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The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present Kindle Edition
The Sunday Times bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Year, now in paperback
‘Paul McCartney says this is as close as he will get to an autobiography and no wonder – his life is in every line of these songs ... pure joy’ Sunday Times, Book of the Year
With seven songs added for this edition: ‘Bluebird,’ ‘Day Tripper,’ ‘English Tea,’ ‘Every Night,’ ‘Hello, Goodbye,’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘Step Inside Love’
Spanning seven decades – from his early Liverpool days, through the historic decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his long solo career – Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics has transformed the way artists write about music, pairing the definitive texts of 161 songs with intimate, autobiographical commentaries on McCartney’s life and music.
Arranged alphabetically, these commentaries reveal the diverse circumstances in which the songs were written, how they ultimately came to be, and the remarkable – often ordinary – people and places that inspired them. Dozens of vignettes re-create the working-class Liverpool of McCartney’s youth, where delivery boys ran parcels on docks, as in ‘On My Way to Work,’ and elderly ladies in the neighbourhood inspired ‘Eleanor Rigby.’ McCartney also introduces us to his early literary influences, among them Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll and Allen Ginsberg, as well as Alan Durband, his beloved English teacher, and his mother, Mary, who passed away when he was just fourteen – and whose memory has infused his work ever since.
Yet the two most powerful presences in The Lyrics after the author himself are his songwriting partner, John Lennon, and his ‘Golden Earth Girl,’ Linda Eastman McCartney. Here McCartney describes how he met John at a church fête in 1957; their adventures with George Harrison and Ringo Starr in the early 1960s; and how, at the end of the decade, they, and The Beatles, broke up. Thus began a second act of now more than fifty years, with Linda and family life as driving forces – inspiring songs from ‘Maybe I’m Amazed,’ written just after the breakup of The Beatles, to the 2012 ballad ‘My Valentine,’ addressed to McCartney’s wife and partner, Nancy Shevell McCartney.
Edited and introduced by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Paul Muldoon, and enhanced by more than a hundred images from McCartney’s personal archives – including handwritten texts, mementos, and photographs – and seven new song commentaries, The Lyrics is a book for the ages, and the definitive literary and visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin
- Publication date2 Nov. 2021
- File size170.4 MB
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Review
The Lyrics is sumptuously made to a standard associated with high-end art publishers. It is lovely to hold and to touch and to look at. There are countless beautifully reproduced photographs, of McCartney - who in his younger years ravished the lens - his mother, father, brother and aunties, his wives, his children, his friends and notable collaborators. Many of the pictures are published for the first time. There are also handwritten lyric sheets festooned with doodles, scribbled diary entries, gig posters, newspaper reports, pictures of first pressings ... This book is ... more like an autobiography, done McCartney's way. Rather than publish a conventional life story, he has opted to tell this life through songs and pictures ... His eloquence is found in his art: next to the splendour of the songs ... The book showcases McCartney's lyrics ... the songs make up a larger canvas, or mosaic, that the artist himself is only now stepping back to contemplate. ― New Statesman
The text is accompanied by beautifully reproduced illustrations, including personal snapshots, formal portraits and memorabilia. The result is a hybrid of collected lyrics, memoir and picture book, a composite form resembling the all-round character of McCartney's musicality ... The Lyrics is a rewarding portrait of an exceptional songwriter. ― Financial Times
The Lyrics is stunningly beautiful and a masterpiece of book design, a true joy for bibliophiles. Paul McCartney has fashioned, through the explorations of his songs with the poet Paul Muldoon, a fascinating insight into his life and creative genius. The booksellers of Waterstones are proud to celebrate this magnificent and deeply original book.
