McCartney: A Life in Lyrics

Face cream, a Bristol liquor business, and a lifelong reverence for the elderly are just a few of the rather ordinary and disparate inspirations Paul McCartney brought together in the creation of a masterpiece: “Eleanor Rigby.” In this episode, McCartney and Paul Muldoon tease out the song's lyrical inspirations and discuss the influence a Bernard Herrmann score for a Hitchcock film had on the lead single from 1966’s “Revolver."

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What’s Paul McCartney, a Liverpudlian, doing writing about the Soviet Union in 1968? Turns out McCartney was doing a little Chuck Berry, a bit of The Beach Boys, some pastiche and a lot of subversion. Opening “The White Album”, “Back in the U.S.S.R.” raised some eyebrows. And because of The Beatles’ evolving position within the former Eastern Bloc the song has over the years taken on a life of its own, following the trajectory of t...

Paul McCartney’s mother Mary passed away in 1956, when Paul was only 14 years old. Over a decade later, she appeared to him in a dream, lending a few immortal words of wisdom: “Let it be.” These words arrived in time to help see Paul through the difficult days after The Beatles’ gave up touring to enter the studio full time. And, of course, they went on to become the basis of the song that’s now a popular standard and the title of ...

At the dawn of the Beatles’ dissolution, Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda, started to spend an increasing amount of time in the Scottish countryside. Sequestered at their farm near the Mull of Kintyre, McCartney found refuge in his family, his animals, and in fixing up their homestead. The ease and charm of country living was documented in “When Winter Comes” from 2020’s McCartney III. And in 1977 his ode to life on the family fa...

As a young boy, Paul McCartney soaked up the radio plays his mother listened to while cleaning around their house. They gave McCartney an expansive understanding of characterization, something he’s been able to do astonishingly well in his own work throughout his writing career. The song “Penny Lane” may sound like much of the psychedelic musings that was common by the late 60s, but the song is actually a beautifully abstract descr...

As Paul McCartney’s life moved further away from the centering force of Liverpool, the distance, both physical and cultural, started becoming increasingly apparent. It's a distance described by Paul as inevitable, if regrettable. “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” is Paul’s expression of the dual longing for home one can experience while also longing to create a new life full of adventure. Released on Paul and Linda’s “RAM” album in 1...

Warning: This episode begins with a description of the assassination of John Lennon.

John Lennon’s assassination has reverberated across decades, country and culture. On the 8th of December, 1980 the world lost one of its greatest creative forces and advocates for peace. And Paul McCartney lost even more: a collaborator, a bandmate, and a dear friend. As McCartney sat in the upstairs room of his Sussex home, mourning his loss, he ...

James Bond themes were handled by soulful or sultry vocalists in the decade since 1963’s “From Russia With Love.” Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and even Louis Armstrong had taken turns singing themes and secondary themes for the films. The Broccoli family who produces the James Bond franchise expected nothing less when they asked Paul McCartney to write the theme for “Live and Let Die.” What they didn’t expect was for him to perform it...

“Magical Mystery Tour” was inspired by a holiday bus from Liverpool to a mystery destination—often ending up in the carnivalesque seaside town of Blackpool. It’s one of the best examples of The Beatles further dipping into the era’s psychedelic subculture. The production of the song delivers a dense and lively atmosphere, from the opening brass fanfare to the flanging piano in the coda.

“McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” is a co-produc...