#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A Washington Post Notable Book
Excerpted in The New Yorker
A work of unparalleled candor and splendorous beauty, The Lyrics celebrates the creative life and the musical genius of Paul McCartney through his most meaningful songs.
The Sunday Times bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Year, now in paperback
‘Paul McCartney says this is as close as he will get to an autobiography and no wonder – his life is in every line of these songs ... pure joy’ Sunday Times, Book of the Year
With seven songs added for this edition: ‘Bluebird,’ ‘Day Tripper,’ ‘English Tea,’ ‘Every Night,’ ‘Hello, Goodbye,’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘Step Inside Love’
Spanning seven decades – from his early Liverpool days, through the historic decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his long solo career – Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics has transformed the way artists write about music, pairing the definitive texts of 161 songs with intimate, autobiographical commentaries on McCartney’s life and music.
Arranged alphabetically, these commentaries reveal the diverse circumstances in which the songs were written, how they ultimately came to be, and the remarkable – often ordinary – people and places that inspired them. Dozens of vignettes re-create the working-class Liverpool of McCartney’s youth, where delivery boys ran parcels on docks, as in ‘On My Way to Work,’ and elderly ladies in the neighbourhood inspired ‘Eleanor Rigby.’ McCartney also introduces us to his early literary influences, among them Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll and Allen Ginsberg, as well as Alan Durband, his beloved English teacher, and his mother, Mary, who passed away when he was just fourteen – and whose memory has infused his work ever since.
Yet the two most powerful presences in The Lyrics after the author himself are his songwriting partner, John Lennon, and his ‘Golden Earth Girl,’ Linda Eastman McCartney. Here McCartney describes how he met John at a church fête in 1957; their adventures with George Harrison and Ringo Starr in the early 1960s; and how, at the end of the decade, they, and The Beatles, broke up. Thus began a second act of now more than fifty years, with Linda and family life as driving forces – inspiring songs from ‘Maybe I’m Amazed,’ written just after the breakup of The Beatles, to the 2012 ballad ‘My Valentine,’ addressed to McCartney’s wife and partner, Nancy Shevell McCartney.
Edited and introduced by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Paul Muldoon, and enhanced by more than a hundred images from McCartney’s personal archives – including handwritten texts, mementos, and photographs – and seven new song commentaries, The Lyrics is a book for the ages, and the definitive literary and visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
'Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget for the rest of my life.'
In 2020, an extraordinary trove of nearly a thousand photographs taken by Paul McCartney on a 35mm camera was re-discovered in his archive. They intimately record the months towards the end of 1963 and beginning of 1964 when Beatlemania erupted in the UK and, after the band's first visit to the USA, they became the most famous people on the planet. The photographs are McCartney's personal record of this explosive time, when he was, as he puts it, in the 'Eyes of the Storm'.
1964: Eyes of the Storm presents 275 of McCartney's photographs from the six cities of these intense, legendary months - Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and many never-before-seen portraits of John, George and Ringo. In his Foreword and Introductions to these city portfolios, McCartney remembers 'what else can you call it - pandemonium' and conveys his impressions of Britain and America in 1964 - the moment when the culture changed and the Sixties really began.
1964: Eyes of the Storm includes:
- Six city portfolios - Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and a Coda on the later months of 1964 - featuring 275 of Paul McCartney's photographs and his candid reflections on them
- A Foreword by Paul McCartney
- Beatleland, an Introduction by Harvard historian and New Yorker essayist Jill Lepore
- A Preface by Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and Another Lens, an essay by Senior Curator Rosie Broadley
'It's semi-devotional -- a really special place' Florence Welch
'There are certain things that are mythical. Abbey Road is mythical' Nile Rodgers
Many people will recognise the famous zebra crossing. Some visitors may have graffitied their name on its hallowed outer walls. Others might even have managed to penetrate the iron gates. But what draws in these thousands of fans here, year after year? What is it that really happens behind the doors of the most celebrated recording studio in the world?
It may have begun life as an affluent suburban house, but it soon became a creative hub renowned around the world as a place where great music, ground-breaking sounds and unforgettable tunes were forged - nothing less than a witness to, and a key participant in, the history of popular music itself.
