THE SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
Winner of Non-Fiction Book of the Year, British Book Awards (Nibbies), 2022
A self-portrait in 154 songs, by our greatest living songwriter
'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.'
In this extraordinary book, with unparalleled candour, Paul McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career - from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present. Arranged alphabetically to provide a kaleidoscopic rather than chronological account, it establishes definitive texts of the songs' lyrics for the first time and describes the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now. Presented with this is a treasure trove of material from McCartney's personal archive - drafts, letters, photographs - never seen before, which make this also a unique visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
We learn intimately about the man, the creative process, the working out of melodies, the moments of inspiration. The voice and personality of Paul McCartney sings off every page. There has never been a book about a great musician like it.
Each volume is 480 pp, not available separately
Über den Autor McCartney Paul
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Paul McCartney's career has been impossibly prolific and singularly influential. In the 1960s Paul changed the world with The Beatles. He has continued to push boundaries as a solo artist and through collaborations with world-renowned artists. He has received 18 Grammys, and in 1997 was knighted by H.M. The Queen for his services to music. Paul is also a dedicated philanthropist and a very proud grandfather.With a background in animation, Kathryn has interned with Pixar Animation Studios in addition to working with various children's book publishers. When she is not illustrating books, she may be found playing the accordion, growing vegetables, folk dancing or putting on shadow puppet shows. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her grumpy mini dachshund named Chili Dog.