I know it all... or so I thought until I read Paul McCartney's magical treasure trove of a book ... Touching... bountiful ― Mail on Sunday
Paul McCartney's storied career has been a long and winding road paved with songwriting gold. Thankfully, these fab volumes do it justice
These two beautifully produced hardbacks give a lot of bang for your buck. Macca recalls the inspiration behind 154 of his songs and the collaborative process of writing them, his stories taking in Lennon, Linda and fame, and there's a trove of photographs and memorabilia from his personal archive. He says the time has never been right to write a full memoir, but this collection is brimming with insights into the man and the music. ― Daily Express
His composing methodology is revealed as a kind of innocent and endless curiosity ... this mighty tome is billed as the closest thing to an autobiography McCartney will ever write. It comprises 154 songs, with hundreds of fascinating photos and handwritten lyrics from McCartney's collection, and an informal, thoughtful text assembled from conversations conducted with acclaimed Irish poet Paul Muldoon ... McCartney is a playful and brilliant wordsmith ... His book of lyrics is charming ― Daily Telegraph
This lavishly produced two-volume boxed-set, which took five years to compile, is destined to be under many Christmas trees. ― Daily Mail
To read over the words to these 154 songs is to be impressed not merely with McCartney's productivity but with the fertility of his imagination and the potency of his offhand, unfussy style ... giddy playfulness and unguarded experimentation. They're a joy to read because they exude the joy their maker took in their making. ― The New York Times
Nothing comes close to Paul McCartney's breezeblock of a title ... Combine this monumental lyrics collectionwith Peter Jackson's Get Back and many Beatles fans won't come out again until the clocks go forward. Paul McCartney says this is as close as he will get to an autobiography and no wonder - his life is in every line of these songs. Each alphabetical entry (a smart arrangement that opens up a trove of lesser known McCartney lore) is not only accompanied by a wealth of wonderful photographs and memorabilia (the lyrics to Carry That Weight on Apple notepaper!), but also McCartney's own recollections and analysis. "Mostly, we were writing to the world," McCartney says about I Want to Hold Your Hand.The Lyrics makes it a pure joy to reach out for these songs once again. ― The Sunday Times Book of the Year
the two things it reveals - an unrelenting work ethic and the picture-painting imperative of the storyteller - are the twin pillars of his life's work, as revealed here in random reflections on 154 selected songs spanning 64 years ... it's this up-front abdication of control, of responsibility and ultimately of authorial meaning that makes McCartney's story, and his open-handed attitude to a monumental body of work, so engaging. ― Sydney Morning Herald
With a gravity, reverence and sense of occasion that hasn't been seen since the Levites rolled out the Ark of the Covenant, the complete lyrics of Paul McCartney are published at last ... This vast, absorbing book is studded with McCartneyisms that make you rub your eyes ― Sunday Times
Describing it as a book doesn't quite capture the object. It is two books, two separate volumes, in a gorgeous box. It weighs 8kg on my bathroom scales. It's a big thing of great beauty, and going back and forth through it is a hugely satisfying experience ... no matter where you start, or continue, McCartney seems to be waiting, ready to continue his warm, vivid, erudite stroll through his life and lyrics ... the life - McCartney's - seems more believable when examined in these glimpses. There is a modesty hiding in the book's bulk, and raw, gentle honesty ... There are 154 sets of lyrics in this book, and it's almost impossible to read most of them without hearing the melodies and trumpet bits. But it is well worth trying. Read, not heard, Lady Madonna is a different experience. I read it and thought of Zola's best novels. ― Irish Times
From All My Loving to Your Mother Should Know, the former Beatle illuminates a life spent puzzling how to get from the beginning of a song to its end ― Observer
Paul McCartney never wrote an autobiography. He argued that his remarkable life story is "all in the songs" - the hundreds upon hundreds of timeless, instantly engrossing classics that have become the soundtrack to Western culture. One hundred and fifty-four of these musical gems are gathered in The Lyrics - a gripping commentary on the inspiration for the tunes, their making and the characters they portray. ... McCartney's commentary throughout feels candid, enlightening and at times philosophical. His insight into the makeup and meaning of the lyrics is illuminating and entertaining, adding layers of depth to the already rich texture. ― The Critic
Sir Paul has arranged 154 favourite compositions alphabetically, with lots of glossy photos. But in the essays that accompany each song, his underlying purpose is to affirm his status as a writer ... what fan will not enjoy a meander that feels like a long private audience with one of the Fab Four? ― Economist
Stating in the introduction to this two-volume gift edition that he has no intention of writing a memoir, Paul McCartney presents his songs as the next best thing, leaving us to mine their words as a guide to his life and world view. ― The Times
