Paul McCartney Reveals his Songwriting Secrets - BBC Radio "Sold on Song" - 17 September 2005
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มี.ค. 2021
- In an interview recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Paul talks songwriting with Mark Radcliffe.
Originally broadcast on Saturday 17 September 2005 on BBC Radio 2 as part of their "Sold on Song" series.
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He says here that he wrote "She Loves You" in a hotel bedroom with John, but in his carpool karaoke he says that he wrote it in his childhood home with John and then they showed it to Paul's dad. Does anybody know which it actually is?
Paul and John started writing ‘She Loves You’ on 26 June 1963 in a hotel bedroom before a gig in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. They finished the song the next day at Paul’s house and this is where the account of them showing the finished song to Paul’s Dad comes in.
Thus, in this interview (at 03:38) Paul is speaking about starting writing the song with John in the hotel. In Carpool Karaoke Paul is talking about the following day when they finished the song in Forthlin Road and played it to his Dad.
[Source: ‘Many Years From Now’ pages 149-150 by Barry Miles, published 1997]
@@ClarkKent768 Awesome! Thanks for the clarification.
@@Arrowtotheknee88 No problem, thankfully the sequence of events is clearly documented in the book 'Many Years From Now'.
It is amazing to think that John and Paul started writing 'She Loves You' on Wednesday 26 June, completed and played it to Jim McCartney the following day on Thursday 27 June and then The Beatles recorded it at Abbey Road between 5.00pm - 10.45pm on Monday 1 July 1963. Complete. Finished. Amazing.
[Sources: 'The Complete Beatles Chronicle' pages 114-115 by Mark Lewisohn, published 1992 and the aforementioned ‘Many Years From Now’ pages 149-150 by Barry Miles, published 1997]
@@ClarkKent768 A history-making song indeed. Tom tom fills in and the song is on it's way. Magical.
@@ClarkKent768 Is it true that Jim McCartney asked them to change the lyrics to "she loves you, yes, yes, yes", or is that an urban myth?
Paul reveals his songwriting secret - “I have no idea how I do it”.
Dedicated effort over a certain period of time without changing direction. It seems like it just happened, but he's refined it day by day. That's the secret.
Him and Lennon picked up dozens of writing techniques and skills from over 10 years of gigging and absorbing different styles of music and songs. When they started to sit down and write, the techniques came to them with ease and fit together like a puzzle. Those techniques will be revealed in an upcoming book called SongMatrix by Wayne Chase
Baloney. Paul the original didn't say that. You are all nuts. Makes me tired of the Beatles at this point, reading all of these lies. PID RIP 1942-1966
@@gm4789 LOL!
Its just an amazing gift. Geniuses don't so much learn they just can. I think part of them has a hard time understanding the fuss and bewilderment, because from them its just an effortless flow.
In 300 years, people will still talk about this man, the way we talk about Mozart and Beethoven still.
they'll talk about the beatles as whole, not just Paul alone. I think they'll be talking about Michael Jackson too.
Really, this imposter?
They'll be talking about Billie Eilish the same way.
@@synthguy7774 definetly not
@@synthguy7774 *Billie Eyelash the mumbling kid they said 'If you trash Trump every time you get in front of a camera we'll give you some Grammys?' That Billie Eyelash?
It's a hobby?! The most successful 'hobby' in history.
Great comment!!!
And the most profitable! ....
and the most transcendent!
A good lesson that we should love our work.
Check out Max Martin.😉
obviously its a hobby
I really enjoyed listening to this interview. The interviewer was really good. He didn't interrupt - he just let Paul talk and tell the story of the songs.
This is how all good interviews should be - focusing on the interviewee not just trying to impress .
Mark Radcliffe and Mark Riley AKA 'Mark and Lard' were the best DJ's ever
amazing how rare a quality that is in interviewers. all you have to do is shut up but most can't even do that. and they do it for a living!
It's Mark Radcliffe doing the interview just incase some of you young 'uns or non UK folks didn't realise - a real muso at heart (like John Peel, another great, rip). DJ's and hosts these days are egotistical arses along with nearly all other 'celebs'
Howard Stern are you watching this?? Please watch and learn Howard..
