Your Top 10 Post-Beatles McCartney songs

It’s only over the last few years that I began to appreciate McCartney’s solo work. Across his official post-Beatles albums, I was wondering which songs strike you as the crème de la crème, ones which never grow old from over-exposure, have the potential to inspire beyond the norm, and where everything comes together to contribute to what might be called “classic” status. In other words, Beatles-esque quality. A brief explanation would be cool.

1. “1985”—so visceral—bypasses brain muscle and heads straight to gut with razor sharp vocal and pounding piano
2. “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”—first heard this on Pure and it changed my mind about what a song could be—magical Macca
3. “Too Much Rain”—centerpiece of a great album—it all comes together here; gorgeous melody, lyrics, sonic texture
4. “Love in Song”—touching slow-burner, almost a deep cut; the pathos of never being able to return to the place where you started as much as you strive to find it (common McCartney theme)
5. “Letting Go”—rolls more than “Let Me Roll It” and sends me in to space!
6. “Wildlife”—wild vocal performance, primitive, not a comfortable listen but takes you out of your (comfort) zone
7. “Wanderlust”—gorgeous melody, and he nails the vocal; lovely harmonies
8. “Junk”—understated pathos, poignant lyrics that speaks to something profound about time passing
9. “The Back Seat of My Car”—I see this along with “Uncle Albert” in part about the generation gap; a moving song and contains all those elements mentioned in "Wanderlust."
10. “Monkberry Moon Delight”—I wanna have what he’s having!

Bubbling under:

"Dear Friend" and “Heading for the Light” (and tons of other songs)

 

I'm not a really big explainer

Junk
Another Day
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
Let 'Em In
With a Little Luck
Tug of War
Wanderlust
So Bad
No More Lonely Nights
Put It There

 

Listen to What the Man Said
Maybe I’m Amazed
Jet
Junior’s Farm
The World Tonight
Calico Skies
Mull of Kintyre
Run Devil Run
Queenie Eye
Live and Let Die

 

Maybe I’m Amazed
Jet
Junior's Farm
BOTR
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
1985
Let Me Roll it
Coming Up (Live)
Too Many People
Live and Let Die

 

I honestly don’t know enough of his solo to make a full list, but some of my favorites

Dear Boy
Dominoes
Tomorrow
Every Night
Here Today

 

Temporary Secretary
Mr. Bellamy
Figure of Eight
Footsteps
Riding To Vanity Fair
Getting Closer
1985
Monkberry Moon Delight
Listen To What The Man Said
Everybody Out There

 

maybe i'm amazed
junk
uncle albert
another day
jet
magneto and titanium man
goodnight tonight
daytime nighttime suffering
temporary secretary
fine line

 

In no particular order:

Band On the Run
Jet
Maybe I’m Amazed
Wanderlust
Too Many People
Live and Let Die
Junk
Calico Skies
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five
No More Lonely Nights

 

1. Daytime Nighttime Suffering
2. Oh Woman Oh Why
3. Cage
4. Waterspout
5. My Brave Face
6. On the Way
7. When the Night
8. Dominoes
9. I Dont Know
10. Figure of Eight (live)

 

In no particular order:

Jet
BOTR
Silly Love Songs
Listen What the Man Said
Uncle Albert
Some People Never Know
Maybe I'm Amazed
My Love
Let 'em In
Live and Let Die


Oops..all from 1970s.

 

Interesting list--and completely different than mine!

 

My list is in no particular order and subject to change:

Junior's Farm
Letting Go
Jet
Flaming Pie
My Brave Face
Tug of War
Off the Ground
Oh Woman, Oh Why
Appreciate
That Was Me

 

Maybe I'm Amazed
This Never Happened Before
Band On The Run
Medley: Hold Me Tight, Lazy Dynamite, Hands Of Love, Power Cut
Venus & Mars/Rock Show (always considered this one, but might be 2)
Uncle Albert?Admiral Halsey
Beautiful Night
My Love
Little Lamb Dragonfly
Live & Let Die

PS: Considering the raving of Egyptian Station, there are a lack of tracks in these lists so far.

 

No particular order and subject to change!

Too Many People
A Love For You
Motor Of Love
Get On The Right Thing
Magneto and Titanium Man
No Values
Through Our Love
Return To Pepperland
Young Boy
C’mon People

Some of those probably could be interchanged with these and I’d be ok with it:

Tug Of War
Waterspout
It’s Not True
Tough On A Tightrope

 

Uncle Albert
Jet
Hi Hi Hi
Beware My Love
So Glad To See You Here
Cafe On The Left Bank
Junior's Farm
Call Me Back Again
Old Siam Sir
Dress Me Up Like A Robber

 

in no order

Fine Line
I Owe It All To You
Try Not To Cry
Spinning On An Axis
On The Way
Road
Despite Repeated Warnings
Give Ireland Back To The Irish
Press
Pipes of Peace

 

