SONG:
BEAUTIFUL NIGHT
DEFINITION:
A post-Anthology Paul feels the urge to pick up his old bass. And then pick up a million other instruments. Again.
THINGS TO KNOW:
a) This was the finale to Macca's "comeback" album (of which he has so far released around 14), Flaming Pie, released in 1997.
b) It was also released as a single, and like the previous 14, it was a flop.
c) Still, it was easily his best tune for at least a decade, deservedly winning at least six separate spins on the Ken Bruce show.
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
a) Happy days are here again. It's an old boys' reunion, as Macca welcomes both Ringo and George Martin back to the fold. The latter is on top form, jiggling round the studio, swaying to the orchestra and, at one point, wrapping himself in a giant sheet of paper.
b) There is a remarkable profusion of chunky jumpers.
c) As seems to be obligatory with videos based around the recording of the song in question, look out for loads of shots in "the console room" with Macca and team mouthing along to the recording.
d) The last two minutes, a textbook wig-out, is the cue for much thumbs aloft/funny face/spinning round on a swivel chair zaniness.
THINGS TO LISTEN OUT FOR:
Macca at his most lyrically basic. He rhymes "things can go bump in the dead of the night" with "let me be there with you in the dead of the night" - and then makes the very next line "Make it a beautiful night"! There are also multiple mentions of "lovers of love", a reference to getting "a medal from my local neighbourhood", and the rather charming idea of "some boat's on the ocean, we're here in this room, seems to me the perfect way to spend an afternoon".
VERDICT:
"Sounds like a record to me!"
BONUS FEATURE
Here's Macca literally making it a beautiful night for the citizens of Liverpool, New York and, indeed, the world.
15 hours ago
1 comment:
What annoys me about Macca (and believe me, I do love the man despite everything) is that he's been doing this "let's go back to the good old days" schtick for NEARLY FORTY YEARS now. See the video clip for "Hello Goodbye", in which the bewhiskered Fabulous Four don their collarless Pierre Cardin suits again for a laff to show how different they are now from "back in the day". Which was only four years previously. In McCartney's house, it is forever April 1963. Do you remember the Making of "Run Devil Run" documentary? Lots of running about up and down the stairs in Abbey Road studio 2, while the band play rock classics. It's like "Good Day Sunshine" had never been written.
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