What has been going on there for over ninety years has called for skills that are musical, creative, technical, mechanical, interpersonal, logistical, managerial, chemical and, romantics might be tempted add, close to magic.
A work of unparalleled candour and splendorous beauty, The Lyrics celebrates the creative life and the musical genius of Paul McCartney through 154 of his most meaningful songs.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
Winner of Non-Fiction Book of the Year, British Book Awards (Nibbies), 2022
A self-portrait in 154 songs, by our greatest living songwriter
'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. 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.'
In this extraordinary book, with unparalleled candour, Paul McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs 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. 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. Presented with this is a treasure trove of material from McCartney's personal archive - drafts, letters, photographs - never seen before, which make this also a unique visual record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
We learn intimately about the man, the creative process, the working out of melodies, the moments of inspiration. The voice and personality of Paul McCartney sings off every page. There has never been a book about a great musician like it.
'It's semi-devotional -- a really special place' Florence Welch
'There are certain things that are mythical. Abbey Road is mythical' Nile Rodgers
Many people will recognise the famous zebra crossing. Some visitors may have graffitied their name on its hallowed outer walls. Others might even have managed to penetrate the iron gates. But what draws in these thousands of fans here, year after year? What is it that really happens behind the doors of the most celebrated recording studio in the world?
It may have begun life as an affluent suburban house, but it soon became a creative hub renowned around the world as a place where great music, ground-breaking sounds and unforgettable tunes were forged - nothing less than a witness to, and a key participant in, the history of popular music itself.
What has been going on there for over ninety years has called for skills that are musical, creative, technical, mechanical, interpersonal, logistical, managerial, chemical and, romantics might be tempted add, close to magic.
As the Chillers explored, Lucy spotted a picture of Nandude, their adventurous grandmother.
"When will we see her again?" asked Bob.
"Perhaps we could go on an adventure to find her!" said Em . . .
Grandude and the Chillers are back!
Jump aboard Grandude's magical green submarine and join the quest to find Nandude, following her musical trail around the world and deep beneath the sea.
From the legendary Paul McCartney's unique imagination comes this action-packed, rip-roaring adventure. Packed full of strange surprises, playful Beatles references, and heart-warming family fun.
Celebrate the fun grandparents and their grandchildren can have together, even if there is a bit of distance keeping them apart.
Praise for New York Times Number 1 Bestseller Hey Grandude!
A charming tale from the music legend - with the most glorious illustrations that will be enjoyed by old and young - THE SUN
Inspired by his own experience of being a 'Grandude' of eight, the picture book sees four youngsters and their grandfather travel the world on a host of magical adventures. Accompanied by Kathryn Durst's colourful illustrations, it is sure to take pride of place on any little one's bookshelf - OK MAGAZINE
In 2020, an extraordinary trove of nearly a thousand photographs taken by Paul McCartney on a 35mm camera was re-discovered in his archive. They intimately record the months towards the end of 1963 and beginning of 1964 when Beatlemania erupted in the UK and, after the band's first visit to the USA, they became the most famous people on the planet. The photographs are McCartney's personal record of this explosive time, when he was, as he puts it, in the 'Eyes of the Storm'.
1964: Eyes of the Storm presents 275 of McCartney's photographs from the six cities of these intense, legendary months - Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and many never-before-seen portraits of John, George and Ringo. In his Foreword and Introductions to these city portfolios, McCartney remembers 'what else can you call it - pandemonium' and conveys his impressions of Britain and America in 1964 - the moment when the culture changed and the Sixties really began.
1964: Eyes of the Storm includes:
- Six city portfolios - Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and a Coda on the later months of 1964 - featuring 275 of Paul McCartney's photographs and his candid reflections on them
- A Foreword by Paul McCartney
- Beatleland, an Introduction by Harvard historian and New Yorker essayist Jill Lepore
- A Preface by Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and Another Lens, an essay by Senior Curator Rosie Broadley
Cecil Beaton called him the best photographer in Britain; Lord Snowdon declared him a genius. It is no exaggeration to say that Angus McBean revolutionized portraiture in the 1930s. McBean was the most prominent theater photographer of his generation and, along with Beaton, the last of the British avant-garde studio photographers.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most successful actresses and singers in the history of show business,Hermes Press is proud to announce the publication of DORIS DAY - IMAGES OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON, featuring rare and previously unpublished photographs from the late star's personal collection.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 3, 1922, Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff had dreams of becoming a professional dancer before a near-fatal car accident during her teen years left her bed-ridden with a shattered leg for over a year. While listening to the radio during her recovery and becoming entranced by jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, Doris embarked on singing lessons for two years, resulting in her becoming a local radio star and joining big bands -- where she adopted the stage name of "Day" -- leading to a plum position with the Les Brown Orchestra.