Every Night
Good Night Tonight
Too Many People
Heart Of The Country
Eat At Home
Helen Wheels
Maybe I'm Amazed
My Love
Listen To What The Man Said
Another Day

 

In ultra-thrilling descending order!:

10. That Was Me (awesome rocker old-style, and I love how Paul doesn't list all the boring, obvious events in his life)
9. Put It There (probably his best track of the past 30 years; impossible to dislike)
8. Every Night (rare Paul-naked kind of honest, heartfelt lyric; awesome homespun accompaniment and cool melody)
7. Band On The Run (a bit slick for my tastes, as is most of the mid-late 70s' stuff, but this is just a radio classic. Melody and arrangement are fab.)
6. Mull Of Kintyre (this track's an obscurity in North America; awesome folk tune evocative of the mulls of Scotland; indelible melody)
5. Wanderlust (the early-80s Martin collaborations are hit & miss, but this hits every A+ box. Paul and brass seems to usually work well. A classic.)
4. Tommy's Coming Home [w/Elvis Costello] (It's a staggering sign of Paul's lack of critical faculties by the late-80s that he thought all of Flowers in the Dirt was better than this, one of the greatest tracks he ever attached his name to -- including the Beatles' stuff. Amazingly evocative lyric, stunning, haunting track.)
3. Daytime Nighttime Suffering (At least 10 years before the above track, he actually released this one, albeit on a B-side. A staggeringly great track, and yet another feminist type Paul tune.)
2. That Would Be Something (Did this one throw you? I can't say enough about how great this track is. It's the peak of solo performance art with guitar/bass.)
1. Maybe I'm Amazed (The 3rd classic on his solo debut, and maybe his greatest-ever solo cut. Incredibly heartfelt. Passionate. Blood on the track.)


Just bubbling under might be "Eat At Home" (Buddy Holly-like tune on Ram), "Wild Life" (Paul's greatest-ever vocal?), "Mamunia", "Jenny Wren", and "Sing The Changes". I've got a soft spot for "The Other Me" as well, though I don't talk about Pipes of Peace being the second album I ever owned in mixed company.

 

1. Calico Skies-as good as anything Paul has ever done! Musically and lyrically brilliant
2. Wanderlust-simply majestic
3. Band On The Run-a multi-part epic that worked as a hit single too
4. Some Days-sounds like great classical music, with pensive lyrics
5. 1985-I just love how this song builds and builds
6. Back Seat Of My Car-like a mini-rock opera with so many different great parts!
7. This One-an extremely heartfelt song
8. Put It There-touching with some nice guitar
9. Tomorrow-the joy in this song is contagious!
10. Daytime Nighttime Suffering-Paul should have made this the A side

The top 5 would always make my top 10. Many others that could grab the 6-10 spots: Every Night, Uncle Albert, Too Many People, Little Lamb Dragonfly, Live And Let Die, Mrs. Vanderbilt, Jet, Junior's Farm, You Gave Me The Answer, Warm And Beautiful, Mull Of Kintyre, Don't Let It Bring You Down, Tug Of War, Ebony And Ivory, Pipes Of Peace, My Brave Face, Little Willow, Young Boy, Too Much Rain, The End Of The End, That Was Me, Early Days, and Hand In Hand.

That's 33 songs right there!

Paul has a great solo catalog!!!!

 

Now that’s what I call an deep track fan. Well done

 

Been a big fan since forever and Ram is my top fave so...

Long Haired Lady
Every Night
That Would Be Something
Back Seat
My Brave Face-really a coming back to him for me probably for a lot of us. Bought the UK single so I also love
Flying to my Home- so weird and the vocal!
Letting Go
Let me Roll it
Vanity Fair
Dear Friend- can be very emotional for me

There many others but sticking to the rules

 

I grew up in the 60's as a Beatle fan, and where I went to school, you also had to have a favorite Beatle. Mine was McCartney. So I've been a McCartney fan from '64 to the present day. My favorites aren't necessarily going to be the singles, or even the most catchy of tunes. They are tunes that have meant something to me along the journey.

1. Little Willow
2. Every Night
3. Junior's Farm
4. Big Barn Bed
5. Arrow Through Me
6. Man We Was Lonely
7. Junk
8. Venus and Mars (including the reprise)
9. With a Little Luck
10. Somedays

 

Maybe I'm Amazed
Uncle Albert
Let Me Roll It
Junior's Farm
Listen To What The Man Said
Silly Love Songs
With A Little Luck
Ballroom Dancing
Wanderlust
No More Lonely Nights

These all seem like good solid songs. Not a huge fan, but I enjoyed his string of hit singles from 1970 through to 1984.

 

In no order.

Every Night
Too Many People
Dear Boy
Oh Woman Oh Why
Dear Friend
The Mess (Live)
Band On The Run
1985
Beware My Love
Junk

 

Fantastic post and fantastic list ! I love your descriptions and some of the choices I wouldn't have expected. I'm glad to see 'Daytime Nighttime Suffering so high on the list!