It is amazing that Paul can still make it fresh, having answered very similar questions for decades.
This man has practiced being unbelievably famous for 50 years. He is a virtuoso interviewee at this point. Love him!
I expect it's very easy if you're really interested in yourself :-)
@@theclarkey100 I guess that would make sense just dismissing your own million dollar Creations as "Hobbies"
@@masonbhunter2 He's not the real Paul McCartney.
@@ULOVEKYLE Yes, there was a lookalike competition held in 1966 and that's how they got William Campbell. You talk about songwriting skills, the imposter can't answer any detailed questions about his own songs and he went on to form Wings. You tell me, do you think the songs of Wings are anywhere near as good as the Beatles? Most people would agree Wings are atrocious - so it seems a massive flaw in your argument, you have a world class songwriter who turns into a useless songwriter and you think I've got a low IQ. LOL
What a spectacular life this man has lived.
Yeah....thank god this genius of a musician was born.....I can't imagine getting through my teens back in the 60s without the Beatles.....
Still living. He released a new album last year. It reached no. 1 at one point in December. Same week that Ringo Starr's recent new song was no. 1 on a streaming chart. In 2020.
.
.
Lost his mom as a kid. Not all spectacular, from his point of view
"Please write an album in a week." - "Ok!" - Those unique pressures led to some incredible songs.
Lennon & McCartney: the greatest song-writing duo in history.
Fagen and Becker the best songwriting duo too!
George Harrison got pretty solid. Something, while my guitar gently...
@@scott1182 Whoever they are. Not going to Google it.
@@scott1182 My point was that, if I cared who they might be, I would go to the bother of Googling them. Never heard of them and don't care who they are. If they were "better than Lennon and McCartney", they would be world famous by now. They are not.
@@scott1182 Are you serious? ABBA was nothing more than elevator music, aka Muzak. And it's you're, not your.
I dont really think a genius can ever truly explain his artistic talent.....such as the gift for music that Macca has....he is a very special human, 'nuff said.
Who is Macca? Please. 😎
@@bartonknight2254 Macca is Paul McCartney's nick name.
@@bartonknight2254 Hmm I wonder..............I wish there were some clues.
@@Gunn27 I'm kind of a dumb blonde. Thanks for letting me know... I still am. Peace. Blessings.
pop music in its time they called it classical later like theyre doing with classic rock now My point is if paul and stevie wonder lived in that time theyd do symphonic works too like mozart would do rock if he were born in 1940s and picked up an electric guitar like paul did Psul even erores songs in irving berlin style like when im 64 or honey pie
This is probably one of the best interviews with any of The Beatles that I've ever heard !
Very interesting to listen to. Paul McCartney seems to be so relaxed and willing to share his thoughts
and views on their songwriting.
And the interviewer is a dream !
Every song writer would benefit from this. So direct, so poignant, simple and profound. Paul is just gold.
Yep..........aaaaand thats why I am here. Anyone who writes songs understands very quickly how good of song writers they were and I personally use their model for some songs. 2 verses, chorus, small bridge, quick solo, 1 verse, revisit chorus, vocal outro (things like "no no no" or "yeah yeah yeah"). Their song structure was excellent.
I also sit and fiddle with chords when I am trying something new because its the quickest way to really hear how the song will sound. You are right so many has borrowed from them and still do. Excellent band.
"I strum the piano as well."
Do you not?
Well, they are both string instruments...
"We started off listening"
Probably one of the most important quotes here. He doesn't know how he does it because it is intuitive, and I'm sure a huge reason for that is they loved music deeply, which makes it really hard to fake it.
He listened a lot. Then tried a lot. He became fluent as a musician much as a child becomes fluent in language... not through analysis and music theory... but from the unconscious mind that absorbed what he'd heard and the heart to express what he felt.
The more music you listen to, the more sources of inspiration you have to pull from, consciously or not
An example : One day McCartney was in a taxi on his way to Lennon’s home. The taxi driver told McCartney that he was working so hard, it felt like he was working “eight days a week”. When McCartney got to Lennon’s house he had most of the song “Eight Days a Week” already in his head.
