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We imagine many a woman named Michelle hoped The Beatles wrote this love song just for her. Ladies, sorry to burst your bubble, but the tune could have just as easily been called "Fiona," "Jessica," or "Heather." The Beatles (specifically Paul McCartney) went with "Michelle" not because they were smitten with a girl named Shelly, but because the name had a nice ring to it. According to Song Facts (and other sites), Jan Vaughan, the wife of a former bandmate and old friend, suggested the name to McCartney. Ms. Vaughan was a French teacher, and Paul asked her for ideas for a French name and some lyrics to go with it. Vaughan rose to the occasion with "Michelle, ma belle." McCartney then added "these are words that go together well." Lennon suggested the "I love you" chorus and voilà -- another hit. While Michelle wasn't written with any one person in mind, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" did have a real-life inspiration. Lennon stated he wrote the song after his son Julian drew a picture of his friend Lucy O'Donnell. In the drawing, Lucy was flying in a sky full of, you guessed it, diamonds.
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