The Fab One

As the surviving half of the most important songwriting partnership of the 20th century, what keeps Paul McCartney motivated, and how does he deal with the weight of his own musical legacy? “What keeps me going is my love of music. Beats working for a living,” he tells JONATHAN WINGATE

We were meant to be meeting up near his Sussex studio, but as we get closer to our scheduled interview time, I am told that McCartney has simply run out of time for a face to face, so we have to talk on the telephone. Given that your correspondent is feeling utterly sick with nerves at the prospect of speaking to him, it may actually turn out to be a good thing.

Having recently completed work on Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard, his first album in four years, his 20th studio recording since The Beatles, and arguably his best set of songs since 1989’s Flowers In The Dirt, this afternoon he has to finish off some pre-production work for his forthcoming tour.

In a few hours, McCartney is due to catch a flight to the US, where he will be playing for the next three months. It is his fastest-selling concert tour ever. The legend not only lives on, but seems to be growing as the years roll by.

Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard was recorded in London and Los Angeles over the course of the past two years, and it is a return to basics for McCartney. It is the sort of record that his fans have been waiting for for years – a set of memorable, melodic, deceptively simple songs about love, loss and the passing of time.

McCartney plays most of the instruments himself (drums, …

by Jonathan Wingate
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