From Bob Dylan to Prince: Paul McCartney reveals the 10 songs that have soundtracked his life
Paul McCartney has named the ten songs that soundtracked his life in a new radio interview.
McCartney is set to be a special guest on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years, which will air as a special broadcast at 5pm on May 25th.
Subsequently, after the full episode has been released, portions of the show that find McCartney waxing lyrical about these ten songs that mean so much to him will be aired during Vernon Kay’s mid-morning programme between May 26th and May 29th.
The ten selection finds McCartney looking back at his early years, which is a theme that encapsulates his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which is set for release on May 29th.
McCartney’s first selection on Tracks of My Years sees him take it back to the 1950s with Gene Vincent’s ‘Be-bop-a-Lula’. His following three selections, Chuck Berry’s ‘Maybelline’, Buddy Holly’s ‘That’ll Be The Day’, and Elvis Presley’s ‘All Shook Up’, also see him stay with this era.
Next, McCartney moves to the ’60s, singling out The Kinks’ classic track, ‘You Really Got Me’, as well as his favourite song of all-time, ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys’, and ‘Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan, another artist of huge influence on him.
There are also two songs from the ’80s that make McCartney’s list, picking out ‘Don’t You Want Me’ by Sheffield electronic pioneers The Human League, and Prince’s ‘Kiss’.
While McCartney has earned the right to include songs from his own catalogue, whether this be solo, The Beatles, or Wings, he nobly chose against doing so. However, his final selection saw him honour his late friend and bandmate John Lennon with ‘Imagine’.
Announcing the interview on his BBC Radio 2 show, Kay told listeners, “Yes Paul McCartney! Paul McCartney has done Tracks of My Years – it was awesome. As a music fan myself, sitting down with one quarter of the Beatles. Paul McCartney who has had an amazing solo career as well.”
Telling listeners what to expect from the conversation, Kay added, “It was special. We were excited and you know what, Paul did not disappoint. What a lovely lovely fella. Really personable, asked lots of questions. We got on like a house on fire…we laughed, we giggled. It was quite emotional at times because I’m sat opposite blooming Paul McCartney.”
He admitted, “And there was a moment where the room just fell silent. I couldn’t hear what Paul McCartney was saying because I was just in a trance starring at his face. And in my head all I said to myself was ‘It’s Paul McCartney…it’s Paul McCartney.’ His lips were moving but I didn’t hear anything. It’s Paul McCartney…I’m sat opposite Paul McCartney.”
As McCartney prepares to release his first album in more than five years, his media commitments in the coming weeks also include Saturday Night Live on May 17th, which will see him serve as musical guest with Will Ferrell on hosting duties.
See his full ten selections below.
Paul McCartney on the 10 songs that soundtracked his life:
- Gene Vincent – ‘Be-bop-a-Lula’
- Chuck Berry – ‘Maybelline’
- Buddy Holly – ‘That’ll Be The Day’
- Elvis Presley – ‘All Shook Up’
- The Kinks – ‘You Really Got Me’
- The Human League – ‘Don’t You Want Me’
- Prince – ‘Kiss’
- Bob Dylan – ‘Mr Tambourine Man’
- The Beach Boys – ‘God Only Knows’
- John Lennon – ‘Imagine’
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