While touring cross-country with Brown, Day had several hit records with the band, culminating with the end-of-World-War-II anthem Sentimental Journey. After two failed marriages and giving birth to her son Terry, Doris relocated to Los Angeles where she was discovered by famed film director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) and signed to a contract with Warner Brothers.
Starting with the 1948 Technicolor musical Romance on the High Seas, where she introduced the Oscar®-nominated hit song It's Magic, Day quickly ascended to the top of the most popular stars in Hollywood. While continuing her recording career, she moved effortlessly between song-filled, nostalgic features such as Calamity Jane - introducing the Oscar®-winning hit Secret Love; gripping film noir (Storm Warning); musical biography (Love Me or Leave Me); a Hitchcock thriller (The Man Who Knew Too Much) and modern romantic comedies with Rock Hudson (Pillow Talk), Clark Gable (Teacher's Pet), Cary Grant (That Touch of Mink) and James Garner (The Thrill of It All).
Despite not making a film since 1968, Day still holds the record as the number one female box-office star. Her many honors include the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry, the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Lifetime Achievement, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an Academy Award® nomination for Pillow Talk and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her films and recordings continue to appeal to audiences all over the world. The iconic Oscar®-winning hit Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be) was not only the theme to her top ten television series The Doris Day Show but has resonated globally with several generations.
A lifelong animal lover and pioneering animal welfare advocate, Day focused her later years on her heart's passion--making this a better world for animals and the people who love them. Her celebrity voice has been instrumental in reducing shelter euthanasia, introducing spay/neuter initiatives, lobbying for laws that protect animals, and many other programs. Since 1978, the Doris Day Animal Foundation has grown into a national non-profit animal welfare leader and continues to carry on Day's legacy.
DORIS DAY - IMAGES OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON offers hundreds of photos, including glamorous publicity portraits, behind-the-scenes images with famous friends and colleagues, and glimpses into her personal life. Longtime fan Paul McCartney has
contributed a Foreword. Turner Classic Movies host Eddie Muller and singer-historian Michael Feinstein have contributed appreciations of Day's motion picture and singing careers, respectively. A complete filmography and discography are also included.
Celebrate the fun that grandparents and grandkids can get up to in this action-packed undersea adventure—a companion picture book to Paul McCartney’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hey Grandude.
Grandude’s inventions are the stuff of legend, and his new green submarine doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it flies as well as submerges! Grandude whisks the grandkids off on another adventure, but he and the Chillers soon find themselves in a pickle. Suddenly, it’s Nandude to the rescue! Nandude is an explorer as courageous as Grandude, with an amazing accordion-ship to boot! Between Grandude’s magic compass and Nandude’s magical music, everyone arrives home safely. But not before enjoying a parade, dancing rainforest animals, and a narrow escape from a grabby octopus. This tale is perfect for little explorers and Paul McCartney fans alike! Artist Kathryn Durst returns with glorious, humor-filled illustrations that are as beautiful as ever.
Celebrate the fun that grandparents and grandkids can get up to in this action-packed undersea adventure—a companion picture book to Paul McCartney’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hey Grandude.
Grandude’s inventions are the stuff of legend, and his new green submarine doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it flies as well as submerges! Grandude whisks the grandkids off on another adventure, but he and the Chillers soon find themselves in a pickle. Suddenly, it’s Nandude to the rescue! Nandude is an explorer as courageous as Grandude, with an amazing accordion-ship to boot! Between Grandude’s magic compass and Nandude’s magical music, everyone arrives home safely. But not before enjoying a parade, dancing rainforest animals, and a narrow escape from a grabby octopus. This tale is perfect for little explorers and Paul McCartney fans alike! Artist Kathryn Durst returns with glorious, humor-filled illustrations that are as beautiful as ever.
