Tag Archives: paul mccartney

My iPod #333: Paul McCartney – Ever Present Past

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In 2007, Paul McCartney released his fourteenth solo album “Memory Almost Full“. Also at that time I was twelve years old almost finishing my first year of secondary school, and not caring that much about anything in particular.

I guess it is a big deal when Paul McCartney comes out with something new just because he is who he is, but thinking about it now I can’t remember that much being said about the album’s arrival. Although, most of the time I was watching MTV2 where McCartney’s videos were never played anyway. The first time I knew that his new album was coming was when the ‘exclusive premiere’ of the video for his new song “Dance Tonight” was shown on TV late at night.

I feel like I’m telling you my life story just reading this through. Basically, “Ever Present Past” was the second single from that album. Heard in on the car radio when my mum was taking me somewhere. Then it played on we7.com, and I started to really like it.

In the track Paul sings about feeling old, how life goes quickly and how he’s never able to quite get over his past because he’s constantly reminded about it, and because he thought it would last forever. It’s a good tune.

He dances in the music video, which may be cringing for some. Not me though, I don’t care.

My iPod #310: Paul & Linda McCartney – Eat at Home

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“Eat at Home” is probably one of the cheesiest McCartney tunes. And Paul has written a lot of those. Everything from the cheery melody and the melismatic vocals on the word ‘love’ and all the general gushing on Paul’s part on how great his relationship is with Linda may make a listener want to throw up, gag, annoy or just bring to displeasure for a lot of listeners.

I think it’s quite good, actually. One of the most enjoyable tracks on there. A nice, pleasant, easy-going track…. possibly about oral sex. Yeah.

Musically, it’s pretty easy going. But I think it contains one of Paul’s busiest bass takes. He’s always switching between different notes, ascending and descending scales in the bass line while the other instruments play around it. Paul sounds very happy singing, throwing in his trademark “woos” and “ahhs” and really emphasising syllables, as you hear on the very first line (come on little lllllaaaayu-DUH).

Yes, it’s all a bit silly and shit. It does come after one of the album’s most dramatic tracks, so it’s a good way to relieve the tension.

It’s on “Ram“, by the way. Have a listen. You might enjoy it.

My iPod #255: Paul & Linda McCartney – Dear Boy

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“Dear Boy” is the fourth track on Paul McCartney’s second solo album (credited to both he and wife-at-the-time Linda) Ram, released all the way back in 1971.

Paul believed he was very lucky to have Linda as his wife, and wrote this song as a tribute to her. It is also an address to her former husband; they married years earlier in 1962 before divorcing in 1965. McCartney ‘tells’ him that he was a silly man to let Linda go, and that he will never find another one like her.

Although most of it is in a minor key, the dramatic, layered backing vocals and airy rhythm make things a little lighter. You can probably imagine the smugness he had when writing and singing this: “I hope you never know, dear boy, how much you missed/And even when you fall in love, dear boy, it won’t be half as good as this”.

Burn.

My iPod #211: Wings – Country Dreamer

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I am late, I know, forgive me. I did have a good day today. I went to Romford with mates, had some Nandos and watched American Hustle (which is a good film that I recommend, unlike 47 Ronin). It is probably the last time I’ll go out before I go back to university on Tuesday, which I am very much looking forward to.

“Country Dreamer” is a track that Wings recorded in 1972 for their album “Red Rose Speedway”. It didn’t make it on there, and was released as a B-Side to “Helen Wheels”, a single they released the year after.

After starting to like The Beatles in 2009, 2010 was the year that I began to listen to each member’s solo material. I knew Paul McCartney was in Wings, and what is generally considered to be the band’s best album? “Band on the Run”, duh. So I downloaded that, and this song was the last one. Apparently the version I downloaded was a re-release of the album from 1993.

This song’s very frilly and a bit sappy. It is too happy. Paul sings about wanting to different things with ‘you’ and asks if you would like to do it too. The things he wants to do take place in the country (he was into that type of scenery a bit) because he dreams of doing that stuff there, and with ‘you’ he knows that it can all come true. That’s basically it. If you like it, that’s cool.

My iPod #206: Paul McCartney – Coming Up

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What’s up everyone! New year, new me, new year, new me. How are you all? I’m very well.

So it has come to this. Only a few more hours until the new year. I never thought when I started the blog in February that could have the energy or the mental capacity to write about one song each day (more or less). It has been good fun. I may have sounded repetitive on many occasions; you have to give me a break though. Has anyone done anything like this before? Probably. But I haven’t seen it, so it hasn’t as far as I know.

How’s the change in design? Thought the blog needed some spice and crap. So it will stay like this for the foreseeable future.

“Coming Up” by Paul McCartney was released as the first single from his second solo album “McCartney II” in 1980. It is a track of pure optimism. The ascending melodies played on the bass and the keyboards along with McCartney’s manipulated vocals combine to produce a cheerful tune about looking forward to the times ahead. If you need a friend, McCartney tells you it’s coming up. You want a love? Paul says it’s coming. You want peace? Paul says it’s coming… like a flower. We just have to believe! I made that up, I don’t know what I am saying anymore.

Have a happy new year!