Mary McCartney spent her childhood at Abbey Road Studios, one of the most legendary recording facilities in the world, where her parents made music together.
McCartney, daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney and photographer Linda McCartney, has fond memories of being raised in a "normal" household - one filled with love and music. Now, she’s looking back at the London locale’s history in a new documentary titled "If These Walls Could Sing."
"What inspired me to make this film was my love for Abbey Road," the 53-year-old told Fox News Digital. "I’ve grown up going to Abbey Road over the years, but I didn’t realize it was 90 years old until I was invited to direct the documentary. So that really inspired me. And I wanted to know more. And I learned so much through the process. But it started with my love for the building and the people that worked there over the years."
According to the filmmaker, she was even more compelled to bring the story of Abbey Road Studios to life after she came across a 1977 photo of her parents – and their pony - strolling through a nearby crosswalk.
"We lived nearby, so they recorded there with [the band] Wings," McCartney explained. "When I was there researching… people would come up to me and say, ‘I remember your mom coming here.’ She would go in and chat with people. They were like, ‘She was so great. She made everyone feel so relaxed. We really enjoyed spending time with her.’ It was really nice to hear people talking about her because she’s not with us anymore. So anytime that anybody talks about her, I love it. [I love meeting] anybody who’s met her."
"Sometimes, people from Abbey Road would babysit us if mom and dad were going out," she shared. "It was quite a close relationship."
The matriarch passed away in 1998 at age 56 from cancer. However, McCartney was able to get her father on board to share his memories for the film.
"It was really heartwarming sitting down with dad," she said about the 80-year-old. "I could see – and I think the viewer could see – that he cares about the place so much. And he was keen to discuss it, to talk to me about Abbey Road. He loves the people that have worked there. The thing about Abbey Road is people stay there for a long time. There’s longevity there. People who record there come back and record often. So there is this safe feeling there. You could tell from interviewing him that he felt safe here… [This is a space where people] could really be creative, and the people there were going to look after them and not distract them. It was all about the music."
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McCartney said Paul’s eyes lit up as he spoke about "A Day in the Life," a song by The Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band." It is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
"I love that story," said McCartney. "It was great to hear him say it in the studio about when they recorded ‘Day in the Life’ and there’s a big orchestral crescendo at the end of the song… They were so experimental. It was like, ‘No, let’s just start on your lowest note and work your way up – all of you at the same time – to the highest note.’ It’s such a classic moment in the song."
"It was interesting to see it and how the orchestra was confused like, ‘I don’t know what you want me to do,’" she continued. "But in the documentary, you see [record producer] Giles Martin with the master recordings. He’s there and shows you [how it’s done]… You can just hear the vocals and then you can just hear the orchestra. And at the end, it’s four pianos playing together in this loud sort of jungle. Hearing that story come alive and seeing how the song was broken down was a great story to hear."
Fans of The Beatles will also learn about the Fab Four's early years and how they became confident as individual artists.
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"I love all the early stories about how they came to Abbey Road," said McCartney. "Brian Epstein, their manager, was an amazing manager by the sounds of it. He was famous for bringing a lot of bands from Liverpool to London. He’s the one that said to [record producer] George Martin, ‘Can you record with The Beatles?’ There are those stories of them coming into Abbey Road and… being really nervous. They weren’t used to recording. They’d never been in a studio like this… The space must have seemed huge to them. And they’re like, ‘What are we going to do?’ And then thinking about how they naturally progressed. In the end, they ended up using every nook and cranny of Abbey Road – everywhere – and having more… power as they went along."
Growing up, McCartney said she knew her parents were different.
"My mom and dad were in Wings together," she said. "So they would be touring, and they would often take us along to concerts when we were kids. We would see the crowds and watch our parents on stage performing and then go home and be normal."
"If These Walls Could Sing" features new interviews with Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. George Harrison passed away in 2001 at age 58 following a battle with cancer. John Lennon was murdered in 1980 at age 40.
"I do remember [meeting] John," said McCartney. "I was a kid, but I remember us all going over as a family to visit. It was John and Yoko [Ono] and [their son] Sean. We all just hung out in his apartment [as a family]."
The documentary also features candid sit-downs with artists like Elton John, Noel Gallagher and Roger Waters. McCartney noted that the experience of filming her father has only brought them even closer.
"It opened up a point of discussion," she said. "We are close and we [already] spend a good amount of time together. But when we would see each other, it’d be like, ‘I was thinking about this other thing that might be good for the documentary.’ Or he would ask how I was doing and I would tell him who I was interviewing. So it was a nice point of conversation during the process, to use him as a soundboard."
McCartney noted she’s proud of her directorial debut, and she hopes her film will help keep the legacy of Abbey Road Studios alive.
"The technicians… were innovative and contributed to the music," she explained. "The Beatles were like, ‘How do we do this?’ or ‘What if we could do this?’ And the people at Abbey Road would really work and collaborate with them. They wouldn’t be like, ‘They’re being weird. What are they talking about?’ They were like, ‘Oh yeah, and this is maybe how you could get the sound you want.’ I was surprised how [many times] that happened. I presumed that you go, record and you’re done. But Abbey Road contributed… and to this day, they’re there to help make the music the best it can be. I respect that."
