It will be “the closest to an autobiography” that Paul McCartney “can come”: the ex-Beatle is about to publish The Lyrics, a deep dive into his life, based on conversations he had with the award-winning poet Paul Muldoon.
The Lyrics, a “self-portrait in 154 songs” in two volumes and over 900 pages, will be released on November 2. It will be “a kaleidoscopic rather than a chronological account” of McCartney’s life, said publisher Allen Lane, and will cover the musician’s early compositions in childhood – he wrote his first song at 14 – through the Beatles’ catalog for Wings, solo albums and your present life. The book will cover “the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what [McCartney] think of them now ”.
McCartney said: “More often than I can count, I am asked if I would write an autobiography, but the timing was never right. The only thing I’ve ever managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs.
“Some people, when they reach a certain age, like to go to the diary to remember events from day to day from the past, but I don’t have these notebooks. What I have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I have learned that have almost the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life. “
Muldoon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet, edited the book, which is based on conversations he had with McCartney. “Sir Paul and I met regularly for a period of five years, for sessions of two or three hours, in which we talked very intensely about the background of half a dozen songs,” said Muldoon. “In a strange way, our process mimicked the afternoon sessions he had with John Lennon when they wrote for the Beatles. We were determined to never leave the room without something interesting. “
Muldoon said he was “repeatedly impressed by what you might call Paul McCartney’s ‘academic’ disposition” during the process.
“He is one of the most lively and optimistic people I know, but his general behavior should not suggest that he is anything but a profound thinker. He carefully examines every aspect of life and I believe that readers, old and new, will be impressed by a book that will show that side of him. He will come out of this book as an important literary figure, ”said Muldoon.
“His insights into his artistic process confirm a notion that we had just guessed: that Paul McCartney is an important literary figure who builds on and extends the long tradition of English poetry.”
The volumes will also include material from McCartney’s personal archive, including drafts, letters and photographs never seen publicly. “We learned intimately about the man, the creative process, the creation of melodies, the moments of inspiration”, said the publisher.
McCartney said he hoped that what he had written “would show people something about my music and my life that they haven’t seen before.” “I tried to say something about how the music happens and what it means to me and I hope what it can mean for others too,” he said.
McCartney’s previous books include Blackbird Singing, a collection of letters and poems from 1965-99; High in the Clouds, a children’s book written with Philip Ardagh; and the illustrated book Hey Grandude !, based on his relationship with his eight grandchildren and illustrated by Kathryn Durst.