Paul McCartney Announces First Autobiography ‘The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present’
‘I’ve tried to say something about how the music happens and what it means to me and I hope what it may mean to others too’
Paul McCartney has announced the release of his autobiography The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present.
Available to buy on November 2, 2021, the book offers an intimate and heartfelt look at the career and life of McCartney through the medium of the 154 songs that he wrote.
Born in Liverpool, in 1942, McCartney will utilize these songs to recount his life and art 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.
“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” McCartney said.
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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.
The Lyrics serves as the first autobiography the musician has ever written. By detailing his journey in this manner, fans will learn more about the man behind the music, understand his creative process as well as how his experiences have informed him as he continues to evolve as one of the UK’s finest musicians.
Pulitzer prize winner, Paul Muldoon, who edited and introduced The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, said “Based on conversations I had with Paul McCartney over a five-year period, these commentaries are as close to an autobiography as we may ever come. His insights into his own artistic process confirm a notion at which we had but guessed — that Paul McCartney is a major literary figure who draws upon, and extends, the long tradition of poetry in English.”
The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present will be available to buy on November 2 and can be pre-ordered here.