Paul inducted Brian Wilson into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. Each admires the other. Some misguided fools try to paint Brian and Paul as jealous rivals but they've been friendly with each other for 60 years. The world is a better place having creative musical giants like these guys.
I wish this was at least an hour long. It's brilliant and Mark Radclife is excellent. Gives Macca the room to talk. Fascinating stuff.
I love picturing Ringo saying to John & Paul, “Nah, I don’t like that one.” 😛
Haha, probably never happened
Well, there's "If You've Got Trouble". Ringo says in the middle "Ah, rock on... anybody!" They all knew it sucked.
In the new Plastic Ono Band re-release there's some amazing 'documentary' tracks where you can hear Ringo in the studio telling John he doesn't like the way a track is being played
I doubt Ringo had that much pull on making decisions lol
In a fit of rage Pete Best vetoed Love Me Do, Please Please Me, and From Me To You and voted to replace them with his original songs: I Want To Be A Baker, I Kneed You and Bun In the Oven. He was promptly and unceremoniously sacked the next day.
MacCartney is the 20th century's Mozart. Effortlessly perfect.
Mozart's unmatched composer
@@hannibalclark6111 You can say that about Bach, Stravinsky, Debussy, Beethoven, Wagner, Elgar.....Don't compare popular music to classical. They have very different rules!! Songs are 'sung' where the music has to invoke the meaning of the lyric. Then there is the fact if you bring into popular music the old sounds of say Mozart the masses REJECT it! What the Beatles did was take all these old forms and rework them into popular music that was irresistible and the opposite of rejection. Just as revolutionary as Mozart!
Definitely.
Nobody as prolific and consistent with writing wonderful songs.
@@stephennicholas1590 Dylan?
lol
The most solid and substantive interview I have ever heard with one of them. The interviewer was clearly not star-struck. He was just genuinely curious and thoughtful about what questions he asked, and how he asked them.
Yes I agree - Mark Radcliffe handled this perfectly, thanks for commenting :-)
Ask me how I love my woman and I can sing like a bird, too.
Yes - plus he let Paul speak as he pleased. I recently heard a young lady interview another great song writer, Jackson Browne. It could have been great but she kept interrupting him and interjecting herself into the interview. This one with Paul was so different and very refreshing.
“It kind of worked...” = Greatest Band of All Time
Everybody always cites Lennon's Intellect, but Paul matches him in smarts, I gather. He's a pretty sophisticated dude.
Way I always heard it described, John was one of intense simplicity. Paul, on the other hand, was always more refined/mature
Probably not a whole lot of thought went into picking Paul beyond being impressed with his knowledge of some chords, lyrics, and seeming generally aware. But credit John for recognizing the quiet dynamo Paul was and listening to him and sharing the band with him. If any of the other 3 had the front personality of John the band wouldn’t have lasted a year.
That’s a really good point that if any of the other 3 had John’s personality they wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. Paul seemed a lot more .... open and laid back to work with? There’s an easiness to his creating that is hard to find. John would probably not work well with another John.
Paul is very modest...they were so good their first take was great..most mortals have to fine tune the idea. Tweak it before it sounds decent...Paul had a deep musical background which was a wealth of possibilities..from Blackbird to Lady Madonna..geeesh...He is the most talented. Writer...always very catchy melodies..and bass parts...God Bless Him for sharing .his gift
They made each other great with that awesome competitiveness they had going. Their respect for each other made them want to impress the other so badly and we got to benefit from the results.
songwriting comes so natural to him he cant explain it really
That's not really the case. He is truly gifted....with patience!!! which is what most musicians lack. He has the patience to noodle around with the piano and guitar for HOURS, which most musicians give up after 20 minutes. That's why he's able to pop out great music and obviously they'd become even greater since he bounced them back to Lennon and then become even greater when it would get bounced to George Harrison, Ringo and of course George Martin. That combination is what made them.
@@bassinblue tomatoes tomatos
Hugely refreshing interview. Especially as a songwriter myself. It’s nice to know that the greats have similar process, doubts and obliviousness to how it all comes into being
Thanks to the interviewer for not interrupting, great stuff in this interview. You can tell the guy is a real fan like everyone listening, good stuff
This is one of the best interviews I've heard
Glad you enjoyed, thanks for commenting :-)
I'd heard many of these songwriting details before ,but Sir Paul always manages to surprise you with new and fresh bits of their amazing creativity.
