{"id":1964671,"date":"2026-05-30T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T06:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1964671"},"modified":"2026-05-30T09:00:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T06:00:42","slug":"paul-mccartney-writing-a-song-is-still-a-magic-feeling-for-me-and-hopefully-always-will-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1964671","title":{"rendered":"Paul McCartney: \u201cWriting a song is still a magic feeling for me, and hopefully always will be\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Paul-McCartney-credit-Mary-McCartney-\u00a9-2026-Mary-McCartney-.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2576840\" class=\"post-2576840 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68 featured-video-container wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"wpb_video_wrapper\">\n<div id=\"jwplayer-video-QsJJgi1d\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>Music Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Paul McCartney: \u201cWriting a song is still a magic feeling for me, and hopefully always will be\u201d<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>As the Beatle and legendary musician releases his 19th solo album, \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019, he sits down with NME to share memories of his friends in the Fab Four, and discuss working with the Rolling Stones and the creative buzz he still gets from songwriting<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Rhian Daly<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-05-30T10:00:42+01:00\">30th May 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_87 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_89  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_90 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_90\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Paul McCartney and Abbey Road Studios go way back. He first set foot in the historic recording studio with The Beatles in 1962 and has kept returning across the decades since, both with the rest of the Fab Four and for his own solo projects and with Wings. It\u2019s a relationship that just keeps going, with parts of his latest (and 19th) solo studio album, \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019, recorded in Studio Two \u2013 the same room where the majority of The Beatles work was recorded.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0Paul McCartney \u2013 \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 review: a guided tour of the long and winding road<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In early May 2026, McCartney returned to that room again for a special fan listening event of the new record, where he talked through each track to a group of around 50 people. \u201cIt\u2019s always great for me to come back here, because there\u2019s just so many memories,\u201d he tells <em>NME<\/em> hours later, sitting in the same living-room-style setup from which he addressed his fans. \u201cI can always think, \u2018Oh yeah, I remember John [Lennon] doing the vocal on \u2018Girl\u2019 or \u2018I remember me doing the \u2018Love Me Do\u2019 line\u2019, or whatever. There\u2019s always little specific things of the stuff we did, so many memories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 is another trip down memory lane for Macca, with the legendary musician looking back at his youth in Liverpool and the early days of his friendships with his fellow Beatles. Taking that journey, he says, was something that just happened naturally. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I was doing that, but once I looked at all the songs I\u2019d recorded for this album, a lot of them are backward looking \u2013 but then I thought, what else is there?\u201d he reasons. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m at a sentimental point in my life when I think of things like Liverpool, because a lot of memories will include John and George [Harrison]. The fact that they\u2019re not with us anymore makes it even more emotional to be here and to think about them in songs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stories of Lennon and Harrison are dotted through McCartney\u2019s new album, while a duet with drummer Ringo Starr on \u2018Home To Us\u2019 completes the presence of all four Beatles. For the latest in <em>NME<\/em>\u2019s <em>In Conversation<\/em> video series, Macca shared memories of his bandmates and discussed working with The Rolling Stones and his irrepressible passion for making and playing music.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul McCartney - Days We Left Behind (Lyric Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2n1IhyF6R0U?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<h3><strong>When you\u2019re writing about John and George, do you feel a sense of responsibility to honour them in the right way or represent them as they were to you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Paul McCartney:<\/strong> \u201cI suppose so. I never think of it like that. In one of the songs, \u2018Days We Left Behind\u2019, I talk about \u201c<em>we met at Forthlin Road<\/em>\u201d, which is where I used to live in Liverpool, and \u201c<em>we wrote a secret code to never be spoken<\/em>\u201d. I don\u2019t feel like I have to be respectful. He\u2019s just a mate \u2013 it\u2019s just this guy who I met, and we wrote songs together, so I don\u2019t feel a sense of responsibility. I hope it is responsible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe thing is, I have very good memories of the guys, John and George, even though towards the end of The Beatles, John was slagging me off a lot. At the time, it was very hurtful, like sticking little daggers in me. It was just annoying, because you thought, \u2018I\u2019ve got to answer him back, what am I going to do?