Paul McCartney: A Kind of Magic by Jenny Hare
Paul McCartney continues to amaze me with his multi-faceted creativity. He was one of the greatest lyric and melody writers of the 20th Century and his album Chaos and Creation carries his music forward into the New Millennium on a continuing high. He paints from his soul too – vibrant beautiful canvases unique to him. He’s an esteemed classical composer. He’s a fine poet. The media, seemingly disapproving of multi-talent, has been known to diss his extraordinary creativity. Maybe there’s been a little jealousy, too, of his enthusiasm, joie de vivre and ability to recover from bereavement and loss and enjoy his work and life to the full again? Well, I think his ability is awesome and he’s a huge inspiration to me. Long may he continue to create!
Always hoping to learn what makes starry creatives tick, I listened to him talking to John Wilson on Radio 4s Front Row just before Chaos and Creation was released.
He said he doesn’t mind criticism, commenting that it’s good to have someone else’s opinion because it challenges you.
A few years ago while he was speaking at the Hay Festival I asked him “Where does your creativity come from? Do you think it comes from another dimension?” He said it was an interesting question and answered that he didn’t know where it came from – ideas just came unannounced into his mind. In answer to a similar question from John Wilson he replied:
“It’s magic to me – this whole process is completely magic.”
Then he likened writing to therapy and said he remembered many occasions when, fed up, he’d gone off into a dark room somewhere with his guitar.
“It would be like talking to a therapist – you’re just moaning at the guitar.”
For Chaos and Creation his ideas came to him easily as he was “just noodling around on the piano.”
He went on: “That’s the process . . . . . it‘s a kind of magic. It’s quite thrilling when you find that little second chord there and think “This is good - now I’m having fun.”
Would the magic come through for me? From what Paul had said I thought it would so I ordered the new album in advance and waited impatiently for it’s release. On the whole it’s had a great press. But just before I received the CD I read a review in one of the weekend papers which panned it. Since then there have been some contrastingly great reviews – it was just chance that I happened on a poor one. But it clouded my anticipation and, when I sat down one evening to listen for myself, I was glum, fearing I wouldn’t like it.
To my surprise, then, I found myself responding to track after track with the kind of pleasure I’d felt all those years ago in the 60s with the Beatles’ songs.
The sounds at the beginning gave – still do each time I Iisten– a frisson of pleasure down the back of my neck. Listen for it – it’s like nothing else. The beguiling loop of sound introduces a number that I can’t sit still to – I have to dance. Jenny Wren was of special interest to me as, with my birth name Rench, I was nicknamed Jenny Wren by my parents. I love it – but clearly I’m prejudiced so time, and other people’s opinions, will tell its worth relative to Blackbird, the song it’s inevitably compared to.
Two tracks are a pastiche of quintessential Britishness. English Tea reminded me of the song ‘In an English Country Garden.’ How Kind Of You appealed to the agony aunt side of me greatly. I believe it was the Dalai Lama who said kindness is the most important thing. The kind of thoughtfulness described by Paul can indeed make a big difference, holding you up, maybe lifting you right out of sorrow.
In the midst of the gentleness, three songs are sudden in their darkly shadowed undertones. At The Mercy, Friends To Go and Vanity Fair sound to me like Paul was shaking off frustration and/or pain about those around him.
The rest of the album seems to clearly be a hymn of joy around his wife Heather. She must be a lovely lady right through, I’d say. A Certain Softness is a heaven of a song – how amazing to love and be loved like that. Follow Me, Promise To You Girl, This Never Happened Before, Anyway – all good.
Chaos and Creation is mostly about creation - a love story in melody and words. I’m so glad his life is full of love again.