Sir Paul McCartney's new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, offers fans a rare and revealing glimpse into his memories of youth. During a special listening event at Abbey Road Studios, a select group of fans and The Mirror were treated to Paul's thoughts, ideas, and inspirations for each song. Here is a track-by-track guide, with descriptions and insights from the Beatles legend himself.
As You Lie There
The opening track came about almost by accident. McCartney met producer Andrew Watt for a cup of tea to discuss working together and explained how he sometimes plays "any old chord" and tries to build a song. The meeting extended into a couple of days, and they finished this love song inspired by a girl named Jasmine from his childhood neighbourhood. "I was at that age where it was 'if only'," Paul recalled.
Lost Horizon
This lost song was discovered by the late Eddie Klein while transferring cassettes to DAT. Paul had forgotten he wrote it and joked that if not for Eddie, "dat could have been dat." The track was resurrected and reproduced in a similar mid-tempo vein, with lyrics about shared memories bringing people closer together. "We didn't need to do much else," Paul said modestly.
Days We Left Behind
The first single from the album, released in March, is about Paul playing as a child on the Mersey Shore and bird watching. "I like this one, well I like all of them," Paul said, making it clear this is one of his favourites. The song features Paul's natural, imperfect voice, which enhances its charm.
Ripples in a Pond
An upbeat love song written for his wife of 15 years, Nancy. It describes making ripples on a pond and seeing how far they go. The drum-heavy, poppy sound was requested by Paul to make him "sound like Justin Bieber."
Mountain Top
Written after Paul returned from Glastonbury, this track is "a bit trippy," as he describes. Lyrics mention magic mushrooms "speaking to you," with tape loops and a distinct sound different from the rest of the album.
Down South
A song about hitchhiking with George Harrison and later with John Lennon. Paul recalled starting in Chester, where many lorries headed south. The nostalgic lyrics talk about adventures "before we learned to twist and shout," featuring just Paul and an acoustic guitar.
We Two
The Beatles used a Studer four-track tape machine, limited in the number of instruments. Paul explains the technique of "bouncing down" tracks to free them up. As an experiment, he returned to using a four-track machine, resulting in a "very full" sound.
Come Inside
Paul was brief on this one: "It's basically a rocker, not much more to say except it's terrific." Enough said.
Never Know
Made in Los Angeles, Paul wanted a "dreamy LA sound." The track features heavy guitar riffs and woodwind instruments.
Home to Us
The duet with Ringo Starr almost never happened. Ringo was "miffed" after laying down drums for producer Watt, but a miscommunication was resolved. Paul used the drums to create a song and sent it to Ringo to sing on. The result is a deeply nostalgic track that delighted Beatles fans.
Life Can Be Hard
During COVID lockdown, Nancy Shevell's niece had a baby who showed interest in Paul's guitar. "I got the baby to do it," he explained. The baby's helping hands inspired Paul to turn the chords into a song, which is "upbeat about the future" despite the title.
First Star of the Night
Costa Rican weather inspired this track. Paul planned a pool day but encountered tropical rain, so he picked up his guitar and wrote a song. An uplifting acoustic piece about the first star being special, opening with a clip from Paul's phone demo.
Salesman Saint
A tribute to Paul's beloved mum and dad, reflecting on their tough times when he was born. "They carried on," he said, and this song thanks them for everything. It ends with a musical arrangement from that era, recorded at Abbey Road.
Momma Gets By
"George said I was good at making up characters," Paul noted. This song features a struggling mum and a dad who is "a bit of a waster," with Paul thinking about raising a family. A piano ballad that builds with strings and an orchestra before the album's conclusion.
The Boys of Dungeon Lane is released on May 29 via MPL/Capitol Records.
