Paul McCartney/Wings-song by song thread

Souvenir - awesome! This certainly isn't a typical McCartney song and performance. It reminds me a little of That Day is Done. Strong lyrics and once again his older sounding voice introduces a bit of vulnerability that adds to the poignancy of the performance. Musically, I love the guitars throughout and the great little coda: 4.5/5.

Well done Chris Evans! His irreverence makes this so much more fun than the typical McCartney interviews.

 

Souvenir 3.5/5
A song I never really had on my radar but it's really good. Could have been a vintage R&B hit enhanced by some rockin' guitars.

 

Souvenir: 5/5

And we are back to perfection after the Used To Be Bad wipeout. I like the nice power crunch groove with the guitar. Paul still belts out the goods too. There’s almost a Let Me Roll It quality to this song but Souvenir is definitely heavy duty. I like it.

 

SOUVENIR - After laying down some AWESOME TEXAS BLUES, McCartney KEEPS THE EXCELLENCE GOING! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SONG! I've said many times I love McCartney in BLUE EYED SOUL MODE and he delivers one of his best here! It has a SOULFUL GOSPEL feel to it, especially with what sounds like a CHOIR at the end! Imagine in his VOCAL PRIME McCartney performing it that way! This would be an absolute monster performed live! This great song is a SOUVENIR INDEED!

 

Souvenir is one of the weaker songs on FLAMING PIE, which does not equal bad. It is OK, just a bit less distinguished than so many of the other songs. I give it a 6/10 rating.

 

Souvenir.
A nice song with a really nice melody. Every time I hear the intro my brain tries to connect it to another song with a similar melody, but it never quite manages it. Anyway, good stuff.

 

Souvenir may be my favorite track on Flaming Pie. There is a chord change that surprises and moves me still to this day. I just looked up the chords online, so I can't vouch for their accuracy, but it starts out with F & C - very standard stuff, but on the phrase "and your memory" it unexpectedly jumps to an E7. It is such an evocative and emotional change for me. And Paul makes it sound natural instead of jarring, but it still puts the listener off balance, slightly unsettled. He stays with minor chords (Am Cm) through the lines "seems like just so many souvenirs, I will come to..." and lands on a G chord, a very comforting change for the word "you". Now we are back to nice major chords (D) for "to ease your pain." That just works so well. The emotional impact of the chords match the lyrics beautifully.

Souvenir is a top tier McCartney composition.

 

I find this with a number of Macca tunes.
Read a review of some album of his where the writer said one of the songs sounded so much like some other song that it probably was the other song. He added he couldn't for the life of him figure our what it might have been.
Such is McCartney's skill.

 

NEXT ONE
Little Willow
This one stand out for me even on an album clockfull of outstanding songs
In fact Little Willow on a given day might be my favorite McCartney song of them all. It certanly is one of them
A simple but absolutely fantastic melody, a spare but still multilayered-layers arrangement and heartfelt lyrics makes this a masterpiece of sorts. For some reason the music reminds me of Brian Wilson at his best
This song contains all the qualities that made me like Pauls music in the first place. Sad, uplifting and comforting at the same time
Masterpiece

“Little Willow” was written early 1995 as a tribute to Maureen Cox, the first wife of Ringo Starr, who passed away on December 1994; it was released on 1997 album “Flaming Pie“. From the liner notes of the album:

‘Little Willow’ was written after Paul learned of the death of a dear friend. He created the song not only as an immediate personal response to the sadness but, hopefully, as a salve for his late friend’s children. The studio recording, begun ten months later (on the day the The Beatles Anthology 1, with “Free As A Bird” was released), is an eloquent combination of voice and instrumentation, Paul’s work being augmented by Jeff Lynne.

“I wanted to somehow convey how much I thought of her. For her and her kids. It certainly is heartfelt, and I hope it will help a bit.”

Paul McCartney, in Club Sandwitch n°82, Summer 1997:
A good friend of mine died, someone we all loved, so I wrote a song that conveyed my mood. It’s heartfelt – instead of writing her kids a letter I wrote a song. It was a very sad day for all of us, and Jeff Lynne and I gave it our all in the studio.

Mark Lewisohn, in Club Sandwich n°82, Summer 1997:

‘Little Willow’ is an achingly touching ballad written by Paul upon hearing of the death of a close friend, whom the McCartneys visited in hospital and continued to keep in close contact with until she died. Being on holiday at the time, and therefore out of reach, Paul wasn’t given the news for some days, but instantly created ‘Little Willow’ not only as a personal response to the sadness but, hopefully, as a salve for his late friend’s children. The studio recording, begun ten months later (on the day that The Beatles Anthology 1, with ‘Free As A Bird’ was released), is an eloquent combination of voice and instrumentation, Paul’s work being augmented by Jeff Lynne.


