Sir Paul McCartney is releasing a memoir which tells his life story through his lyrics
Sir Paul McCartney is releasing a new book titled ‘The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present’.
The Beatles legend will recount his life and career in the upcoming book through the medium of 154 songs written at various stages of his career, including lyrics penned when he was a young boy, as well as during his time in The Beatles and Wings, and his solo career so far.
In a statement about the book, McCartney said: “More often than I can count, I’ve been asked if I would write an autobiography, but the time has never been right. The one thing I’ve always managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs. I know that some people, when they get to a certain age, like to go to a diary to recall day-to-day events from the past, but I have no such notebooks. What I do have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I’ve learned serve much the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life.”
The songs featured in the tome will be ordered alphabetically rather than chronologically, and the completed work will establish definitive texts of the lyrics for the very first time.
McCartney’s book will also describe the circumstances in which the songs were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now, as the lyrics will be accompanied by never-before-seen material from McCartney’s personal archive, including drafts, letters, and photographs.
He added in his statement: “I hope that what I’ve written will show people something about my songs and my life which they haven’t seen before. I’ve tried to say something about how the music happens and what it means to me and I hope what it may mean to others too.”
‘The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present’ will be released on November 2, 2021, and will be priced at £75.00