Beatles Frontman Paul McCartney Turns 80: A Look at Macca’s Best Songs

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL MCCARTNEY: One of the most influential musicians to be born, Paul McCartney is a legend. Born on 18 June 1942 in England’s Liverpool, Sir James Paul McCartney donned many roles in his professional career. He vocalised, composed and wrote songs, played bass, wrote poems and painted. With more than a dozen international top 10 singles and albums, McCartney is one of the most commercially and critically successful musical artists.

As part of the Beatles, McCartney was part of the revolution that changed music forever. But despite the immense legacy that the Beatles carry even today, McCartney’s own work was often overshadowed by his former band.

Here are some of the best songs by Paul McCartney after the Beatles era:

1. Maybe I’m Amazed (1970)
   The penultimate track on McCartney’s eponymous debut album Maybe I’m Amazed showed McCartney’s inescapable charm even as a solo artist. The rough vocals serve as a delightful contrast to the sparse accompaniments, with McCartney singing about his wife and the sudden collapse of the Beatles. It is no surprise that McCartney himself stated that he wanted to be most remembered for this very song.
2. Band On The Run (1973)
   The title track of the album that the song shared its name with, Band On The Run, came at a time when McCartney’s legacy as a commercial and critical success was coming into question. Band On The Run’s incredible shift in tone twice during its playtime helped propel the track to the top of the charts. With the song, McCartney’s fifth album became a commercial and critical success.
3. Too Many People (1971)
   The title track to his second solo album, Too Many People is McCartney at his smooth bluesy best, singing the sharpest lines. Taking digs at former bandmate John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono, McCartney talked about some of the frustration behind the collapse of the Beatles with his signature sweet melody.
4. The Back Seat of My Car (1971)
   The Back Seat of My Car is McCartney singing with his wife Linda to a tune that could be mistaken for one of the early Beatles’ tracks. “The two lovers are going to take on the world. I always like the underdog,” he said about the song in an interview in 2001.
5. Live And Let Die (1973)
   Live and Let Die was written for the namesake James Bond film. It is one of his most eccentric songs, with a mix of influences from orchestral rock to reggae. The orchestral interlude for the chorus is perhaps one of McCartney’s most interesting compositions.