1961 Liverpool is filled with young bands obsessed with a new style of music called rock ’n’ roll. But only one has two talented lead singers who also want to write their own songs: John Lennon and Paul McCartney. And they are determined to be the best. In the first episode of our six part series on the creative partnership between Lennon and McCartney, we look at the beginning of a collaboration that was fueled by equal parts love and competition. Whether onstage or hunched over notebooks full of lyrics, each constantly tries to impress — and outshine — the other. Though still in their teens, John and Paul have already begun writing some of the greatest songs in pop history.