Paul
We recorded Paul McCartney on the finale of SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special and watched it last night. I’m sure many of you saw it too.
I’m not going to post a link. I don’t wanna put it out there any more than it already is. You can find it on your own quite easily. I haven’t gone on social media to check out the inevitable reactions. I’m not sure I can bare it.
Sir Paul was barely into the first verse of “Golden Slumber/Carry That Weight” when, reclined in my ‘lazy girl,’ I sat straight up and held my hand over my mouth. There were no words. Except for a few “Oh my God”s from Adam on the couch,.
Maybe it was just some phlegm? No..His voice skipped and strained through the entire performance trying to reach notes that used to come so effortlessly.
I can hear you. Of course, singing is not the same when you’re 80. But even when Paul is hoarse, which he often is these days, he manages to pull it off. Not even close. 😞
I wrote something a number of years ago after he penned “Freedom.” Say what you want (and I’ve loved him madly since I was 7) it was a bad song from albeit THE most prolific and fluid Songwriter ever. I caught much flack so I wimped out and deleted the post. And so … I hesitate to go there again but…
Last year I heard Bruce Springsteen sing “Thunder Road” on acoustic guitar. He humbly told us in advance that he was losing his voice and he might not make it through the song. We were duly warned. Prepared. Silently we cheered him on. Ironically Paul introduced Bruce that evening. He witnessed how Bruce disclaimed what his squeaky performance was about to sound like.
Apparently, (while not scrolling social media 😬) it was reported that Paul performed 3 consecutive concerts on the 3 nights proceeding the SNL show. That would explain it. The truth? PR? I’m not going to fact check.
What’s done is done. Will we remember this? Yes. But it’s just a blip at nearly the end of what will be 60 years+ of an unfathomable body of work from a beloved human. Right? Didn’t he earn the space to come out and give us what he’s got without judgment?
Or … could somebody that loves him dearly softly advise him to stop. Or slow down. Or… if there were 3 concerts in a row before SNL perhaps that someone-who-loves-him-dearly could suggest Paul ask Ringo to fill-in for the finale. I’m sure Ringo would have hopped on a plane. His plane. Or Paul’s.
As I tap away in my driveway “Helter Skelter” comes on the radio. Or the Sirius. Whatever.
When I get to the bottom … I go back to the top of the slide … Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride … Until I get to the bottom and I see you again … Yeah Yeah Yeah….
There were dozens of tracks on which Paul shred his vocal cords. And how many times did he sequester himself in the studio determined to get “Maybe I’m Amazed” just so? When you shred like that for decades you’re going to sound like Paul did on SNL. Would we trade those decades for anything? I don’t think so. And I don’t think he would either. But a little Bruce-like warning would have helped. 😳
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⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️Live at Glastonbury Music Festival 2004 ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️