Paul Mccartney The Stories Behind 50 Classic Songs 1970 2020

An in-depth look at the post-Sixties work of one of popular music's most versatile and prolific composers and performers.

*Includes pictures of McCartney and important people, places, and events in his life. *Includes descriptions of the origins and recordings of some of McCartney's timeless classics, including Penny Lane, Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, and Michelle. *Includes a Suggested Playlist of McCartney's greatest songs from his solo career and with the Beatles. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. In 1964, girls all across the United States filled venues, almost literally screamed their heads off, and fainted en masse. Almost from the second they played the first note, The Beatles would be hit with the resounding screams, which made it impossible for them to even hear themselves sing. When they made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964, they were greeted by young fans who whipped themselves up into such a frenzy that some of them fainted. Beatlemania had struck North America, creating a musical and pop culture phenomenon unlike anything the world had ever seen. In the middle of it all was Paul McCartney, who joined with close friend and bandmate John Lennon to create history's greatest songwriting duo. As the "Cute" Beatle, McCartney was instrumental in creating the soundtrack of the 1960s, while producing some of the world's most timeless classics together with Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. McCartney lacked the controversy of Lennon, the spirituality of Harrison, and the silliness of Starr, but he was unquestionably one of the driving forces behind the Beatles' most productive recording periods, especially on the Beatles' seminal Revolver album. It was also McCartney who tried hardest to keep the Beatles together from 1968-1970, even while his perfectionist attention to detail frequently drove his bandmates crazy. Ultimately, it was McCartney who was the first to publicly announce his departure from the Beatles. Sir Paul may have never topped the highs established by the Beatles, but he has gone on to have the longest and most productive solo career of the four. While that was helped in part by the tragic murder of Lennon in 1980, McCartney has nonetheless remained at the forefront of pop culture since 1970, and the Guinness Book of World Records has recognized him as the most successful recording artist of all time. Indeed, McCartney wrote or co-wrote over 30 #1 hits and has sold over 100 million albums and 100 million singles in his music career. McCartney has provided an uncountable number of anthems, but his popularity has made his life extremely public and the subject of plenty of tabloid fodder, from his causes to his marriages. Legends of Music: The Life and Legacy of Paul McCartney covers McCartney's life and career in detail, both in and out of the studio, while analyzing his lasting legacy. Along with a suggested playlist of McCartney's songs and pictures of important people, places, and events in his life, you will learn about Sir Paul like you never have before, in no time at all.

"Rich with insider authenticity...Gives us a glimpse into genius": the definitive book of Beatles songs, shown as first written by their own hands and put into authoritative context (Wall Street Journal). For the Beatles, writing songs was a process that could happen anytime — songs we all know by heart often began as a scribble on the back of an envelope or on hotel stationery. These original documents have ended up scattered across the world at museums and universities and with collectors and friends. Many have never been published before. More than 100 songs and lyrics are reproduced in The Beatles Lyrics, providing Hunter Davies a unique platform to tell the story of the music. The intimacy of these reproductions — there are sections crossed out and rewritten, and words tossed into the final recordings that were never written down — ensures that The Beatles Lyrics will be a treasure for musicians, scholars, and fans everywhere. "A fascinating, intimate glimpse into the creative process behind some of the greatest pop songs ever written." —Christian Science Monitor

Based on exclusive first-hand interviews, a chronicle of Paul McCartney's struggles in the first decade after the Beatles' breakup discusses his reclusive life, substance abuses, arrests, and efforts to launch his band Wings.

Every one of the Beatles' songs has been illustrated in style. Includes photography, illustration and artwork to accompany the full lyrics of each song.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Washington Post Notable Book Excerpted in The New Yorker A work of unparalleled candor and splendorous beauty, The Lyrics celebrates the creative life and the musical genius of Paul McCartney through 154 of his most meaningful songs. From his early Liverpool days, through the historic decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his long solo career, The Lyrics pairs the definitive texts of 154 Paul McCartney songs with first-person commentaries on his life and music. Spanning two alphabetically arranged volumes, these commentaries reveal how the songs came to be and the people who inspired them: his devoted parents, Mary and Jim; his songwriting partner, John Lennon; his “Golden Earth Girl,” Linda Eastman; his wife, Nancy McCartney; and even Queen Elizabeth, among many others. Here are the origins of “Let It Be,” “Lovely Rita,” “Yesterday,” and “Mull of Kintyre,” as well as McCartney’s literary influences, including Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Alan Durband, his high-school English teacher. With images from McCartney’s personal archives—handwritten texts, paintings, and photographs, hundreds previously unseen—The Lyrics, spanning sixty-four years, becomes the definitive literary and visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

Provides the back story on Beatles songs on their albums released between 1967 and 1977. Based on the author's "A hard day's write."