Sir Paul McCartney, the legendary musician and former Beatle, recently shared an unusual claim about his earliest memory, stating that he believes he can recall the moment of his birth. Speaking with actress Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast, McCartney, 84, described an impression of being delivered by forceps at Walton Hospital in Liverpool in 1942.

McCartney recounted vivid details of the hospital environment, referencing “white tiles, very hygienic white tiles and chrome instruments,” and the sound of clanging during his birth. He noted that the hospital was an old Victorian building that had served other purposes before becoming a medical facility. While he expressed some uncertainty about the accuracy of the memory, saying, “I don’t know if you’ve made it up or not,” McCartney remains convinced he “sort of” remembers the experience.

Walton Hospital holds personal significance for McCartney, as his mother, Mary, was a nurse there before her death when he was 14. McCartney has paid tribute to her in songs such as “Let It Be” and “Lady Madonna.”

Experts in memory and psychology caution against taking such early recollections at face value. Vanessa LoBue, a psychologist at Rutgers University, explained that the brain is not typically capable of storing autobiographical memories from infancy. “Any memories we claim to recall before two or three might have been constructed by someone else’s retelling of an event. No one can really remember anything before they reach that age,” she said. Scientific understanding suggests that the rapid development of a child’s brain in early years often leads to memory restructuring that erases very early memories.

In the same podcast conversation, McCartney reflected on a pivotal moment early in his career, when he nearly declined John Lennon’s invitation to form a band. He recounted considering a more conventional job winding coils in a factory, weighing the steady pay against the uncertainties of a music career. Only after some hesitation did he commit to the band, a decision that shaped his future as a global music icon. “God, I can’t believe I actually questioned it but I did,” he said about turning down the offer, before ultimately accepting and abandoning a career in coil winding management.