respect the classics

Paul McCartney Wrote a 900-Page Memoir About His Lyrics

Photo: Dave Benett/WireImage

Okay, this is a rare instance where a book should actually be longer than its current page count. Rolling Stone reports that quar album legend Paul McCartney will be publishing a 960-page memoir called The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, in November, which is described as a “self-portrait in 154 songs.” For the endeavor, McCartney provided robust commentary and history for some of his most famous Beatles, Wings, and solo songs, which will be organized alphabetically and paired with never-before-seen visuals from his archive. (Such as cute band photos and private letters.) “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,” McCartney said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “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.” We’re hopeful that we won’t be hearing the famous “Hey Jude” story for the millionth time, and instead learn, well, how maybe “Jet” has literally been about a plane this entire time.

Paul McCartney Wrote a 900-Page Memoir About His Lyrics