To actually read Paul McCartney's poems, whether exuberant love ballads or poignant messages of deepest grief, is to revel in the sheer power of language and to appreciate the electrifying confluence of dream and song. Indeed, his words are as pure and magical as we remember them. Here, in his first collection of poems and lyrics, McCartney emerges with a dreamlike yet thoroughly mature voice that confirms his stature as one of the most original and best-loved poets of our time. Inspired by his late wife, Linda McCartney, Blackbird Singing gives us extraordinary access to the inner life of one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century culture. The poems here demonstrate, against an acknowledgment of the solitariness of existence, an irrepressible belief in the power of words and music "to take a sad song and make it better."--Publisher description.

"An unprecedented kaleidoscopic view into the creative process of one of the greatest songwriters of all time, the #1 New York Times bestseller The lyrics includes: The now-standardized lyrics of 161 songs that span more than 70 years, from Paul McCartney's earliest songwriting days to the present, including beloved standards like 'Blackbird' and 'Hey, Jude,' post-Beatles classics like 'Band on the run' and 'Live and let die,' and seven songs added specifically for this paperback edition. In addition to intimate, autobiographical commentaries, more than 100 images from McCartney's personal archives, including hand-written lyric sheets, letters, memorabilia, and many previously unseen photographs. A personal foreword, in which McCartney recalls the formation of The Beatles and candidly discusses his relationship with his parents, John Lennon, Linda Eastman, and a wide range of other people" -- Page [4] of cover.

"A work of unparalleled candor and splendorous beauty, The Lyrics celebrates the creative life and the musical genius of Paul McCartney through 154 of his most meaningful songs. From his early Liverpool days, through the historic decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his long solo career, The Lyrics pairs the definitive texts of 154 Paul McCartney songs with first-person commentaries on his life and music. Spanning two alphabetically arranged volumes, these commentaries reveal how the songs came to be and the people who inspired them: his devoted parents, Mary and Jim; his songwriting partner, John Lennon; his "Golden Earth Girl," Linda Eastman; his wife, Nancy McCartney; and even Queen Elizabeth, among many others. Here are the origins of "Let It Be," "Lovely Rita," "Yesterday," and "Mull of Kintyre," as well as McCartney's literary influences, including Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Alan Durband, his high-school English teacher. With images from McCartney's personal archives--handwri