Crazy to think that this dude is still around today and kickin’, even though he and the Beatles were so monumentally influential and around my age in the 60’s.
"To work at not having a method." Perhaps the most important thought in art/media?
Perhaps
Which I interpret as "Don't become reliant on, or overuse, any particular technique or strategy if you want to stay fresh and creative"
I've dreamt up dozens of hit songs, but then I woke up.
There are no songwriting tricks that one can learn from someone else. My ideas come to me from a divine source. I started writing songs when I was 8 years old. Today, I produce my own songs in my recording studio because no one can envision my ideas as a final product the way I can. My advice to all songwriters out there is to follow your own instinct. Learn music production techniques from others so you can use them in your own creative process, but don't try to please anyone's taste. Be bold and brave in your creativity or it will never reach its unique artistic apex. Once I finish my songs, I do pay attention to which songs people like most. For example, my song "Cute Dude" is always men's favorite - men of all ages, races, and music preferences. I can't ignore that.
Would love to hear your music
@@oscargutierrez4439 Thanks, Oscar. Make sure you subscribe to hear new songs that I will post in the next couple of weeks. I have 4 songs total on my channel right now (I know you heard Cute Dude and liked it). God bless you.
Thank you Irena.I agree with what you've said.
I’m just grateful that Paul shared his hobby with us.♥️♥️
Paul has a song for every beat of his heart!
wouldn't be Paul if he didn't mention dreaming up Yesterday or Let It Be
Ya gotta love him for who he is.
If I dreamt up yesterday I'd tell absolutely everyone...bar none lol.
Paul and John never had a dry session when they worked together. We'll never see the like of them again. Providence of some kind!
I would like to have heard more on how George and Ringo contributed to the songs because they just didn't sit around twiddling their thumbs. I've only heard how George would hear the song and tell John and Paul that the song "just needed something" and would add the sitar riff in Norwegian Wood and the guitar riffs in And I Love Her. The tunes started out as either Lennon or McCartney compositions but in the studio became a group effort. All four of them were very lucky to be in The Beatles.
Ringo wasn’t a lyricist. But we know that when the music was being discussed or they were trying chords, or “this eight bar” he was in the thick of it. Because his drums were the base and the heartbeat of the songs. I have no doubt Paul, John and George asked him, and listened to his input.
It was a four man collaboration when it came to that.
I so agree with you.
Good point ... Absolutely right mate.
Rings would often times provide song content or titles like Hard Days Night or Tomorrow Never Knows
Paul describes the 4 Beatles as 4 corners of square, didn't work without any of them holding down one side.
This is gold - what a great interview!
Thank you for posting this. That's the inspiration I need!
I've heard all the interviews snippets and seen all the clips. I think this is the purest. Bravo!
Just watched Ringo promoting his album and book enjoyed seeing him and now Paul fabulous 🙏
What a fantastic little interview!
It's an interesting one isn't it? Thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated :-)
Their level of collaboration feels really inspiring, all these many years later. Beautiful stories. Thanks for this.
This was so helpful. I’m thankful this is out there for anyone who loves making music
John and Paul are a genius team wrote together so many tunes, I love the way you both bounced off each other, And remembering these snippets, all that Paul writes the way he does so interesting, genius or apart the music is sensational, Steve
I like his stories. I like all the Beatles individual's stories, such fun.
Amazing interview! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for uploading this gem 👌
I am forever in your debt
He makes it sound so bloomin easy.
The best advice I ever got was from another artist, who gave me this advice: just do it, every day. At first, you're probably going to stink. But you'll get better and better. Eventually you'll be good enough. But, him saying that I'd hate my stuff for 3 years(!) is what made me OK and not angry; a beginner is often going to stink.
@@DavidSmith-ss1cg Good advice. I've been feeling like a beginner all my life. Maybe thats a good thing.
