“Baby I’m amazed at the way you love me all the time
Maybe I’m afraid of the way I love you…”

Paul McCartney – “Maybe I’m Amazed”

As a founding member of The Beatles, one of the most influential rock groups of all time, Sir James Paul McCartney certainly had a lot of high expectations resting on his shoulders as he began his solo career.  Though he’d started on his own before any of the other Beatles, their shocking breakup magnified the spotlight on Paul ten-fold.  After all, the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team was one of the world’s most successful.  Would he make it on his own?  Well, of course he did, or else we wouldn’t be here to tell you all about it.

McCartney was born in Liverpool, England in 1942, to a working-class family.  While attending school, a young Paul met a young George Harrison, who lived nearby.  Paul’s parents encouraged music in their children’s lives, though Paul found it difficult to play the guitar, since he was a leftie.  He then saw a Slim Whitman poster, featuring him playing left-handed on a guitar strung right-handed.  Inspiration renewed, Paul took to the guitar, teaching himself how to do it… backward.  His father always wished he’d take music lessons, though soon learned that Paul learned best by ear, anyway.

Paul met John Lennon while he was performing with The Quarrymen in 1957.  Once Paul joined the band, thanks to the magic that would happen when Lennon and McCartney sat together to write songs, The Quarrymen quickly transformed into The Beatles.  Together, they would write what today is considered standards of their respective eras, from the “I Saw Her Standing There” of the British Invasion - to the “Across the Universe” of Lennon and the “Let it Be” of McCartney we listened to as the band came to an end in 1970. 

McCartney was the first to find a project outside of The Beatles with the 1966 film, The Family Way.  His work for the soundtrack, which was released on its own, won McCartney the Ivor Novello Award for Best Instrumental Theme.  Soon, McCartney was in demand, writing songs and producing for other artists, like Mary Hopkin and Badfinger.  Just a week after publicly announcing the breakup of the Beatles, McCartney released his self-titled debut. 

Just as John had Yoko by his side, Paul had Linda.  He insisted on having Linda be a part of his music, and she very much was.  Though the album was a back-to-basics of sorts for the prodigious McCartney, many found delight with two tracks in particular, “Every Night” and one of many love songs he would write for his first wife, “Maybe I’m Amazed.”  The intense “Amazed” was never released as a single, though it would become one of the most cherished of his solo career, even reaching #338 on Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”  The success of McCartney was followed up with Ram, which featured more of the experimentation that rock critics and music fans alike had come to expect from McCartney.  The album gave McCartney his first solo hit with melodic and somewhat nonsensical “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," in September of 1971.  

Also in 1971, Paul and Linda formed ‘Wings’ and brought Denny Laine of the Moody Blues  and Denny Seiwell on board.  Their first release, Wild Life, was an eclectic mix that found inspiration from a wide variety of sources.  “Love is Strange,” an R&B classic, saw a reggae-tinted makeover from Wings, while politics was the influence for “Give Ireland Back to the Irish.”  Some things were kept simple, like the guitar rocker, “Hi, Hi, Hi.” 

Red Rose Speedway, released in 1973 became the Wings’ first #1 record.  The album featured a blend of bubbly pop tunes with moody orchestra-backed pieces, culminating in a sort of Abbey Road-esque medley.  “My Love,” the album’s sweet, sensitive ballad, went to #1 on the charts.  At that time McCartney also wrote and recorded “Live and Let Die” for the James Bond flick of the same name.  The song thrilled audiences and went to #2 on the charts.  The song went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and would also be covered nearly two decades later by the rock group, Guns N’ Roses.

That very same year, Wings released Band on the Run.  It, too, went to #1, despite the departure of Seiwell from the band.  Front to back, the album was filled with lush pop tunes, each fantastic on their own and as a whole.  “Helen Wheels” had an R&B rhythm with hard, punctuating guitar riffs and the synth-y “Jet,” went into the Top 10, while its title track, which was part-autobiography part-fantasy went straight to #1 after being released.  McCartney even sounded a bit Lennon-esque on the track “Let Me Roll It,” pleasing his fans with the memory of what once was.  By the time 1975 rolled around Paul McCartney and Wings were riding high upon the success of “Junior’s Farm” which climbed to #3 on the charts.

