic Lennon in check. whereas Lennon could reel in the doe-eyed sap that Paul is so fond of.