Exclusive | John Lennon and Paul McCartney had erotic component to friendship, were turned on by each other: author

He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.That was the mutual feeling between Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney — the dynamic duo in the Fab Four — that is explored in the new book “John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs” by Ian Leslie.“My feeling about their relationship has always been that it was remarkably intense and close and complex,” Leslie told The Post.“What it seems to be most like is a romance … in the sense that it was, you know, tempestuous and jealousy-ridden and loving and tender as well.

It’s a love story.”Indeed, the special bond that began when a 15-year-old McCartney met a 16-year-old Lennon on July 6, 1957 — when the latter was playing with the Quarrymen at St.Peter’s Church in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton — is a magical mystery that “lies at the heart of the Beatles story,” said Leslie.In “John & Paul,” Leslie likens their complicated connection to “a relationship that isn’t sexual but is romantic,” “a friendship that may have an erotic or physical component to it, but doesn’t involve sex.”The Post reached out to McCartney’s rep, who had no comment on the book.“They’re turned on by each other,” said Leslie.

“Creatively and personally, they found each other to be the most fascinating and exciting person to be around in their lives.”“And others around them remarked on the connection that they had,” he continued.“They would say they seem to have a kind of telepathic connection where they were just sort of in tune with each other.

And so, really, I think so much of the music came out of that connection.”While Leslie believes that there was “an erotic component” to Lennon and McCartney’s relationship, he stressed, “I don’t think they were sleeping together.”“I don’t think they had any sexual contact,” he said, “but I think John sometimes worried that maybe he might be gay or have gay feelings towards Paul … The first time they meet, John talks about how struc...