a feast for the eyes. Dyed-in-the-wool Beatles fans will be bowled over by the sheer profundity of unpublished photographs, previously unseen lyrics sheets, journal entries, paintings, and the like. Indeed, The Lyrics easily represents the finest collection of illustrations associated with McCartney's life and work. And it's beautifully rendered, to boot. Drop-dead gorgeous as books go ― Salon
a rich, enjoyable and beautifully presented treat ― i Newspaper
he provides a fascinating new insight into his life at the time they were written, and the lives of his fellow Beatles ... This, then, is a book for dipping into and sampling at leisure. It allows us to see some of the most familiar songs ever written in new and surprising ways ... [it] will not only thrill Beatles obsessives but fascinate anyone who has ever sung along to a Lennon and McCartney tune. Which must, surely, include half the world or more. ― Daily Mail
The Lyrics is a triumph. It is hugely readable, devoid of rock cliché, and full of fresh stories and opinions that even devoted fans won't have encountered before. The pictures of McCartney and of handwritten lyrics, many of them never previously published, are worth the entry ticket on their own and the quality of the boxed product makes it a tactile pleasure and fun to possess. All that, and its highly original organisation, means you never get bogged down in a period of his life you don't find interesting ... The Lyrics is McCartney at his best. ― The Times
engrossing ... reading it is like watching genius - which McCartney undoubtedly was and fitfully remains - in the process of creation, summoning something out of nothing ― Spectator
The Beatles used to chuck lyric sheets in the wastebasket after recording a song: Linda McCartney fished them out and saved them. The Lyrics is the deluxe version of her scrapbook, a ... handsome, two-volume compendium of Paul McCartney's work as a lyricist, accompanied by photos and Macca's engaging reminiscences. ― Financial Times, Best books of 2021
Paul McCartney's delicious The Lyrics is a treasure trove. Gloriously illustrated with old snaps, posters with the Beatles' bottom-of-the-bill, handwritten set lists, lyrics on scraps and exhausting tour lists criss-crossing Britain. ― Waitrose Weekend
From the Back Cover
In this ext
About the Author
Paul McCartney (Author)
Born in Liverpool in 1942, Paul McCartney was raised in the city and educated at the Liverpool Institute. Since writing his first song at 14, McCartney has dreamed and dared to be different. He lives in England.
Paul Muldoon (External Editor)
Paul Muldoon is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of fourteen full-length collections of poetry, including Howdie-Skelp.
Product details
- ASIN : B08XBXNKZT
- Publisher : Penguin (2 Nov. 2021)
- Language : English
- File size : 170.4 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 623 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : B0D79R15G8
- Best Sellers Rank: 248,219 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 135 in Lyrics in Music
- 225 in Biographies of Pop Musicians
- 277 in Biographies of Rock Musicians
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Since writing his first song at the age of 14, Paul McCartney’s career has been impossibly prolific and singularly influential. In the 1960s, Paul changed the world forever with The Beatles. He didn’t stop there, and has continued to push boundaries, as a solo artist, with Wings, and collaborating with numerous world-renowned artists. He has received 18 Grammys, and in 1996 was knighted by H.M. The Queen for his services to music.
Paul is a dedicated philanthropist, passionately advocating for many causes including animal rights and environmental issues. He's also a very proud grandfather.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read and interesting. They appreciate the honest explanations of the lyrics and melodies. Many consider it a great value for money, with rare photos and visuals included. The book provides a real insight into McCartney's work and life, revealing the true emotion behind his songs. It is a must-have for Beatles fans and a fan favorite.
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Customers find the book easy to read and well-presented. They say it's a great read for Beatles fans, with interesting content and beautiful images. The presentation is impressive and the content is superb.
"A Brilliant read and a great insight to the songs" Read more
"Absolutely stunning!" Read more
"A lovely pair of books, smartly presented. Good mixture of explanatory text with photos and copies of original handwritten lyrics...." Read more
"This is a lovely easy read, for me anyway. Chapters are not too long, you can pick up at any chapter & its still a good read...." Read more
Customers find the book provides insightful insights into songwriting. They appreciate the honest explanations of the lyrics and melodies. The book is a reference for some of the greatest songs written in the last 50 years. Readers also mention it's informative and interesting.
"A Brilliant read and a great insight to the songs" Read more
"...Good mixture of explanatory text with photos and copies of original handwritten lyrics...." Read more
"...Really lovely, honest explanations of his lyrics to the songs of his career & personal life. I would recommend." Read more
"...of photos (of which only a handful will have be seen by us), handwritten lyrics, mouth watering acetates and various other bits and pieces...." Read more
Customers find the book a good value for money. They say it's worth buying in paperback so you can dip in and out. Some reviewers also mention it's a great buy for a man who has everything.