....it is easy to a genius......✌🏻
I just read that the fellow musician that Bob Dylan admired the most was Paul McCartney
because he always seems to be able to make good melodies that flows so naturally and easy.
Such great questions and follow-up questions. I’ve been a student of the Beatles, and Paul especially, for 4/5 of my life. What a fantastic window into his process. I love that there really is no “method” or “secret” to it. He just follows the muse.
Great interview. Learned more in the last 6 months, than in the last 58 years.
Best Paul interview I’ve ever heard.
When he comments on the approval process -- this is really the key to great songs. Getting approval from those people you trust. It can be something as simple as the nod of a head.
oh what a great interview and how he describes how they would write songs... Thanks for posting it!
Happy to know you enjoyed it, thanks for commenting :-)
Amazing interview. I'm fascinated by the songwriting process (I've been an utter failure at it so far myself), and this is the most insightful interview on the subject that I've ever heard. Loved the part about having all the Beatles, including George Martin, sign off on every song, and likening that to quality control. Paul is so honest and unpretentious here.
What an interview! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting :-)
@@ClarkKent768 :)
What a great interviewer !
Pure Genius. A musical treasure 💙🤗
I loved this interview. What an absolutely genuine, modest and self-effacing man Paul McCartney is - given that he's one of the most popular songwriters and performers ever. And the interviewer deserves credit too, for posing such tantalisingly open questions...
a brilliant interview!
Glad you enjoyed, thanks for commenting :-)
It’s only recently that teaching the art of writing has become a business.... in reality one either has a natural feel and passion to create or not. It cannot be taught, this interview illustrates that perfectly. 😊
Well said
Of course it's hard to compete with people who wake up in the morning
with a classic, most iconic song bussing around in their head.
Absolute nonsense, what makes you think songwriting can’t be taught?
@@nox4298 Just listen to today’s music. Those workshops must be turning out rubbish judging by what’s on the radio.
@@johne1599 that statement implies that the music played on the radio is the only new music out there. You realise Spotify has 14+ million tracks uploaded to it every year?
Very interesting interview! Thanks for uploading
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting :-)
Great interview! Paul's the best.
That was the best interview with Paul that I’ve ever heard.
the greatest living (or dead) songwriter of all time. forget the fame and success and just look at the body of work. he's never stopped, and still going strong. simply unbelievable.
So true.... the longevity of his career is remarkable. Thanks for commenting :-)
Bach, Beethoven etc. were classical composers, not singer/songwriters. Comparing him more to Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein... McCartney in my opinion not only had more mass appeal, but a broader diversity in his writing. It's always a subjective topic, but you have to at least qualify for the category.
I mean if he's dead, they both are one of the greats.
Priceless to hear him describe his process. This is a good time right here.
Thanks for your comment :-)
Fun! It's a joy to hear this conversation. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting :-)
awesome... thank you for this
Glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting :-)
These pictures are so classy black and white great interview
Thanks, really appreciate your comment :-)
Paul in fine form. Just two guys talking. The interviewer had great questions and knew how to give Paul space to reminisce.
I totally agree, the interviewer (Mark Radcliffe) did a great job! Thanks for commenting :-)
The best interview for songwriters.
One of the most intelligent Beatle interviews of that time.
Thoughtful questions asked with answers actually listened to.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Paul McCartney. I am old. So their music is from my day. I could listen to him for hours. Hopefully people understand how lucky we are to still have this man giving great interviews like this. To this day he can still put out an amazing album.
It's cool that older people can appreciate them too.
Old in relation to what? Music is timeless, so is your soul. Eternal. Beatles? Eternal. Good is good regardless of what season of time it was created in. Good is good forever. And you are forever too. So......”old”? Nah. :)
Check out Mary Lou by the Creative Force, amazing!
At 7:05.... "there's no cassette...If we forget it tomorrow.... how can we expect the public to remember it?" Wow!
Very good interview. One of his best. Fast paced. Matter of fact. Lotta good ground covered. Lean.
That was a great interview, much better than a chat show.
Writing is a gift. That's the hard truth. You either have it or you don't. Macca had it. We simply say, "thanks Paul."
