McCartney turns 76, preps new album

Paul McCartney turned 76 years old last June 18. Can you believe it? A Beatle is now 76 years old. But not much has changed with the mophead now considered the most successful songwriter of all time. Despite a little sag around the cheek bones and some lines, he still looks like the cute guy in a bouncy soupbowl haircut from 60 years ago. 

And the same thing can be said about his work. McCartney just keeps writing songs and recording them. A few days ago, along with receiving birthday greetings, Sir Paul announced the forthcoming release of Egypt Station, his new album of all-original materials whose title comes from a painting that he owns. It is said to be about different places or stations.

Egypt Station is set for a Sept. 7 release. To herald its arrival, McCartney released a Double Side A single last week. You know, how it is with singles even if they are not sold on discs anymore nowadays. There is a Side A and a Side B because records have two sides. The Side A is always considered the better one or the song that will get a lot of airplay because it is expected to be a big hit. But that is not the case when you are talking about McCartney music. All of his songs can be Side A. These new recordings from Egypt Station are I Don’t Know, a lovely ballad, and Come On To Me, a rocker.

So those are the new additions to the extensive McCartney music catalogue, which is considered today’s biggest money earner. McCartney is said to be worth over $1.2B. A lot of that comes from his music. Just take the case of his song Yesterday, which he composed and recorded as a member of The Beatles. Legend says that he was originally going to call it Scrambled Eggs. Thank heavens, it became Yesterday and has now been recorded by other artists over 2,000 times. I am sure you all know how that works in the music business. Every sale, every stream, every download, every play, etc., etc., of Yesterday means income for McCartney.  

But writing songs is not only about making money. It is also about touching people’s lives. It is about making this a better world because a melody brought back a memory because a lyric brought a smile and it brightened the day. McCartney’s contributions in this regard are massive and he remains most appreciated and constantIy honored. His latest came during the Birthday Honors of Queen Elizabeth II last May 2017. He was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honor (CH) for his Services to Music. This is a very exclusive organization that includes roughly about only 60 members who come from the areas of the arts and sciences.

This Order of CH is but the latest among the many that McCartney has amassed since he came into prominence as a Beatle. Aside from one Academy Award, won in 1971 for the song Let It Be from the movie of the same title and 18 Grammys and eight Brits, either solo or with the Beatles or with his band Wings, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, first as a Beatle and then as a soloist, McCartney has also been honored with the following:

McCartney is a Member of the Order of the British Empire; has an Honorary Doctor of the University Degree from the University of Sussex; was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music, this is why he is Sir Paul McCartney; he is a member of the Fellowship of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors; and has a special BRIT Award for his Outstanding Contribution to Music.

McCartney has the Gershwin Prize of the American Library of Congress for his Contribution to Popular Music; has an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Yale University; was conferred the Kennedy Center Honors; has a Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame; has the Legion d’Honneur from France and was a Music Cares Person of the Year. And just in case you have not heard about it, he has a daughter named Stella who creates such lovely clothes.

It has been five years since McCartney released the album New. I do not think we have an idea about what he has for us in Egypt Station. But no matter what it contains, we will always be grateful and appreciative of this man who has shared a lifetime of music with us.