10 Songs That Prove Paul McCartney’s Solo Career Is Better Than You Think
Because there’s more to Paul McCartney than just Silly Love Songs.
Paul McCartney has had a decade spanning career as a solo artist which would be the envy of almost any musician you care to mention. The artists who can claim his success or longetvity are few and far between. At the same time, he forever lives in the shadow of his achievements with The Beatles half a century ago.
His self title debut solo album featured the eternal classic Maybe I’m Amazed but was otherwise homemade and low key by design. For all its charm it felt like a minor work compared to the grand statements of John Lennon and George Harrison’s solo debuts.
He regained popular acclaim in The Seventies with Wings But was seldom a critics’ favourite and there’s a pervading opinion that he was never as good without his old friends from Liverpool.
Which is a real shame. Not so much for McCartney himself you understand. He’s rich, married to a beautiful woman, a father and grandfather. Let us not lose any sleep worrying if Paul McCartney is ok.
If however, you love The Beatles but have never bothered to check out Paul’s hugely varied solo catalogue, you owe it to yourself to give the following ten songs a listen.
10. Another Day
Paul’s first solo single was much more polished than his debut solo album. Another Day is a classic, empathetic McCartney character study in the mould of She’s Leaving Home and Eleanor Rigby.
The song concerns a lonely woman living on her own in the city, going to work, her hum drum life only interrupted by visits from a “man of her dreams.”
”Oh, stay/don’t stand her up/and he comes and he stays/but he leaves the next day.”
The song features distinctive vocal harmonies from Paul and his wife Linda, a product of Paul’s desire to provide his music with a sound distinct from the Beatles. Paul’s bass playing is also prominently featured in the mix, apparently an error by engineer Dixon Van Winkle that was never corrected, it gives the track a unique sound.