Though written during what McCartney has described as “a lazy holiday,” the “Flaming Pie” track is coiled with emotion.
And for those Beatles songs co-written with John Lennon, if McCartney included them in his book “ The Lyrics,” they were under consideration. Songs that he wrote that became hits for others (such as Badfinger’s 'Come and Get It' and Elvis Costello’s “Veronica”) weren’t included. So here is an imperfect list of 81 of our favorites from The Beatles, Wings and his solo catalog. 'It's your fault!': Paul McCartney blames Bruce Springsteen for epic-length concerts
His joy for music is infectious and for that, we thank him. And anyone who witnessed his recent Got Back tour knows that he also still clearly revels in playing 30-plus nuggets from his catalog at every show, grinning through “Live and Let Die,” storytelling before “Blackbird,” giddily leading the singalong on “Hey Jude.” McCartney isn’t just a prolific songwriter he’s an astoundingly consistent phenomenal songwriter. Let’s just say that if the man lived to 200 and people attempted to classify that number of compositions, they would still have an unwieldy task. That Paul McCartney is a musical genius is indisputable.īut just how gifted he is as a musician and songwriter might not truly become evident until you accept the ludicrous task of ranking 81 of his best songs in honor of his 81st birthday on Sunday.