\u2019 But I suddenly realised, \u2018Wait a minute, this is John. This is the guy I\u2019ve known since I was 16. That\u2019s just what he does.\u2019 It didn\u2019t sting so much once I realised it was just John being John.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>And it\u2019s all water under the bridge now as well, as you guys made up before he died\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cYeah, that was so important to me. I was lucky because we\u2019d been separated because of the business trouble and stuff, and John eventually came round to my way of thinking that the guy they wanted to bring in [Allen Klein] was a crook, and I\u2019d suffered because they all thought I was the nutter, I was the crook. So, when it turned out that I was right, it was good to hear John say, \u2018I think Paul might have been right\u2019 \u2013 begrudgingly. He wasn\u2019t one to say, \u2018Yeah, you know what Paul told me\u2026!\u2019 He was like, \u201c[mumbles] Yeah, he was right.\u2019 So that made it much better. Even though it was a painful period, we kinda had to go through it, or someone would have robbed us.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>There are a lot of of memory songs on this album, but good memories. In \u2018Down South\u2019, you sing about hitchhiking with George. You were saying earlier in the fan listening event that you can\u2019t remember who would have suggested doing that, but you think it was probably you. Why? Were you the more adventurous, rebellious one?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s just my character, to be a bit more of a planner. I would just think, \u2018Wow, what a good idea\u2019, and so I\u2019d float it and say to George, \u2018What do you think? We could go on a cheap holiday\u2019. Because you didn\u2019t have much money [then]. So yeah, I\u2019m pretty sure it was me. I went on a couple of hitchhiking trips with George, which were great and very bonding. That was before The Beatles, so when we became The Beatles, we knew we had those memories already in common. When John was 21 \u2013 I think I was 19 \u2013 he got this amazing 21st birthday present of \u00a3100 from his rich uncle in Scotland, so we said, \u2018What are we going to do?\u2019 I said we could hitchhike and then you can spend the money as we go. So we did! We were going to go to Spain, but we got as far as Paris. Loved Paris, and spent everything in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3947847\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3947847\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3947847\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Paul-McCartney-Credit-Mary-McCartney.jpg\" alt=\"Paul McCartney The Boys of Dungeon Lane Cover Review\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3947847\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul McCartney. Credit: Mary McCartney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Someone else with whom you have a very strong bond on this album is Ringo, who is drumming and singing on \u2018Home To Us\u2019, a song about growing up in Liverpool and what that was like for you guys. Why did you want him not just drumming but also singing \u2013 and singing the whole way through \u2013 on this song?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI originally had kind of written it for him, because I knew he had done this drumming for [\u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 producer] Andrew Watt, and I knew nothing was being done with it. So, I thought when I listened to it, \u2018It\u2019s good, nice drumming, maybe we should do a song about that.\u2019 So I wrote especially with Ringo in mind. Even though it was rough, it was home to us, and I like to think that a lot of people can identify with that. A lot of people look back on their childhood and think, \u2018We didn\u2019t have much\u2019, particularly my generation, because it was right after World War II. I like to think that, even though we didn\u2019t have much, we loved it. We didn\u2019t know any better, so this place was home to us \u2013 Liverpool in my case and Ringo\u2019s case.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>You\u2019ve played with Ringo a few times in recent years, including at The O2 at Christmas 2024. What\u2019s it like when you guys get back on stage together and are able to perform for a few songs again?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great, it\u2019s really lovely. The reason Ringo was in the group was that he was depping for our drummer at the time, who couldn\u2019t make this engagement, so Ringo sat in. The three of us \u2013 me, John and George \u2013 were up front of the stage, and Ringo was behind us, and I remember we kicked in, we all looked at each other going, \u2018Wow, this is different\u2019. Obviously, his style was different from Pete Best, our other drummer, but there was just something that gelled with Ringo, and it was very special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, nowadays when he comes on stage, we have to do something that\u2019s not got a big, complicated arrangement because he\u2019s normally just coming up for a laugh. So, we often do \u2018Helter Skelter\u2019, just this big sort of rocking thing. We listened back to the recording [once], and there\u2019s my drummer, Abe [Laboriel Jr.], who always plays it great, but then this one night, Ringo gets in and plays with Abe, and it\u2019s just very special because he was the original drummer on it, and also because it\u2019s Ringo. He\u2019s got a great style, and what he brings to a song is interesting to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr - Home to Us (Lyric Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bLRV8hRRUHo?