HAPPY 80th, SIR PAUL!

I am, as anyone who follows this blog knows, a hard core John Lennon fan: He remains my one true rock and roll hero. But the truth is, preferring John to Paul is like preferring breathing to the beating of my heart. Both are necessary to my existence.

Paul McCartney's music has brought me joy, comfort, and inspiration since I first laid eyes on the Beatles in the fifth grade, when they exploded across America's TV screens on The Ed Sullivan Show. There are a handful of other artists whose work has impacted me as much as Paul's, but none that have impacted me more.

My favorite Paul solo albums?  McCartney, Band on the Run, Tug of War, Flowers in the Dirt, and Memory Almost Full.

Favorite solo songs? In chronological order:

1.  "Junk"

2.  "Every Night"

3.  "Maybe I’m Amazed"

4.  "Too Many People"

5.  "Band on the Run"

6.  "Let Me Roll It"

7.  "Mamunia"

8.  "Let 'Em In"

9.  "London Town"

10. "Waterfalls"

11. "Tug of War"

12. "Here Today"

13. "The Pound is Sinking"

14. "Wanderlust"

15. "Put It There"

16. "Motor of Love"

17. "Calico Skies"

18. "Jenny Wren"

19. "Mr. Bellamy"

20. Medley from Memory Almost Full ("Vintage Clothes/That Was Me/ Feet in the Clouds/House of Wax/The End of the End")

If I had to pick one as my absolute favorite solo McCartney song, it would be the gorgeous, haunting "Waterfalls," which you can hear (and see!) in the video below.  (And how is it Paul looks younger there than he did during the Beatles years?)

Happy 80th, Sir Paul!