The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

The Lyrics is a collection of 161 songs by Paul McCartney, paired with intimate, autobiographical commentaries on his life and music. The book spans seven decades, from his early Liverpool days to Wings and his long solo career. It includes vignettes re-creating the working-class Liverpool of McCartney's youth, as well as his early literary influences. The two most powerful presences in the book are his songwriting partner, John Lennon, and his 'Golden Earth Girl, Linda Eastman McCartney.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 624 pages
Publication date: 07 November 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

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 age of 17, he fell in love with Linda, who would become his wife and the mother of his children.

The Lyrics is a remarkable achievement, a testament to McCartney's unparalleled talent as a songwriter and a storyteller. It is a book that will be cherished by music fans for generations to come.

Weight: 1006g
Dimension: 153 x 230 x 39 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781802064223