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<h3><strong>What do you think he brought to \u2018Home To Us\u2019, then?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cHe brought the drumming. I liked the idea of us duetting because none of us ever did that in The Beatles. You never got John and George doing a special duet, so the idea that now, after all these years, we\u2019ve suddenly done a song that\u2019s got me singing the vocal and Ringo sharing the vocal, it\u2019s really nice. It\u2019s a first, and I think it works because it\u2019s talking about how Liverpool was home to us. Ringo comes from a really rough area called the Dingle, and he tells stories where he would go to work and then, coming home, he\u2019d have to go past a mob of guys on the corner, like teddy boys. He was kind of scared because you\u2019d get beaten up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe came from that rough area, but there was so much goodness. I think family, mainly \u2013 all his aunties, all the sing-songs that happened in those days. It was just the way because nobody had all the iPads and phones and everything. If you wanted to have sing-song, you had to just have a piano or something and someone who could play it. It was different, it was very nice. In fact, it\u2019s funny, we did some gigs recently in LA at a small club called The Fonda, and we outlawed phones because normally people are just not watching your show, they\u2019re just holding their phones up and they\u2019ll watch it when they get home. It was like an old gig, like how everyone used to play. It was really special.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>You said earlier at the fan event that, even if you didn\u2019t have to, you\u2019d still be playing, you\u2019d still be touring. Can we still expect a lot more music and tours in the years to come?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know. I never know, y\u2019know? I remember when I was 50-years-old, my manager at the time said, \u2018Well, are you thinking of retiring?\u2019 I went, \u2018Uh, I don\u2019t think so.\u2019 But he obviously thought, 50\u2026 which, I get it, because we thought 30 was really old [when] we were 20. So 30 was like that\u2019d be unseemly, but it came, and it went, and people were still playing, and audiences like the music. If the music is from that period, they don\u2019t get to hear it live any other way, so you\u2019ve got to hear Neil Young live to get the whole feel of Neil \u2013 the Neil feel. Same with a lot of bands \u2013 the Stones, The Eagles. There\u2019s nothing like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3944279\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3944279\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3944279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/paul-mccartney-listening-event-credit-sonny-mccartney.jpg\" alt=\"Paul McCartney\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2896\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3944279\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul McCartney credit: Sonny McCartney \/ MPL Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>You mentioned The Stones there. Just before I came in the room, it was announced that they\u2019re releasing a new album soon, with you on it. This is your second time playing on a Stones album in the last few years after appearing on \u2018Hackney Diamonds\u2018. What can you tell us about working with them on the last record and this new one?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWell, it was all one day. These are two tracks over two albums, but it was really exciting because I normally don\u2019t play as a session guy. It was really nice to just show up at a studio with your bass and just say, \u2018Right, where do you want me? Where do I plug in?\u2019 You start playing, and they show you the song, and I start thinking, \u2018I\u2019m playing with the Stones!\u2019 And I\u2019m well chuffed! You could be a bit blas\u00e9 and go, \u2018Yeah, OK, so what?\u2019 But for me, it wasn\u2019t \u2013 it went the other way. It was like, \u2018Wow, there\u2019s Mick [Jagger]! Ooh, there\u2019s Keith [Richards]! Woah, there\u2019s Ronnie [Wood]!\u2019 It was exciting. It was really good.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA great thing is all I had to do was play bass and not make mistakes, so it was good. I was able to just concentrate on my bass part, and at the same time, though, watch them \u2013 watch Keith working out [the song]. On the new album, the track is called \u2018Covered In You\u2019 that I played on. I could hear Keith as we did various takes, working his lick out that ended up on the album, and Ronnie working his solo out, Mick working the vocal out. So yeah, I went home that day, and I\u2019m saying to everyone, \u2018I just played with The Stones!\u2019 I was glad I wasn\u2019t blas\u00e9 about it. It\u2019s really exciting. Not everyone plays with The Stones!