McCartney Discusses "Getting Better"

[Norbert K]

"It's an optimistic song. I often try and get onto optimistic subjects to try and cheer myself up, and also, realizing that other people are going to hear this, to cheer them up, too. And this was one of those. The "angry young man" and all that was John and I filling in the verses about schoolteachers. We shared a lot of feelings against teachers who had punished you too much or who hadn't understood you or who had just been bastards generally."

-- McCartney, quoted by Barry Miles

I like the song better now. I had more than my share of those types of teaches.