McCartney’s Greatest Post Beatle Songs

Some people continue to claim Macca has done nothing significant since 1969. This opinion is not borne out by the facts.

Maybe this view is due to the occasional piece of nonsense he puts out such as, Mary Had A Little Lamb and that damn Frog Song. A Lennon filter might have made him see sense before getting into the studio.

The Lennon influence may also have sharpened up some of Macca's occasionally anodyne lyrics — My Love and Ebony and Ivory come to mind.

McCartney has been unafraid to experiment, which hasn’t always worked— he’s released 5 classical albums and the slated soundtrack album, Give My Regards To Broad Street. He’s had several collaborations, such as The Firemen, that don’t always resonate with Beatle fans.

However, the argument that a great deal of McCartney’s best work happened after The Beatles is easily evidenced.

Go direct to the albums Band on The Run, Ram and Flaming Pie. Or his huge catalogue of incredible solo hit singles — My Love, Live and Let Die, Helen Wheels, Hi Hi HI, Venus and Mars, Listen To What The Man Said, Waterfalls, Jet, Band On The Run, No More Lonely Nights and so many more. We see an artist who has remained at the top of his game.

We all know these classic albums and singles prove conclusively he has remained a force after The Beatles. But it’s the songs that are less well-known that really demonstrate that his solo music is every bit as good as his Beatle compositions.

These lesser-known great songs provide the ultimate proof that Paul McCartney is one of the greatest composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

[See the end of this article for the full Spotify playlist]

1. Only Mama Knows — Memory Almost Full, 2007

The playlist kicks off with a rocker that would not have been out of place on any of the later Beatles albums. It comes with loads of 'Beatley' minor chords, a 'Beatley' key change for the chorus and a searing guitar riff.

It’s based on a true story of a friend of his who was brought up in an orphanage.

2. The Song We Were Singing — Flaming Pie, 1997

After working on The Beatles Anthology, McCartney recorded Flaming Pie. He said working on Anthology reminded him of the high standards The Beatles set.

The result was one of McCartney’s best post-Beatles albums and The Song We Were Singing is about his great memories from the sixties.

3. Magneto And Titanium Man — Venus And Mars, 1975

This song was the B-side of the Venus and Mars single from his Wings days. McCartney was into Marvel comic books at that time so wrote a song about them. And why not?

4. Calico Skies — Flaming Pie, 1997

We return to his great Flaming Pie album for the next track. Calico Skies refers to the idea that fate is written in the stars and love protects us from our innermost secrets — those we don’t want to divulge. A Blackbird-style song every bit as good as that Beatles classic.

5. Despite Repeated Warnings — Egypt Station, 2018

McCartney was also on top form for Egypt Station — №1 in the USA and №3 in the UK. The cover art for the album was by McCartney who is also an accomplished painter. Is there nothing he can’t do?

This track refers to the dangers of climate change and how many politicians are not doing enough or believe it to be a hoax — “The captain won’t be listening.”

The song switches styles part-way through in the style of A Day In The Life.

6. Golden Earth Girl — Off The Ground, 1993

This incredible piano-led song is primarily an ode to Linda McCartney. It also touches on John and Yoko, particularly in the use of Lennon-style surreal lyrics — “Fish in a sunbeam” and “Eggshell seas.” A genius at work.

7. Here Today — Tug of War, 1982

Tug of War was McCartney’s first album after the death of John Lennon. It was produced by George Martin so the Beatle feel continues. This beautiful acoustic song is an imaginary conversation with his dear departed friend. It features a string quartet similar to that used on Yesterday in classic George Martin style.

McCartney often becomes emotional when singing this in concert. It’s as good as anything he did with The Beatles. Chills in the neck time.

8. Hope of Deliverance — Off The Ground, 1993

This was the lead single from the album but was only a minor hit. McCartney describes the song as having a religious context. He’s never played it live and I have no idea why not, it’s brilliant.

9. Somedays — Flaming Pie, 1997

What an album Flaming Pie was. Somedays is a classic McCartney acoustic/string ‘slow-y’ that invokes the ambience of Eleanor Rigby with a tiny echo of Penny Lane. If it had been on a Beatles album, we'd all be talking of this one as a classic in the same breath as Eleanor Rigby.

It tells of trying to look into the soul of someone you’re in a relationship with but you can’t succeed.

10. Young Boy — Flaming Pie, 1997

Young Boy is one of McCartney’s most ‘Beatle-y’ solo songs. It would not be out of place on Help or Hard Day’s Night. It even features the standard doo-wop type chords similar to This Boy and Mr Postman.

Young Boy is catchy and bouncy and an obvious choice for the single from this incredible album. And yet, it struggled to №19 in the UK charts and the US record company never even bothered to release it.

It’s utterly brilliant.

11. My Valentine — Kisses From The Bottom, 2012

Paul McCartney has earned the right to record what he wants and Kisses From the Bottom was McCartney experimenting with something slightly different. It’s an album of jazz-type covers that includes, I’m Going to Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, Inchworm and Paper Moon.

His core fan base probably wanted McCartney originals. But. There were two self-penned songs on the album. This one stands out. He wrote it on Valentine’s Day for his wife Nancy after listening to a pianist play old standards in a hotel foyer in Morocco. It’s a hidden gem.

McCartney’s post-Beatles classics

I hope to never again read that Paul McCartney never wrote anything good after he went solo. Case closed with this list.

Here’s the full Spotify playlist of Paul McCartney’s lesser-known post-Beatles works of genius.

An earlier version of this article first appeared on medium.com.