That same year, McCartney and company recorded and released Venus and Mars.  Much like Band on the Run, the album presented the listener with a wide array of pop choices, helping Venus and Mars to become their third #1 album.  The bouncy single, “Listen to What the Man Said” also went to top the U.S. charts. 

Soon the band embarked on the Wings Over the World Tour.  McCartney drove audiences wild by performing his current hits along with performing Beatles tunes – the first time he’d done so since the breakup.  Throughout 1976, the band was on tour, taking a break to record Wings at the Speed of Sound, on which band members took turns singing tracks and everyone was involved in the writing of the songs.  The album found hits with the #1 single “Silly Love Songs” and the #3 “Let ‘Em In.”  Paul McCartney and Wings hit American soil, preserving the excitement for posterity on their live triple-album Wings Over America.  Wings again had a #1 album in their catalogue, along with a hit song in the U.K. “Mull of Kintyre.”  The song featured a pipe band and became one of the greatest-selling singles in British history. 

Once the madness had settled, Wings came back in 1978 with London Town, an album that, it should be noted, was partly recorded on a boat.  “With a Little Luck” proved to be its biggest single, topping the U.S. pop charts.  The band went back into the studio for 1979’s Back to the Egg.  The pseudo-concept album dealt with the power of radio.  Out at the same time was a non-album disco-inspired track, “Goodnight Tonight,” which made its way to #5 on the charts.

McCartney followed the success of the two albums with a sequel to his first solo work, 1980’s McCartney II.  It was the first time he’d struck out without his band since they formed, and was recorded at home with Linda.  McCartney II found a hit with the funky “Coming Up.”  A film of the ’76 Wings tour, Rockshow was also released the same year.  The following year, McCartney officially announced the disbanding of Wings and in 1982 released Tug of War.  Critically acclaimed, the album went to #1 on the charts and featured guest appearances from Ringo Starr, Carl Perkins and Stevie Wonder.  His collaboration with Wonder produced “Ebony and Ivory,” which dealt with racial harmony, gave the album a hit single.  Other tracks, “Here Today,” which paid tribute to John Lennon, who was murdered just two years prior, and “Take It Away” proved to be standouts from the release.

In 1983, McCartney sang a duet with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, for his song, “The Girl Is Mine.”  Jackson then made a guest appearance on McCartney’s next album, Pipes of Peace, on the track “Say, Say, Say.”  1984 found McCartney writing and starring in his first film, Give my Regards to Broad Street.  The soundtrack featured “No More Lonely Nights,” on which Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour make an appearance on guitar.  Paul then recorded and scored a Top 10 hit with the theme song to the 1985 movie, Spies Like Us.  Before taking a break from music he released 1986’s Press To Play. 

He returned to the music scene in 1989 with Back in the U.S.S.R.  Originally intended for release in Russia only, the album full of oldies covers was released elsewhere in 1991.  In 1989, McCartney also released Flowers in the Dirt, which featured a number of songs that were co-written with Elvis Costello.  McCartney struck out on a successful tour in promotion of the album, and would continue to tour and record throughout the 1990s.  1993’s Off the Ground featured “Hope of Deliverance,” and Unplugged, which was recorded for the popular MTV program, MTV Unplugged, proved to be popular as well.  The 90s saw a McCartney that pursued a great number of other interests, including the writing of orchestral works, Liverpool Oratorio and Standing Stone.  Under the pseudonym ‘The Fireman’ McCartney even released a techno album.

His wife, Linda, passed away in 1999 after a fight with breast cancer.  Following that, McCartney released Wide Prairie, a collection of Linda’s recordings with him on the instrumental backing.  He continues to crank out albums, including Flaming Pie, which was apparently inspired by the release of The Beatles Anthology; Run Devil Run, an oldies album released in 1999; and Working Classical another orchestral work he wrote.  Also in 1999, Paul McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. 

Since then, McCartney has remained busy in music, art and otherwise.  In 2001 he released Wingspan: An Intimate Portrait, a documentary that featured behind-the-scenes footage and photos taken by Paul and Linda of their family and their band.  Inspired by his soon-to-be wife, Heather Mills, Driving Rain was recorded and released the same year.   Subsequent years have been spent recording and touring, making appearances around the globe, painting, writing, and doing just about everything (including divorcing Ms Mills) including continuing to speak out on behalf of vegetarianism, a cause dear to his heart, and other charities.

So, did McCartney make it on his own?  We think so, as we also expect to hear more from Sir Paul for years and years to come.