Book review - The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present - Paul McCartney, edited by Paul Muldoon.
I was delighted to receive these two gorgeous volumes of ‘The lyrics’ as a Christmas Present (thanks Colette) and they have given me a couple of months of absolute joy. I’d watched ‘Get back’ just before Christmas, so my appetite for all things Beatles related had been well and truly whetted.
By the time I was born, it was four years since Lennon had informed his bandmates that he was leaving the band. My first remembrance of the Beatles was via a couple of 45’s my mother had - she loves you, hard days night, ticket to ride amongst them.
My best friend at the time was my next door neighbour Marty ‘Guinea’ McGuinness and I remember as 5 or 6 year old scatologically obsessed boys being delighted at being able to change the words to ‘She loves poo’ and ‘A hard days shite,’ respectively.
Red and blue
But of course something deeper was going on – the lyrics and melodies were embedding themselves into my young brain. A couple of years later I remember being able to buy the red and blue albums. I remember being transfixed by the images of the band on the covers, peering down a stairwell - How had they gone such a transformation musically in such a short period of time?
In my student years I remember having that silly argument about Lennon or McCartney, in that stupid binary way where you had to be for one or the other. I always went with Lennon, of course – he was sarky, witty, had an edge to him that McCartney didn’t. Of course as the years went by I appreciated them both – but it’s McCartney I’ve been drawn to as I’ve gotten older. It’s his optimism and thoughtfulness, traits very much to the fore in this book and on listening to his lyrics.
My own way of experiencing these volumes was to follow them alphabetically by title. I’d listen to the song, read the lyrics, (for those I didn’t know) and then McCartney’s thoughts on the song. I’d do this every night, sometimes with a glass of wine if it was the weekend (this often resulted in some off tune singing) maybe listening to one or two, other nights half a dozen or more. It was an absolute delight to do so.
Personal
The personal photographs and handwritten lyrics really add to the scrapbook feel, making it intimate and personal, and by listening to the music, makes it a really immsersive experience.
The Poet Paul Muldoon has done a fantastic editing job here (incidentally, he’s a local to Armagh, born just a couple of miles out the road) and it really feels like McCartney is sitting across from you, reminiscing, with the words flowing naturally.
I really liked the way it’s structured, as it feels natural and what we would expect if we looked back over our own life – it’s meandering, jumping back and forth, little momments and connections briefly arising that you wouldn’t have expected.
Solo Output
I wouldn’t have been too familiar with McCartney’s solo output (apart from the big hits) but it shines a life on those parts of his life in his later years especially, with some revealing and personal memories. I’ve definitely gained an appreciation for some of these works and it was good to read the context of them.
Another aspect of the volumes that I liked are the recurring themes that occur throughout. The loss of his mother, his friendship with Lennon, his marriage to Linda and how that relationship helped him cope with the Beatles breakup. His processes and creative inspirations are absolutely fascinating and how it’s always the music that comes first when he’s composing.
The beatles
At 863 pages and 154 songs it might seem a bit long, but for a Beatles fan like myself it was an absolute pleasure so spend time amongst the music, lyrics and memories of one of the all time greats. Delighted to have these volumes on my shelf. Highly Recommended and the last words are with the great man himself.
‘I cannot help but realise that so much of what I do is still entangled with the fact that I was in The Beatles. In fact, I say to people that I still am in The Beatles. Well, maybe not in The Beatles, but I'm still a 'Beatle'. The philosophy we had was, and remains, very attractive; it's a whole-world picture - an insistence on the freedom of creative thought that we discovered and that I still love...And a lot of the Beatles stuff still is amazingly timely, so I'm happy to bathe in it.’
And his favourite Beatles song that he’d written?….
Book review - Paul McCartney - The Lyrics: 1956 to the present
960 pages, Hardcover
First published November 2, 2021 Penguin