\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>It\u2019s very nice that you\u2019re still excited at this point in your career about doing stuff like that. What would you say gives you creative satisfaction these days?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cAudiences are a great satisfaction. Creative satisfaction is just writing a song \u2013 it\u2019s still the same old satisfaction that it was. There\u2019s something magical about it, and I often think, \u2018I never set out to be a singer-songwriter person.\u2019 When I was at school, I thought the only thing left for me would be a teacher, because I didn\u2019t have massive qualifications and unfortunately, that mean[t] you have to be a teacher. But I got in the band, and it just led me to this. So the satisfaction is just being able to write a song and, if you pull it off, that\u2019s the same satisfaction that it always was. Some of them you pull off better than others, but it\u2019s still a great thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s still a great achievement to sit down with, let\u2019s say, my guitar and there\u2019s nothing there, and I\u2019m just noodling around, and suddenly, maybe after three or four hours, I\u2019ve got a song. I know how it goes, and I\u2019ve written the lyrics down, and it\u2019s a real achievement. That still is a magic feeling for me. I think that\u2019s the creative buzz still, and hopefully always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Paul McCartney\u2019s \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 is out now via Capitol Records.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_91 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_91\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>In Conversation<\/li>\n<li>Paul McCartney<\/li>\n<li>Pop<\/li>\n<li>Ringo Starr<\/li>\n<li>Rock<\/li>\n<li>The Beatles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_93 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_95  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_97  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_99 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_100 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_100\">\n<div id=\"tdi_100\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Radiohead have \u201cnot even talked about another record\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Becky Hill on Jack Whitehall\u2019s \u2018Wetherspoons Whitney\u2019 BRITs comments: \u201cHow fucking dare he punch down? Where the fuck is he frequenting?\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Sting says loss of manual jobs could be causing toxic masculinity: \u201cWe\u2019ve lost that direction for our energy, that male strength\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Tom Morello teams up with System Of A Down\u2019s Serj Tankian and son Roman for powerful new single \u2018Adjourn It\u2019: \u201cEvery act of art&#8230;<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Jack White\u2019s first public art exhibition \u2018These Thoughts May Disappear\u2019 opens in London: \u201cPeople don\u2019t know this side of me\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Robyn\u2019s \u2018Complete Body Talk\u2019 coming to vinyl as one continuous collection for the first time<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span4 td-is-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-sidebar  tdi_103 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_104 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_104\">\n<div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"td-block-title\"><span class=\"td-pulldown-size\">TRENDING<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_104\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Paul McCartney \u2013 \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 review: a guided tour of the long and winding road<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Swapmeet: Adelaide\u2019s accidental band going for broke<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">The wild, sweaty rise of Getdown Services: \u201cWe started off unhinged. Now, we\u2019re a bit more refined\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">AI, vinyl and indie supremacy: what\u2019s shaping video game music in 2026?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018Erupcja\u2019 review: Charli XCX\u2019s indie summer getaway<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom_ad_1  tdi_105 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_90 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_90\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Paul McCartney and Abbey Road Studios go way back. He first set foot in the historic recording studio with The Beatles in 1962 and has kept returning across the decades since, both with the rest of the Fab Four and for his own solo projects and with Wings. It\u2019s a relationship that just keeps going, with parts of his latest (and 19th) solo studio album, \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019, recorded in Studio Two \u2013 the same room where the majority of The Beatles work was recorded.