Confessions of a Fanboy

I recently wrote about an increasing interest in exploring the solo work of the former Beatles, so I downloaded the first single, “Ever Present Past,” from Paul McCartney’s upcoming album Memory Almost Full from iTunes. I know I’ll probably buy the album, but it only cost me a buck to preview a track.

It’s a well-constructed song. The lyrics make reference to the breakneck speed of the modern world, and the song’s quick tempo reflects this theme. “It flew by in a flash,” he sings, and he is right — the whole thing is over in under three minutes.

Preparing for the release of the record, McCartney has said he’s ready for the scrutiny of his lyrics. He also says he was in a reflective mood while this record, an album he actually started writing prior to working on his Grammy-nominated Chaos and Creation in the Backyard album, was being written. That sense of reflection is evident in these lyrics, but the character in this song sees time as having gone by so fast you wonder what impact the reflection has had on him.

The music doesn’t suggest the impact has turned him sour or bitter. This is a sunny pop song. It’s bouncy. It’s catchy. It is another in a long line of melody-driven singles in the McCartney canon. The melody recalls “Silly Love Songs” but is not a knockoff for that hit single. The guitars are given a bit of a bite as they bounce from left-to-right while multiple keyboard voices swirl between them.

His double-tracked vocal finds his voice in fine form, something that wasn’t always the case on Chaos. His singing was very good and at times great on that record, but it also sounded like age was beginning to thin it. He stays well within his range on “Ever Present Past.”

In his fourth decade as a songwriter and musician, he can still dash these out in his sleep. Some people will use that fact to slam the sexagenarian. I marvel at it. So does Bob Dylan. “I’m in awe of McCartney,” he said. “He’s about the only one that I am in awe of. He can do it all. And he’s never let up… He’s just so damn effortless.”

Go ahead. Pay your $0.99 and line up against me and Bob. If you’re too cheap, you can stream it for free:

REAL MEDIA | WINDOWS MEDIA

Paul McCartney’s new album, Memory Almost Full, will be in stores Tuesday, June 5. It is the first album to be released by the Starbucks label (technically named Hear Music).

Memory Almost Full Track Listing

1. Dance Tonight
2. Ever Present Past
3. See Your Sunshine
4. Only Mama Knows
5. You Tell Me
6. Mister Bellamy
7. Gratitude
8. Vintage Clothes
9. That Was Me
10. Feet In The Clouds
11. House Of Wax
12. End of the End
13. Nod Your Head
    

    Filed under: Tags: Paul McCartney