Inside the genius of Paul McCartney: things to know about 8 of his songs

Yesterday (1965)

Which for no short time had scrambled eggs as its “working title”. McCartney wrote the piece one morning, after waking up to the immortal melody as a dream legacy of the night. A dream and such a beautiful ride that he, he told many times, he thought, of having unknowingly copied. Fixed the notes, the text was missing, which appeared several months later: and waiting for the “problems that seemed so far away and now I’m here to stay”, the anchor words were “scrambled eggs, oh dear, how I love your legs, but not as much as scrambled eggs “

Blackbird (1968)

The blackbird then reproduced also in Macca’s acoustic masterpiece, contained in the “White Album”, is the inspirer of the quiet, bucolic mood. But the title and the text are a metaphor for the blacks of America, who were fighting for civil rights at the time. And to them, according to the same author, she was dedicated. “Take these broken wings and learn to fly / all your life / you have been waiting for this moment to rise”

Helter Skelter (1968)

The giant slide, or even an “absolute mess” for a prototype of heavy metal at the time unthinkable for the Beatles and especially for the refined PMC. Which, competitive as it was, did not take well a review that defined “I can see for miles” by the Who as the “wildest” song ever released until those days. It was not at all, but in the meantime it made possible this song – also a milestone of the “White Album” – which makes Ringo stupid (“I have blisters on my fingers”, he screams at the end) and unfortunately also Charles Manson, who will write, wrongly as well, the title on the wall of the house of two of his victims, the La Bianca spouses.

Lovely Rita (1967)

Far from detonating a very classic “she doesn’t know who I am”, Paul dedicated one of Sergeant Pepper’s songs to a zealous but “delightful” security guard, Rita (actually called Meta, Meta Davis) who dared to charge him a fine for failing with the parking meter off Abbey Road in London. Not that it hadn’t pissed him off: but in the summer of love 1967, he was forbidden to get angry, especially for a Beatle. So, as the piece tells us, it is better to invite her to have tea.

Hey Jude (1968)

“Hey Jude, don’t feel bad. Take a sad song and make it better”. How many times have we told each other, we sang it before the biggest final chorus ever. But who is Jude, who inspired perhaps the most universal work of Sir McCartney? None other than the then six-year-old Julian Lennon, in pain because Dad John had just left his family to go and stay with Yoko Ono. Paul went to see him and on the way back, in the queue in the car, he gave birth to the first verse of the masterpiece. Initially with “Hey Jules”, because that’s what he called the baby. But Jude sounded a lot better.

Maxwell’s silver hammer (1969)

Even the Beatles, even the unreachable Paul wrote and published bad songs. This, included in Abbey Road, is proof of this: a march with a childish song refrain that narrates the “exploits” of a serial killer medical student, Maxwell Edison. It was a time when there was no shortage of inspirational figures (see also the Rolling Stones’ coeval Midnight Rambler ”), and PMC didn’t have many qualms about writing a grim story on a light and frankly not unforgettable tune.

Picasso’s last world (1973)

Minor motif of McCartney solo, on the B side of “Band in The Run”. But the genesis is the perfect one to describe McCartney’s talent and genius. At a party in Jamaica, the now ex-Beatle meets Dustin Hoffman. They have dinner together and the actor would like proof of Paul’s compositional ability. They pick up a newspaper and choose an article: Picasso was gone and his last words were quoted. Grabbed a guitar, in ten minutes the song was set, in front of a bewildered and dismayed Hoffman (“Come here – he shouted to his wife – he’s writing it!”)

Let it Be (1970)

An anthem of spirituality and fatalism, it is actually a double homage to soft drugs and to the mother in one fell swoop. The “Mother Mary” who arrives and gives words of wisdom is not only medical marijuana, but also “Mother Mary” in the truest sense of the word, Mary Mohin McCartney, who passed away from breast cancer when Paul was only 14 years old. Those who have seen “Get Back” will remember the long gestation of this mega classic: well, on the same day Macca also showed up with “The Long and Winding Road”. So, to like.

Inside the genius of Paul McCartney: things to know about 8 of his songs