PAUL MCCARTNEY PUBLISHES "THE LYRICS" COLLECTION
London, November 2021: Paul McCartney's new book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present" is published on November 2nd, accompanied by a one-off Q&A event at the Royal Festival Hall on November 5th, plus a free exhibition of at the British Library from November 5th to March 13th 2022.
Paul McCartney commented, "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 new book, with unparalleled candour, 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.
Paul McCartney has also announced his first live event in over two years with a "world exclusive" book talk at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall for his new collection The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present. "The Lyrics" features songs from all stages of McCartney's career including 'Blackbird', 'Live and Let Die', 'Hey Jude', 'Band on the Run' and 'Yesterday.' 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."
Meanwhile The British Library commented, "Showcasing previously unseen material from Paul McCartney's personal archive, our free Entrance Hall display celebrates the life and art of one of the world's most successful songwriters and performers. The lyrics and photographs span his career - from his earliest compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present.
Open for everyone, this display accompanies the Beatles' lyrics featured in our free Treasures Gallery alongside works by his literary inspirations Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and Virginia Woolf. The display includes highlights from the 154 songs included in "Paul McCartney - The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present" published by Allen Lane.
Paul McCartney website: www.paulmccartney.com
The British Library: www.bl.uk/events/paul-mccartney-the-lyrics#
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