It’s For You – An Early Sign of McCartney’s Sophistication
An examination of song It's For You, written for Cilla Black ...
Man We Was Lonely – McCartney and the Country Style
An examination of the song Man We Was Lonely in the context of traditional country styles...
Angel In Disguise – What It Sounds Like (Updated)
You probably heard the story the other day about an unreleased McCartney/Starr composition that is to be sold at auction. Most news articles included images of two hand-written music manuscripts. I was asked by a prominent Beatles collector if I could work out the song from the music. The...
Angel in Disguise – This is What it Sounds Like!
You probably heard the story the other day about an unreleased McCartney/Starr composition that is to be sold at auction. Most news articles included images of two hand-written music manuscripts. I was asked by a prominent Beatles collector if I could work out the song from the music. The...
McCartney on McCartney Parts II and III
Here are the second and third parts of McCartney on McCartney, first broadcast in 1989. These recordings are from the BBC, so I won’t be leaving them up here for long. Enjoy, but please think about supporting my work and this website by purchasing one of my books (click...
McCartney’s Static Melodies
An exploration of Paul McCartney's technique of using a static vocal melody in his songwriting....
McCartney on McCartney
Part One of McCartney's BBC interview with Mike Read about his career in music. ...
McCartney’s Expressive Appoggiaturas
So what is an appoggiatura? It is an expressive device where a melodic note, which lies outside the harmony, is played on the beat. The creates a temporary clash or “dissonance” which is then resolved up or down. It can also be called an accented passing note. Mozart was...
Understanding Talk More Talk
Talk More Talk is the third track on McCartney’s 1986 Press to Play album. Even before tackling this work on a theoretical level, it is worth noting that it is one of McCartney’s more unusual tracks. It begins with a spoken-word introduction that features McCartney’s (then) young son, James...
Reception – Locrian Mode; Canons; and Polytonality?
The opening track on Wings’ 1979 album, Back to the Egg, is a curious number entitled Reception. It might be superfically regarded as a throwaway introduction to Wings’ most rock-based album. However, as I will explore here, there is perhaps a little more to the track than meets the...