"...of autobiography and there's more than enough here to make this well worthwhile." Read more
"...These books are all very good, sober and very well-written documents of the golden era of rock music..." Read more
"...Well worth a read. (Bought it half price on Amazon so very happy but would have been a little steep at full price)...." Read more
"The exceptional low price persuaded me to purchase this set...." Read more
Customers enjoy the photos in the book. They find the pictures and visuals interesting, including previously unseen photographs and black and white images. The photos also show examples of song words with a picture on the facing page.
"...Inside you’ll find a plethora of photos (of which only a handful will have be seen by us), handwritten lyrics, mouth watering acetates and various..." Read more
"...This book should last a long time. Photos shows example of the song words, with picture on facing page. The back of book, and the front." Read more
"...Lovely insights from Paul and there's pictures and images as well. Definitely recommend as a gift to someone who is a fan or even to yourself." Read more
"...which was great but these books are amazing and are accompanied with lots of great photographs that make it a must for a true fan of the Beatles and..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's gift value. They say it's a great present for Beatles fans, beautifully packaged, and comes in time for Christmas. The book is full of pictures and photographs.
"What a fabulous present for A Paul Mccartney/Beatles fan. Rather expensive but well worth buying paperback as can dip in and out...." Read more
"Ideal Christmas present for a McCartney fan." Read more
"This is the ultimate book for fans of Sir Paul McCartney. Beautifully packaged and full of pictures and photographs, many of which this Beatle-..." Read more
"...Must have and great for present! I will buy more" Read more
Customers appreciate the book's insights into Paul McCartney's work and life. They find it detailed, with anecdotes and photos. The book is described as fascinating and the ultimate guide for fans of Sir Paul McCartney.
"This is a great read and insight on Paul's life, work and general outlook and views on life...." Read more
"...Lovely insights from Paul and there's pictures and images as well. Definitely recommend as a gift to someone who is a fan or even to yourself." Read more
"Interesting insight into the man. Was expecting it to be purely a commentary about the songs but is much more than that...." Read more
"This is the ultimate book for fans of Sir Paul McCartney...." Read more
Customers like the fan base. They say it's a must-have for Beatles fans.
"This is fab for any Beatles lover. Fab read and a lovely keep sake." Read more
"...even at Amazon's price which was half the RRP, but a must-have for any Beatles' fan. Great reading, and in easy bite-sized chunks...." Read more
"...A must for any beatles/wings/mccartney fan." Read more
"...Perfect for any Beatles fan. Get to know the meaning behind the songs, inside stories, and never before seen pictures. So glad I bought it...." Read more
Customers enjoy the music quality of the book. They say it's a great insight into the mind of a musical genius and a must-have for any Paul McCartney fan.
"...He (Paul) is great enough and a superb musician with one of the best two or three musical careers of the last 100 years...." Read more
"Love Paul McCartney’s music so really enjoy dipping into this wonderful collection of lyrics and memories for me...." Read more
"...A great performer. Book a must have for any Paul McCartney fan" Read more
"A great insight into the mind of a musical genius....singing the songs in your head while he tells you how he wrote them....great book...and very..." Read more
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Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 January 2025A Brilliant read and a great insight to the songs
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 February 2025Absolutely stunning!
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2024What a fabulous present for A Paul Mccartney/Beatles fan. Rather expensive but well worth buying paperback as can dip in and out. Only downside I would say is the print is rather small especially as would think a lot of people who would be interested would be in the older age group
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2024A lovely pair of books, smartly presented. Good mixture of explanatory text with photos and copies of original handwritten lyrics. The Beatles-era doesn’t get as much coverage as I thought it would, his Wings and solo stuff gets good coverage, which is no bad thing if you are a fan of his.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2024This is a lovely easy read, for me anyway. Chapters are not too long, you can pick up at any chapter & its still a good read. Really lovely, honest explanations of his lyrics to the songs of his career & personal life. I would recommend.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2021Sir James Paul McCartney, CH MBE, the greatest living songwriter, admits to never having kept diaries, which isn’t strictly true, as there are photos of brief entries, but he does have a rather extensive catalogue of songs (and I’m sure someone else will count how many he has written or co-authored). Stretching to nearly 900 pages, he has now decided the time is right to tell us how 154 of those tunes from his vast treasure trove came about.
