Paul McCartney Explains Why He Likes to Be ‘Hidden Away’ While Writing Songs
At 80, Paul McCartney is still writing new songs that only add to his legendary discography. Despite creating many of the most iconic rock songs, the former Beatle is still self-conscious about others hearing him while songwriting, and he prefers to be “hidden away.”
Paul McCartney does enjoy collaborating with other artists
McCartney has been solo for much of his career. However, he had the most success when he and John Lennon created songs for The Beatles. In a conversation with Phoebe Bridgers on her Instagram Live, McCartney said he enjoyed working with Lennon because the two were honest with each other and they would make the other person’s song better.
“Nowadays, now that he’s passed away, I will check my songs with him,” the “Yesterday” singer shared. “So, you know, we were very good at telling each other. ‘That didn’t work.’ ‘This doesn’t work.’ ‘So let’s change it.’ And that was a nice thing. It’s always great when you change it because often you get something better.”
Paul McCartney prefers to write songs without others listening
While Paul McCartney has written and composed many of the best rock songs, he still gets self-conscious about his music when it’s in his early stages. Even with his family, he worries that somebody could listen and think it sounds terrible. So, he prefers to lock himself away in a private area to prevent anyone from hearing him.
“I was just saying to my Nancy [his wife], the other day… I had to work on something, I needed a melody and some words. And I said, you know, normally I’ll find the furthest away closet, in the house, where no one’s going to hear me, or an outbuilding, or the furthest most remote bedroom. Just so I don’t feel anyone’s listening to me, because if I feel someone’s listening, I’m always very inhibited. I’m thinking, ‘God, they’re gonna think I’m terrible.’ Because when you’re writing, you’re goofing around. And it doesn’t always just work till you find the line. So I like to be hidden away.”
McCartney has never figured out a precise method for songwriting
Paul McCartney has been writing songs for over 60 years, but he still lacks confidence in his abilities. In an interview with NPR, the “Band on the Run” singer said the songwriting process is never the same. He has to start at the bottom almost every time, and he often tells songwriting students that he doesn’t know how to do it.
“There is no sort of point you just think, ‘Okay, now I can do it, I’ll just sit down and do it.’ It’s a little more fluid than that,” McCartney admitted. “You talk to people who make records or albums and you always go into the studio thinking, ‘Oh, well I know this! I’ve got a lot of stuff down, you know, I write.’ And then you realize that you’re doing it all over again you’re starting from square one again. You’ve never got it down. It’s this fluid thing, music. I kind of like that.”
