Did you know that Martha was a dog? Martha was the name of Paul McCartney’s sheepdog, so the song worked on many fronts: As a love song to a pet, a pep talk to a loved one, or just a jaunty pop song.

“Martha” appeared on the 1968 White Album.

McCartney had bought an Old English sheepdog puppy in 1965, soon after buying his house in Cavendish Avenue, London. He named the dog Martha, and she was his first pet.

I had a house of my own in London. More than that, I actually had a housekeeper looking after the house. The time was ripe to get a dog. I had always liked the look of Old English sheepdogs, so I went along to a place in Milton Keynes, about an hour north of London, and selected this little dog. I named her Martha.

Anyhow, I got Martha and she was a lovely little dog. I just adored her. One of the unlikely side effects was that John became very sympathetic towards me. When he came round and saw me playing with Martha, I could tell that he liked her. John was a very guarded person, which was partly where all his wit came from… Seeing me with Martha, with my guard down, all of a sudden he started warming to me. And so he let his guard down too.

Beatles singer and musician Paul McCartney with his girlfriend Jane Asher and their Old English Sheepdog named Martha outside the Golden Gates Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, December 11th, 1967 . (Photo by Daily Express/Archive Photos/Getty Images)