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4.29pm
22 December 2013
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While it may not be so much as obscure as it is just one of those that’s out there and doesn’t get a whole lotta attention, how about ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’? Many will point to this as some sort of low point in Paul’s songwriting, that he had to resort to borrowing from a nursery rhyme because he couldn’t come up with anything else and all, but I think that it’s a charming little record. Only Paul McCartney could take a children’s rhyme and make it into something as joyfully tuneful as this one. Much of McCartney’s post-Beatles’ work is overrated, in my opinion, but this would be one of the few that I’d say is underrated, along with ‘Sally G’ & ‘Girl’s School’ which would be more suitable of the obscure label…:-)
4.57pm
16 September 2013
Offline I have collaborated with a few songwriting partners who have an amazing gift: They can take existing poems and craft several different new melodies from the words. They can come up with an “upbeat” melody and a totally different ballad version of the same words. Elton John writes his music this way. I really admire that talent. Here’s what I think Paul should have done, after writing this nice music to the existing nursery rhyme: He should have written and released a song with new lyrics to this music. I’m guessing it would have been a bigger hit with the public, detached from the controversial criticism it got bashed with for being a silly nursery rhyme. Then, awhile after the new song ran its course on the radio, Paul could have revealed the actual original “source” of his melody, possibly by now releasing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” as a B-side or bonus track. That would have been a cool “revelation” for fans to finally hear the original source of the music. I would think it was cool.
As it turned out, I recall a lot of my friends intensely disliking “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” deriding it as a very uncool thing to do, proof that Paul was a lost hack without John’s lyrical expertise. Of course that’s not true, but that’s what it seemed like at the time.
5.20pm
22 December 2013
Offline It’s kinda what I like about it though, the song shows Paul in a rare light, usually he’s very keen on delivering something that others would want from him and he doesn’t appear to be all that worried about public opinion here for a change. Mary could be yet another reference to “Mother Mary” and the barnyard theme is very reflective of his life at the time, and very evident when watching this video. Wings feels more like a band effort here as well, they’re all into it, your idea of Paul putting different lyrics to it is certainly interesting, and no doubt would’ve garnered him much more success with the single, but Paul’s done enough “people pleasers” in his time and I find it most refreshing to see him just being Paul for a change. His love of animals which he would take a much more active role in spreading the love later on is also on display for all to see here, this is pure unadulterated Paul McCartney here, not Beatle Paul…:-)
6.29pm
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1 May 2011
Offline Paul could segue from Hey Jude into Mary Had A Little Lamb what with the na’s and the la’s being the point of contact. That would give the audience something to think about.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
7.38pm
22 December 2013
Offline Paul did offer up something a lot heavier during this period with the somewhat “obscure” ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’ for those who felt that ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’ was too wimpy, but I think that the wimpier nursery rhyme is a much better record. Paul should’ve left the political statements for John, for his ‘The Luck of The Irish’ is a far better song and more convincing:
It’s interesting to compare both John & Paul’s songs here, for the traditional “John’s heavier while Paul’s more melodic” preconceived notion is out the window on these two….:-)
2.29am
17 January 2014
Offline Love Monkberry Moon Delight off Ram one of his weirdest solo songs, John was also a fan. I can imagine those two having a blast recording it. Arrow through me is a neat little R&B track from Back To The Egg , I think. Also On The Way is also a great hidden gem on McCertney II, great guitar work, his Hendrix influence is definitely prevalent on this track. I could imagine it fitting perfectly on the White Album .
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