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Draft:Man We Was Lonely

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  • Comment: The "Background" section is entirely undue in its current state, and should be substantially trimmed. 24-straight-sentences in a row directly from McCartney's mouth? Even if being indicated as a quote, paraphrasing the ~24 sentences is required.
    And I still don't even know what the big takeaway was from it; what's the point of the speech? A summary / takeaways would be good to include instead. Utopes (talk / cont) 18:18, 27 August 2024 (UTC)

"Man We Was Lonely" is a song by the English musician and former Beatles bassist and vocalist Paul McCartney from his self titled debut solo album.

"Man We Was Lonely"
Song by Paul McCartney
from the album McCartney
Released1970
StudioMorgan Studios, London
GenrePop, Rock, Folk
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney
Producer(s)Paul McCartney
McCartney track listing
13 tracks
Side one
  1. "The Lovely Linda"
  2. "That Would Be Something"
  3. "Valentine Day"
  4. "Every Night"
  5. "Hot as Sun/Glasses"
  6. "Junk"
  7. "Man We Was Lonely"
Side two
  1. "Oo You"
  2. "Momma Miss America"
  3. "Teddy Boy"
  4. "Singalong Junk"
  5. "Maybe I'm Amazed"
  6. "Kreen-Akrore"

Background

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According to Far Out Magazine. Officially written after The Beatles acrimonious split in 1970, but likely composed earlier, the track acts as a sort of diary entry, conveying the bitter mood of McCartney’s bandmates and the simmering tension between them at the time.[1]

Writing

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In the book The Beatles: Off The Record 2 - The Dream is Over, McCartney explained that the chorus of the song was written in bed at home shortly before McCartney finished recording the album. The middle section of the song, 'I used to ride on my fast city line' to 'I am home", was finished during a lunchtime break McCartney had, as he and Linda were due to record the song in half an hour."[2] McCartney had written “Man We Was Lonely” as a goodbye to The Beatles, which he had gained fame as the bassist.[3]

Lyrics

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The lyrics talk about he and Linda's self-exposed exile that was not as it seemed, that their spirits were low, but that their positivity was returning.[4]

Recording

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McCartney envisioned himself as Johnny Cash when he recorded it, as he envisioned himself as Ray Charles when he recorded She's a Woman.[5]

Reception

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According to author Peter Amez Carlin, the song starts with a "shimmering spray of chords that leads only to a campfire-style sing-along about the pleasures of home."[6]

Personnel

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According to the Paul McCartney Project:[7]

Producing

  • Paul McCartney – producer
  • Phil McDonald – recording engineer, mixing engineer

Covers

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The song has been covered by Davy Jones, Design and World Party.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "The song McCartney wrote about isolation in The Beatles". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2021-09-03. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  2. ^ Badman, Keith (2009-12-15). The Beatles: Off The Record 2 - The Dream is Over: Off the Record. Omnibus Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-85712-102-8.
  3. ^ Wigandt, Hannah (2021-09-08). "Paul McCartney Wrote a Goodbye Song to The Beatles". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  4. ^ Doyle, Tom (2014-06-17). Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s. Random House Publishing Group. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-8041-7915-7.
  5. ^ Jackson, Andrew Grant (2012). Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of the Beatles' Solo Careers. Scarecrow Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-8108-8222-5.
  6. ^ Carlin, Peter Ames (2009). Paul McCartney : a life. Internet Archive. New York : Simon & Schuster. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-4165-6209-2.
  7. ^ "Man We Was Lonely (song)". The Paul McCartney project. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  8. ^ Man We Was Lonely - Paul McCartney | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-06-09