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0Paul McCartney \u2013 \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 review: a guided tour of the long and winding road<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In early May 2026, McCartney returned to that room again for a special fan listening event of the new record, where he talked through each track to a group of around 50 people. \u201cIt\u2019s always great for me to come back here, because there\u2019s just so many memories,\u201d he tells <em>NME<\/em> hours later, sitting in the same living-room-style setup from which he addressed his fans. \u201cI can always think, \u2018Oh yeah, I remember John [Lennon] doing the vocal on \u2018Girl\u2019 or \u2018I remember me doing the \u2018Love Me Do\u2019 line\u2019, or whatever. There\u2019s always little specific things of the stuff we did, so many memories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 is another trip down memory lane for Macca, with the legendary musician looking back at his youth in Liverpool and the early days of his friendships with his fellow Beatles. Taking that journey, he says, was something that just happened naturally. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I was doing that, but once I looked at all the songs I\u2019d recorded for this album, a lot of them are backward looking \u2013 but then I thought, what else is there?\u201d he reasons. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m at a sentimental point in my life when I think of things like Liverpool, because a lot of memories will include John and George [Harrison]. The fact that they\u2019re not with us anymore makes it even more emotional to be here and to think about them in songs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stories of Lennon and Harrison are dotted through McCartney\u2019s new album, while a duet with drummer Ringo Starr on \u2018Home To Us\u2019 completes the presence of all four Beatles. For the latest in <em>NME<\/em>\u2019s <em>In Conversation<\/em> video series, Macca shared memories of his bandmates and discussed working with The Rolling Stones and his irrepressible passion for making and playing music.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul McCartney - Days We Left Behind (Lyric Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2n1IhyF6R0U?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<h3><strong>When you\u2019re writing about John and George, do you feel a sense of responsibility to honour them in the right way or represent them as they were to you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Paul McCartney:<\/strong> \u201cI suppose so. I never think of it like that. In one of the songs, \u2018Days We Left Behind\u2019, I talk about \u201c<em>we met at Forthlin Road<\/em>\u201d, which is where I used to live in Liverpool, and \u201c<em>we wrote a secret code to never be spoken<\/em>\u201d. I don\u2019t feel like I have to be respectful. He\u2019s just a mate \u2013 it\u2019s just this guy who I met, and we wrote songs together, so I don\u2019t feel a sense of responsibility. I hope it is responsible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe thing is, I have very good memories of the guys, John and George, even though towards the end of The Beatles, John was slagging me off a lot. At the time, it was very hurtful, like sticking little daggers in me. It was just annoying, because you thought, \u2018I\u2019ve got to answer him back, what am I going to do?\u2019 But I suddenly realised, \u2018Wait a minute, this is John. This is the guy I\u2019ve known since I was 16. That\u2019s just what he does.\u2019 It didn\u2019t sting so much once I realised it was just John being John.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>And it\u2019s all water under the bridge now as well, as you guys made up before he died\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cYeah, that was so important to me. I was lucky because we\u2019d been separated because of the business trouble and stuff, and John eventually came round to my way of thinking that the guy they wanted to bring in [Allen Klein] was a crook, and I\u2019d suffered because they all thought I was the nutter, I was the crook. So, when it turned out that I was right, it was good to hear John say, \u2018I think Paul might have been right\u2019 \u2013 begrudgingly. He wasn\u2019t one to say, \u2018Yeah, you know what Paul told me\u2026!\u2019 He was like, \u201c[mumbles] Yeah, he was right.\u2019 So that made it much better. Even though it was a painful period, we kinda had to go through it, or someone would have robbed us.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>There are a lot of of memory songs on this album, but good memories. In \u2018Down South\u2019, you sing about hitchhiking with George. You were saying earlier in the fan listening event that you can\u2019t remember who would have suggested doing that, but you think it was probably you. Why? Were you the more adventurous, rebellious one?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s just my character, to be a bit more of a planner. I would just think, \u2018Wow, what a good idea\u2019, and so I\u2019d float it and say to George, \u2018What do you think? We could go on a cheap holiday\u2019. Because you didn\u2019t have much money [then]. So yeah, I\u2019m pretty sure it was me. I went on a couple of hitchhiking trips with George, which were great and very bonding. That was before The Beatles, so when we became The Beatles, we knew we had those memories already in common. When John was 21 \u2013 I think I was 19 \u2013 he got this amazing 21st birthday present of \u00a3100 from his rich uncle in Scotland, so we said, \u2018What are we going to do?