Your not kiddin..exactly
I think you're right. I mean compare what John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote to what Noel Gallagher wrote say. You can tell his songwriting was learnt rather than instinctual. It was good but it didn't flow in the way very natural songs do.
Writing can also be a curse, once you start you can't stop- its like music!
I’ve tried to write songs and “Croon to the Moon in June” comes out. Three chords of course... It’s a mystery.
@@jones848 I agree with the original comment but Noel Gallagher not being a natural songwriter is just not true. He’s easily one of the best British songwriters since the Beatles and George Martin himself even said he’s the best songwriter of his generation. Real recognise real I’m afraid
That's one of the hardest things about writing songs, After you write it, you have to figure out if you actually wrote it.
Nowadays it should be easy to check since melodies can be analyzed by computer algorithms to see if they match with other melodies. Surprised we still have plagiarism lawsuits !
This has helped me so much.
You are a very talented singer and songwriter yourself! Thanks for your comment and please everyone check out JessiLu's channel... :)
Why would anyone hit the thumbs down button for an interview. It’s straightforward and not negative; he’s not bragging; it’s not political; etc. I don’t get it.
The greatest pop song writer of all time!
That's a proper interview! It's awesome when people ask him about HOW he did something impossible (to most of us), like writing Yesterday.
This is fascinating. Great catch.
He is so right on the money. Love the Beatles. Really miss them together. Glad Paul and Ringo are still around.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Paul
I've heard many artists talk about writing songs; one of 'em spoke of Lou Reed, who was always listening for an interesting line or bit. Sir Paul says the same, that a song generally begins with a spark, an idea.
Thanks for sharing !!!!
Thanks for commenting, glad you enjoyed :)
Great post. Interviewer did a great job.
Thanks for commenting :-)
Yeah, he's totally right on-you have to start with the music. If you already had a theme, say "lonely girl wasting away into suicide" or a whimsical "how do I know I'll make a mistake, well how do I know I'll NOT make a mistake" before you'd written any melody for it, the words might lead into okay music but chances are the music would then be bound more by the words than vice versa (if you start with music and see what that evokes). Write on Paul!
This is not the first time Paul has appropriated other people's melodies. He always said he played the solo in Michelle and never mentioned that the solo was written by George Martin (and played by Harrison) and the chorus was by John. Thus Michelle should be credited as Lennon-McCartney-Martin. By the way, Martin's solo became the most popular fragment of the song in arrangements for orchestras.
THANK YOU 💗😊
Great interview! Thank you for posting this. I always thought John wrote Paperback Writer. Probably because he published a book. Just goes to show, you never know. Thank you Paul for letting the world see inside The Beatles creative process and how your lives really were in those days. Who ever thought we’d be talking about the 1960s in the year 2021? WOW! Their music will be the “Classical Music” of the 20th Century. I expect their legacy to live on for centuries.
There is no controversy over Paperback Writer. That was always Paul and Lennon never said it wasn't. But there are disputes. In 1980 before his death Lennon did a Playboy interview and said the music and words for In my Life were almost totally his and Paul only helped with the middle eight but Paul now claims he wrote all the music for that song except the beautiful keyboard part George Martin came up with. There are other disputes also but that is the biggest one so far. I have not read Paul's Lyrics book but reviewers say Paul is now claiming to write some of the "read the news today oboy" verses in A Day in the Life that Lennon said were his. Also George and John have claimed alot of the lyrics in Eleanor Rigby and Paul says he wrote most of that song's lyrics. You never know and we never will know about some of these songs.
It is no secret y'all. Called talent. In some cases genius.
He writes songs the same way I write stories. That's awesome! :D
It's an interesting insight into his creative process... follow your instinct... thanks for commenting :-)
and the Good Ones write themselves...
Absolutely fascinating
Great interview!
"Why do you still do it?"..."because I love it".Probably the only way you can achieve true greatness.I know Lennon gets credit for his razor sharp wit but Paul is a beautiful storyteller and definitely John's interllectual equal.
"All five of us had to sign off on it", Harrison fans take note, there was plenty of stuff by Paul and John that didn't make the cut. Their editing process was phenomenally successful.
Their throw away songs could probably be the greatest hits compilations of many groups.