Right, good people!
Once again, it’s Paul McCartney’s birthday, born this day in 1942 in Liverpool. He would go on to achieve success with a band called the Beatles, named by way of a man on a flaming pie if you believe the legend. And after that band ended, he would record solo, with a new band Wings, and with his wife Linda, too. All the while he kept writing songs. He has a knack for it, you see.
And instead of listing off a bunch of songs of his that I love – and boy, there are a lot of them – I thought I’d try something different this year. I thought I’d ask some of my friends to submit their favourites in exchange for some link love to their sites as well in celebration of the birth, and the work, of one of my heroes.
And so here they are, in no order and with some commentary from my erudite friends and family, Delete Bin regulars, and Twitter buds. When it’s all over, please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section!
♥ No More Lonely Nights – “It appeared long after his well appeared to have run dry, and has all the trademark good Macca-aspects without any of the cringeworthy ones. Even Linda sounds OK on it. And (Pink Floyd’s David) Gilmour’s solo is mighty.” – John Roussety
♥ Maybe I’m Amazed (live version, 1976) – . “Maybe I’m amazed would be a necessary one. No one mentioned it yet? How dare they! The blasphemy! It’s my favourite McCartney song. I’m glad it was me that contributed it.” – Ashley MacDonald
♥ Lady Madonna – I have just been humming “Lady Madonna”. I guess I must like that one. – Gwyn Teatro
♥ C-Moon – “It reminds me of dancing in my basement to the jukebox with my sister and neighbours”. – Karen Gurney
♥ Live and Let Die – “Live and Let Die” is the best!” – Todd Lansing
♥ The Backseat of My Car – “It’s ambitious to the point of almost being symphonic in scope, but it really brings the goods. The arrangement veers through all sorts of different territory and arrives at an incredibly bombastic yet fully satisfying crescendo, only then to zig-zag somewhere else for the fade-out. A stunning track.” ‘Snarfyguy‘
♥ The Long and Winding Road – “I’ve always loved it because it has a beautiful melody that just grabs you and pulls you into the song and never lets you go. The lyrics are quite beautiful too. And, sorry Paul, Phil Spector was absolutely right about the orchestra, you’re just jealous because he thought of it first.” – Graeme Burk
♥ Pipes of Peace, Fool On The Hill – “Pipes of Peace” is one that holds a special place in my heart. It still brings a tear to my eyes, all these 27 years later. And “Fool on the Hill”is the perfect Paul McCartney song”. – Guacira Naves
♥ Let ‘Em In – “It’s my first memory of singing along to a song on the radio.” – Stacie Biehler
♥ We Can Work It Out – I pick “We Can Work It Out”, after the Sing It Loudly Three Times In A Row test. It makes me happy. – Leslie Robinson
♥ Junior’s Farm – “Huh!” This non-album single cooks with gas. Great escapism from the mundane and absurd; we’re racing to one of those mythical rock ‘n’ roll refuges where the whole tribe is welcome. – Geoff Moore
♥ Back in the USSR, Let It Be – Totally different songs but both rock and roll to the core. – Phil Reynolds
♥ Blackbird, Eleanor Rigby – I always sing to “Blackbird” (a little off key) and “eleonor rigby” evokes some strange emotions. – Donna Wilson
♥ Silly Love Songs – You really would think that the world had had enough of them, but it’s not the case [ed: “Oh, no.”]. I remember in the long hot summer of ’76 endlessly playing a tape of songs that me and my brother had taped from the wireless. This song always takes me back to then. Splendid bass and horns make this my fave Macca track at the moment. – “Dances With Difficulty”, and seconded by Harriet Fancott
♥ Venus and Mars/Rockshow – I’m kinda partial to Venus & Mars, but there are many, many others. – Bruce M. Campbell
♥ Helter Skelter – I’ll take Helter Skelter. I can’t swear it’s my favorite McCartney track, but to me it’s the most surprising one. – Tom Treestman
♥ My Love – It’s a simple love song with such a mournful melody. His love is secure, but he sings of bare cupboards, going away… life. Chris Blake
♥ Every Night – “Definitely one of my all time favs of his. It may just be another silly love song, but it’s a good one.” Sarah Loewen
Thanks to everyone for their contributions, and happy birthday Macca!
Enjoy!
The Delete Bin 
Awesome, Rob!
You have managed to pay tribute to McCartney as well at the rest of us!
Thank you for the song and for the link and for all the work you did to pull it all together!
I’m reminded too of all the other McCartney songs that “stick” in my head from time to time. 🙂
What, no Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey?
Just because I didn’t nomnaite it doesn’t mean someone else shoudn’tve.
@Gwyn – Glad you enjoyed the post, which is basically a big mix tape (as we used to say). May the Macca continue to stick in your head!
@John – you know how it is; someone always thinks someone else is going to take care of the obvious. [other visitors: click on John’s name, and you’ll be spirited to the land of cups of tea and butter pies …]
You know, I was *this* close to choosing Helter Skelter.
It would certainly be in line with your punk rock penchant!
I do have to qualify my C-Moon mention a bit. It isn’t my FAVOURITE Macca song, but I like to be different and it stirred up good and goofy memories. There. I feel better now. I knew we could work it out. 🙂
I like C-Moon, because it kind of messes with you. And I can’t be certain, but Macca sounds slightly, um, relaxed on this one.
So, what IS your favourite Macca song, Karen? 😉
Some excellent choices, and it is always good to see people recognising the brilliance of some post-Beatles tracks. My favourite Macca tune changes all the time. At the moment, I’ll go for ‘You Tell Me‘ from ‘Memory Almost Full’. A cracking late-period tune, and one that will probably be lost. Weller’s a fan too.