The Lyrics

#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 his most meaningful songs. Finally in paperback and featuring seven new song commentaries, the #1 New York Times bestseller celebrates the creative life and unparalleled musical genius of Paul McCartney. Spanning sixty-four years—from his early days in Liverpool, through the historic decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo career—Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics revolutionized the way artists write about music. An unprecedented “triumph” (Times UK), this handsomely designed volume pairs the definitive texts of over 160 songs with first-person commentaries on McCartney’s life, revealing the diverse circumstances in which songs were written; how they ultimately came to be; and the remarkable, yet often delightfully ordinary, people and places that inspired them. The Lyrics also includes: · A personal foreword by McCartney · An unprecedented range of songs, from beloved standards like “Band on the Run” to new additions “Day Tripper” and “Magical Mystery Tour” · Over 160 images from McCartney’s own archives Edited and introduced by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, The Lyrics is the definitive literary and visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

#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.

Paul McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career - from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present. Arranged alphabetically to provide a kaleidoscopic rather than chronological account, it establishes definitive texts of the songs' lyrics for the first time and describes the circumstances in which they were written

(Lyric Library). This exciting new book compiles the lyrics to more than 1,000 songs, in genres ranging from Broadway to jazz standards to early rock 'n' roll to rap to Tin Pan Alley to love songs to today's favorite hits! Highlights include: Adia * All I Ask of You * All You Need Is Love * Always * Amazed * And So It Goes * Angel * Barely Breathing * Beast of Burden * Beauty and the Beast * Bewitched * Brand New Day * Breathe * Building a Mystery * Can You Feel the Love Tonight * Can't Help Falling in Love * Come Rain or Come Shine * Could I Have This Dance * Crazy * A Day in the Life * Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend * Don't Fear the Reaper * Don't Get Around Much Anymore * Edelweiss * Eleanor Rigby * Endless Love * Every Breath You Take * Fast Car * Fields of Gold * The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face * Fly Me to the Moon * The Fool on the Hill * Forever Young * 4 Seasons of Loneliness * Friends in Low Places * Galileo * Genie in a Bottle * Gettin' Jiggy Wit It * Give Me One Reason * Grow Old with Me * Here, There and Everywhere * Hey Jude * Hold My Hand * How Am I Supposed to Live Without You * How Deep Is Your Love * I Don't Want to Wait * I Heard It Through the Grapevine * I Write the Songs * Imagine * Iris * Isn't It Romantic? * Joy to the World * King of Pain * Lady in Red * Let It Be * Love Me Tender * Luck Be a Lady * Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds * Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of ...) * Misty * Moon River * More Than Words * My Funny Valentine * My Girl * My Heart Will Go On * Our House * Owner of a Lonely Heart * Penny Lane * Piano Man * The Rainbow Connection * Rainy Days and Mondays * Real World * Reflection * Respect * Rhiannon * Ribbon in the Sky * The River of Dreams * Route 66 * Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band * Sometimes When We Touch * Stella by Starlight * Stormy Weather * Strawberry Fields Forever * There's No Business like Show Business * 3 AM * Three Times a Lady * Time in a Bottle * Turn! Turn! Turn! * The Way We Were * We've Only Just Begun * What a Wonderful World * When I Fall in Love * Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? * A Whiter Shade of Pale * A Whole New World * With a Little Help from My Friends * Yesterday * You'll Be in My Heart * You're the Inspiration * You've Got a Friend * and hundreds more! Songs are presented alphabetically, and the book also includes an artist index, a songwriter index, and an index listing songs from musicals, movies and television.

(Book). The effect that Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl have had upon contemporary music is immeasurable. They brought "alternative" to the masses in a way that no other punk or metal band had before or has since. By combining their varied influences, they created a distinct voice that hit the right chord with the music world at that time. Their undisputed reign as the purveyors of a bold new generation of music came to an abrupt and tragic end when Cobain took his own life in April of 1994. The legacy left behind is recorded in this insightful book of the words that shook the music world. It presents the lyrics with little interference or interpretation so that they can speak for themselves. In the quiet absence of the music, the lyrics for 67 songs, including all of their commercial releases, plus all B sides and selected rare cuts take on a life of their own. The range of emotions and ideas distilled in this one concentrated volume is huge. This poetic approach to the band whose work had such an impact, both then and now, will give fans and readers something new that they can take back to the listening experience of their favorite Nirvana songs. "This was the sound of psychic damage, and an entire generation recognized it." Jeff Giles, Newsweek "Nirvana doesn't bash you over the head with lyrics, anyway. They imply, they suggest, leave it open to interpretation." Daina Darzin, Village Voice

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE A beautiful, comprehensive volume of Dylan’s lyrics, from the beginning of his career through the present day—with the songwriter’s edits to dozens of songs, appearing here for the first time. Bob Dylan is one of the most important songwriters of our time, responsible for modern classics such as “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’.” The Lyrics is a comprehensive and definitive collection of Dylan’s most recent writing as well as the early works that are such an essential part of the canon. Well known for changing the lyrics to even his best-loved songs, Dylan has edited dozens of songs for this volume, making The Lyrics a must-read for everyone from fanatics to casual fans.

Complete lyrics for well-known folk songs, hymns, popular and show tunes, more. Oh Susanna, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, hundreds more. Indispensable for singalongs, parties, family get-togethers, etc.

Additional edition statement from dust jacket.