\u2019 I said we could hitchhike and then you can spend the money as we go. So we did! We were going to go to Spain, but we got as far as Paris. Loved Paris, and spent everything in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3947847\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3947847\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3947847\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Paul-McCartney-Credit-Mary-McCartney.jpg\" alt=\"Paul McCartney The Boys of Dungeon Lane Cover Review\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3947847\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul McCartney. Credit: Mary McCartney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Someone else with whom you have a very strong bond on this album is Ringo, who is drumming and singing on \u2018Home To Us\u2019, a song about growing up in Liverpool and what that was like for you guys. Why did you want him not just drumming but also singing \u2013 and singing the whole way through \u2013 on this song?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI originally had kind of written it for him, because I knew he had done this drumming for [\u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 producer] Andrew Watt, and I knew nothing was being done with it. So, I thought when I listened to it, \u2018It\u2019s good, nice drumming, maybe we should do a song about that.\u2019 So I wrote especially with Ringo in mind. Even though it was rough, it was home to us, and I like to think that a lot of people can identify with that. A lot of people look back on their childhood and think, \u2018We didn\u2019t have much\u2019, particularly my generation, because it was right after World War II. I like to think that, even though we didn\u2019t have much, we loved it. We didn\u2019t know any better, so this place was home to us \u2013 Liverpool in my case and Ringo\u2019s case.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>You\u2019ve played with Ringo a few times in recent years, including at The O2 at Christmas 2024. What\u2019s it like when you guys get back on stage together and are able to perform for a few songs again?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great, it\u2019s really lovely. The reason Ringo was in the group was that he was depping for our drummer at the time, who couldn\u2019t make this engagement, so Ringo sat in. The three of us \u2013 me, John and George \u2013 were up front of the stage, and Ringo was behind us, and I remember we kicked in, we all looked at each other going, \u2018Wow, this is different\u2019. Obviously, his style was different from Pete Best, our other drummer, but there was just something that gelled with Ringo, and it was very special.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, nowadays when he comes on stage, we have to do something that\u2019s not got a big, complicated arrangement because he\u2019s normally just coming up for a laugh. So, we often do \u2018Helter Skelter\u2019, just this big sort of rocking thing. We listened back to the recording [once], and there\u2019s my drummer, Abe [Laboriel Jr.], who always plays it great, but then this one night, Ringo gets in and plays with Abe, and it\u2019s just very special because he was the original drummer on it, and also because it\u2019s Ringo. He\u2019s got a great style, and what he brings to a song is interesting to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr - Home to Us (Lyric Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bLRV8hRRUHo?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<h3><strong>What do you think he brought to \u2018Home To Us\u2019, then?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cHe brought the drumming. I liked the idea of us duetting because none of us ever did that in The Beatles. You never got John and George doing a special duet, so the idea that now, after all these years, we\u2019ve suddenly done a song that\u2019s got me singing the vocal and Ringo sharing the vocal, it\u2019s really nice. It\u2019s a first, and I think it works because it\u2019s talking about how Liverpool was home to us. Ringo comes from a really rough area called the Dingle, and he tells stories where he would go to work and then, coming home, he\u2019d have to go past a mob of guys on the corner, like teddy boys. He was kind of scared because you\u2019d get beaten up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe came from that rough area, but there was so much goodness. I think family, mainly \u2013 all his aunties, all the sing-songs that happened in those days. It was just the way because nobody had all the iPads and phones and everything. If you wanted to have sing-song, you had to just have a piano or something and someone who could play it. It was different, it was very nice. In fact, it\u2019s funny, we did some gigs recently in LA at a small club called The Fonda, and we outlawed phones because normally people are just not watching your show, they\u2019re just holding their phones up and they\u2019ll watch it when they get home. It was like an old gig, like how everyone used to play. It was really special.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>You said earlier at the fan event that, even if you didn\u2019t have to, you\u2019d still be playing, you\u2019d still be touring. Can we still expect a lot more music and tours in the years to come?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know. I never know, y\u2019know? I remember when I was 50-years-old, my manager at the time said, \u2018Well, are you thinking of retiring?\u2019 I went, \u2018Uh, I don\u2019t think so.