At the end of 1997, “Little Willow” was included in a tribute album to Diana, Princess of Wales, who had died in August the same year.

A promotional video directed by John Schlesinger was shot in September 1997, and premiered in December during the second airing of the Oprah Winfrey show.

Last updated on May 1, 2018

 

Little Willow is another small masterpiece. Every so often Paul finds the perfect words. This is one that can make me cry.

 

I'm sure I read ' Little Willow ' was written in memory of Maureen Starkey , Ringo's wife , who died of cancer around this time.
I hope that is true. A beautiful eulogy.
" Thanks , Mo "

 

Little Willow - in a word, beautiful. It's a shame it isn't more widely known.

Once again, his mature voice really adds pathos to the song. I particularly like the subtle keyboard embellishments throughout the song. Did Jeff Lynne really produce this? Wow!

This one just surpasses Calico Skies for me and is a high 4.5.

 

Little Willow 10/10

Perfectly realized song. Not meant to be a hit, but meant to have deep resonance and tap into deep emotions, both of which it does beautifully.

 

I like “Souvenir”, Paul in his “Call Me Back Again” mode. I like the sort of incomplete sounding guitar line in the song that actually works well.
Nice arrangement overall in my book.

“Little Willow” is an entirely different level of work in my world.

I’ve read all the glowing comments here regarding “Calico Skies” and I like it also but
“Little Willow” is the acoustic based song that hits me the hardest.

It seems effortless in its beauty, with wonderful lyrical imagery and an understated sense of love and encouragement that I find compelling.

When I learned about its connection to Maureen and her kids it just increased my respect for the subtlety of the lyric.

For me “Little Willow” and “ Somedays” are Paul’s last two undisputed world class ballads, equal to any ballads he’s ever done.
That’s not to say I don’t love some of his later beautiful melodies , but for me, these two are toppermost of his later melodic poppermost.

 

Goin through Flaming Pie it s astonishing how many quality-songs that s included
Just amazing

 

And this is precisely why it's a much better album than anything he released in the 80s as I mentioned earlier.
Yes , Macca Men , it is really better than and superior to the overrated ' Tug of War '
And don't even get me started on how much better it is than ' Ram' , the most overrated album in The Beatles assembled discography.

 

Little Willow.
Gorgeous. Such a sweet tribute to Maureen Starkey. Another understated production that works tremendously.

 

Keep... calm... breathe... it’s just his opinion... breathe...

 

Aren't there any female participants on this thread? I thought for sure we had at least one gracing us with her presence.

 

Not as familiar with Paul’s later work to give my thoughts but I’m still following along!

 

Glad to have you along and I hope this thread gives you a change to explore these later years.

We're not calling it a renaissance period from here on out just because we are all googly-eyed for Paul music!

 

Heaven On A Sunday

A relaxing song with a peaceful performance, great vocals, lyrics and melody. Interesting guitar work, a conversation between father and son, that gives us a wonderful sound. As a composition is a philosophical expression of life, to enjoy the simple moments, to love someone, to connect with our feelings.

Lyrics:

Peaceful, like heaven on a Sunday
Wishful, not thinking what to do
We've been calling it love
But it's a dream we're going through

And if I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose

Restful, like Devon on a Monday
Cooling, my finger in the bay
We've been learning a song
But it's a long and lonely blues

If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose

It's peaceful, like heaven on a Sunday
Wishful, not thinking what to do
We've been calling it love
But it's a dream we're going through

And if I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
You'd be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love
Yours would be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love

You'd be the one I'd choose
If I only had one love


Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne
Written by Paul McCartney
Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Solo, Backing Vocal, Bass Guitar, Drums, Electric Guitar, Fender Rhodes, Harpsichord, Lead Vocal, Percussion, Vibraphone by Paul McCartney
Backing Vocals by Linda McCartney
Electric Guitar Solo by James McCartney
Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar by Jeff Lynne
Engineered by Geoff Emerick, Jon Jacobs
Assistant engineer: Keith Smith
Label: Parlophone
Release Date: May 5, 1997
Recorded at Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Length: 4:26 minutes

Paul's own words + video:

From In The World Tonight Film, at 12:15:

 

Tug of War ... yes ... but Ram ... nooooooooooooo!

 

Ok...Macca People , then. Doesn't have the same ring to it.