Begun in August 2015 but not fully worked on until 2019, it’s presented in alphabetical order across two hardback volumes inside a slip case, each volume has it’s own dust jacket, but you can take those off and have two different covers. Inside you’ll find a plethora of photos (of which only a handful will have be seen by us), handwritten lyrics, mouth watering acetates and various other bits and pieces. Oh, and the songs and explanations how they came to be. Each one is four, six or eight pages, though ‘Yesterday’ is afforded ten, and the whole thing will keep you going for a while.
But don’t think all the pages are taken up with text, as some have a page devoted to a photo of a record or something like a handbill; ‘In Spite Of All The Danger’ being an example of having both sides of the acetate spread over two pages. But at least you can see all of it. Those songs that are in these volumes range from ‘I Lost My Little Girl’ from 1956 through to a trio of selections from ‘McCartney III’. Now, Beatles devotees will know about songs such as ‘Too Bad About Sorrows’ and other tunes he wrote back in the late 50s and [very] early 60s, but what about ‘Tell Me Who He Is’? A mere eight lines long, it was discovered hidden away in a notebook and is alleged to be an unrecorded Beatles song. (Well, that’s what MPL is claiming and who are we to doubt that?)
Expensive? Some might say it is but that’s for you to decide. Remember, anything Beatle related tends to carry a premium, though I can’t see many casual buyers forking out nearly £50 for this; it’s aimed at McCartney aficionados. And most of us will lap it up. It's a shame he didn't include everything he's written but maybe that task would have been too big. The resulting book certainly would have been.
I wonder if Marjorie ever received a response from Paul for her fan letter on page 188?
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2025If you like Paul McCartney's music, this book is a gem you must have at home.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2023This is a great read and insight on Paul's life, work and general outlook and views on life. The main downside for me is when read as a book as opposed to a reference source, it tends to repeat the same detail and information throughout. In particular various aspects of his dad, mum and family, piano lessons, painting, approach to song writing and some Beatle anecdotes etc. Also some of the song selections are a bit curious, maybe as there's a sequel in vaults waiting to emerge at some point.........could happen :-) Still as it's been said by the man himself it's probably the nearest we'll ever get to some sort of autobiography and there's more than enough here to make this well worthwhile.
Top reviews from other countries
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Fernando N. BrandaoReviewed in Brazil on 7 December 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars O que ELE estava pensando...?
Ler "The Lyrics" é ter uma visão privilegiada do que passava pela cabeça de Sir Paul McCartney quando cada letra foi escrita! Uma visão única, pelos olhos e mente do próprio gênio. Você pode optar por ir direto até "aquela" música ou passear por todas elas em ordem alfabética. Não faltarão surpresas nem descobertas. Se você é fã do Beatles, Wings ou dele como artista solo... leia. Se não é, não sabe o que está perdendo!
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Eduardo E.Reviewed in Mexico on 22 February 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars PERFECTO!!!!!
Increíble en todos aspectos.
- David BowerReviewed in the United States on 11 November 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight
This tremendous book has taken me a full week to read and experience cover to cover. What a joy it has been! It is a very candid book about Paul's songwriting processes and the circumstances, relationships, cultures and philosophies that brought them to life. You will also learn a tremendous amount about Paul's worlds, loves and inspirations. Nothing has been whitewashed, his various comments on Jane Asher and John Lennon were startling. As this never pretended to be an autobiography, selective parts of his public life have been omitted as he is of course entitled to do. Such a great book for a McCartney fan, it is at least as good as the Beatles' Anthology, if not better due to the deeper dives.
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BorjaReviewed in Spain on 1 March 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Buena pinta
Aún no lo he podido leer pero tiene muy buena pinta
- Somil Kumar SinghReviewed in India on 15 October 2024
3.0 out of 5 stars Production Quality Of The Paperback Edition is Eceptionally Poor
Content of the book is top notch, gives the reader a glimpse into Sir Paul McCartney's creative process & his musical universe. But the production quality of the paperback edition is exceptionally bad. The paper quality is sub standard and the fonts are so tiny & small that - you may start having a headache while reading this edition.
My advice is - go for the Hardcover version of this book which is a collector's delight due to its superior production, paper and print quality.