A look at the best songs of Mecca

Happy Birthday to Paul McCartney: One of the most influential composers born, Paul McCartney is a legend. Born in Liverpool, England on 18 June 1942, Sir James Paul McCartney played a number of roles in his career. He sang, composed and wrote songs, played the bass, wrote poems and drew pictures. With over a dozen international top 10 singles and albums, McCartney is one of the most professional and seriously successful music artists of all time.

As part of the Beatles, McCartney was part of a revolution that changed music forever. But even today, despite the Beatles’ vast legacy, McCartney’s own work was often overshadowed by his earlier bands.

Here are some of Paul McCartney’s best post-Beatles songs:

1. Maybe I’m Surprised (1970)
   The final track from McCartney’s acclaimed debut album, May I Am Amazed, also showed McCartney’s inevitable fascination as a solo artist. As McCartney sings about his wife and the sudden collapse of the Beatles, thick singing serves as a pleasing contrast to the rare accompaniment. McCartney himself said it should come as no surprise that the song was what he wanted to remember the most.
2. Band on the Run (1973)
   The album’s title track, with which the song’s name was shared with the band On the Run, came at a time when McCartney’s legacy as a commercial and serious success was in question. The incredible change in tone twice during their playing time for Band on the Run helped bring the track to the top of the charts. With the song, McCartney’s fifth album became a commercial and serious success.
3. Lots of people (1971)
   The title track of his second solo album, Too Many People Is McCartney sings sharp lines in his Smooth Bluesy Best. Searching for former bandmate John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, McCartney speaks with his signed sweet rage about some of the frustrations behind the Beatles’ downfall.
4. Rear seat of my car (1971)
   In the back seat of My Car, McCartney sings with his wife, Linda, a tune that could be considered one of the Beatles’ earliest songs. “Two lovers are going to take over the world. I have always loved Dalits,” he said of the song in a 2001 interview.
5. Live and let die (1973)
   Live and Let Die was written for the James Bond movie of the same name. Mixing influences from orchestral rock to reggae, it is one of his most solo songs. The orchestral interlude for the chorus is probably one of McCartney’s most interesting compositions.

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