\u2019 But he obviously thought, 50\u2026 which, I get it, because we thought 30 was really old [when] we were 20. So 30 was like that\u2019d be unseemly, but it came, and it went, and people were still playing, and audiences like the music. If the music is from that period, they don\u2019t get to hear it live any other way, so you\u2019ve got to hear Neil Young live to get the whole feel of Neil \u2013 the Neil feel. Same with a lot of bands \u2013 the Stones, The Eagles. There\u2019s nothing like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3944279\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3944279\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3944279\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/paul-mccartney-listening-event-credit-sonny-mccartney.jpg\" alt=\"Paul McCartney\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2896\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3944279\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul McCartney credit: Sonny McCartney \/ MPL Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>You mentioned The Stones there. Just before I came in the room, it was announced that they\u2019re releasing a new album soon, with you on it. This is your second time playing on a Stones album in the last few years after appearing on \u2018Hackney Diamonds\u2018. What can you tell us about working with them on the last record and this new one?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWell, it was all one day. These are two tracks over two albums, but it was really exciting because I normally don\u2019t play as a session guy. It was really nice to just show up at a studio with your bass and just say, \u2018Right, where do you want me? Where do I plug in?\u2019 You start playing, and they show you the song, and I start thinking, \u2018I\u2019m playing with the Stones!\u2019 And I\u2019m well chuffed! You could be a bit blas\u00e9 and go, \u2018Yeah, OK, so what?\u2019 But for me, it wasn\u2019t \u2013 it went the other way. It was like, \u2018Wow, there\u2019s Mick [Jagger]! Ooh, there\u2019s Keith [Richards]! Woah, there\u2019s Ronnie [Wood]!\u2019 It was exciting. It was really good.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA great thing is all I had to do was play bass and not make mistakes, so it was good. I was able to just concentrate on my bass part, and at the same time, though, watch them \u2013 watch Keith working out [the song]. On the new album, the track is called \u2018Covered In You\u2019 that I played on. I could hear Keith as we did various takes, working his lick out that ended up on the album, and Ronnie working his solo out, Mick working the vocal out. So yeah, I went home that day, and I\u2019m saying to everyone, \u2018I just played with The Stones!\u2019 I was glad I wasn\u2019t blas\u00e9 about it. It\u2019s really exciting. Not everyone plays with The Stones!\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>It\u2019s very nice that you\u2019re still excited at this point in your career about doing stuff like that. What would you say gives you creative satisfaction these days?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cAudiences are a great satisfaction. Creative satisfaction is just writing a song \u2013 it\u2019s still the same old satisfaction that it was. There\u2019s something magical about it, and I often think, \u2018I never set out to be a singer-songwriter person.\u2019 When I was at school, I thought the only thing left for me would be a teacher, because I didn\u2019t have massive qualifications and unfortunately, that mean[t] you have to be a teacher. But I got in the band, and it just led me to this. So the satisfaction is just being able to write a song and, if you pull it off, that\u2019s the same satisfaction that it always was. Some of them you pull off better than others, but it\u2019s still a great thing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s still a great achievement to sit down with, let\u2019s say, my guitar and there\u2019s nothing there, and I\u2019m just noodling around, and suddenly, maybe after three or four hours, I\u2019ve got a song. I know how it goes, and I\u2019ve written the lyrics down, and it\u2019s a real achievement. That still is a magic feeling for me. I think that\u2019s the creative buzz still, and hopefully always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Paul McCartney\u2019s \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019 is out now via Capitol Records.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/music-interviews\/paul-mccartney-the-boys-of-dungeon-lane-the-beatles-ringo-starr-the-rolling-stones-interview-3948196&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Paul-McCartney-credit-Mary-McCartney-\u00a9-2026-Mary-McCartney-.jpg&#8221;] FeaturesMusic Interviews Paul McCartney: \u201cWriting a song is still a magic feeling for me, and hopefully always will be\u201d As the Beatle and legendary musician releases his 19th solo album, \u2018The Boys Of Dungeon Lane\u2019, he sits down with NME to share memories of his friends in the Fab Four, and discuss [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-1964671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1964671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1964671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1964671\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1964671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1964671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1964671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}