The first person to say these four words to me (in person, I mean) was Paul Schrader. It was during an American Gigolo interview held in the vicinity of the old Paramount building. (Now the Int’l Trump hotel & tower.) I forget the context but they’ve never left me, most likely because I’ve come to understand over the years that this is how creation often happens, or most often happens.
Yes, I’m aware that Paul McCartney has passed this anecdote along for many years. I’m also aware that Jethro Tull‘s “Bouree” was also influenced by (i.e., ripped off from) Johann Sebastian Bach)