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9.31pm
7 November 2022
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I think it was Beatlebug? a longtime member of BB who described Little Lamb Dragonfly as having a “pastoral” quality. That got me thinking, what other Paul songs have that? Here’s my list (for now):
Paul’s Pastorals
Mother Nature
Little Lamb Dragonfly
Tomorrow
English Tea
Winter Bird / When Winter Comes
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10.36pm
7 November 2010
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Mamunia I would definitely add.
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12.11am
7 November 2022
Offline Mamunia is interesting, that may work. Maybe Good Day Sunshine too, but not sure about Rocky Raccoon .
Of course this is kind of subjective.
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2.09pm
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20 August 2013
Offline Golden Earth Girl perhaps?
Country Dreamer?
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9.07pm
7 November 2022
Offline Thanks, I’ll check those out (I’m a little rusty on Paul’s later stuff).
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9.53pm
7 November 2022
Offline First thing I do is check out the lyrics. With Golden Earth Girl — So far so good! At first, the instrumentation put me off, then I heard… is that an oboe…? I checked Discogs and sure enough, Paul is using an oboe and a flute (played by Gordon Hunt and Susan Milan, respectively). If those had been synthesizer, I would given thumbs down. So yes, I’ll add this one to my subjective list.
Country Dreamer — I don’t know how this song escaped my notice all these years. This is emphatically pastoral!
Thanks @Ahhh Girl !
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12.40am
6 May 2018
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Mull Of Kintyre
Junior’s Farm
Little Willow
Rainclouds
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4.28am
7 November 2022
Offline Thanks @Richard,
People’s suggestions here are helping me refine what the heck I mean by “pastoral” — it’s still a work in progress. I guess lyrics are important, they should imbue the song with nature imagery; and also the sound of the music, including instrumentation.
A song like Junior’s Farm (one of my favorites) is too much of a driving rock song I think to fit.
Mull Of Kintyre ‘s lyrics seem a good fit, and the music too.
Little Willow is close, but something pulls me away from according it “pastoral” status.
I almost felt the same about Rainclouds — but the fiddle turned it around! I’d say yes.
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15 February 2015
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I LOVE this thread! I’ve had an obsession with pastoral-sounding music forever, and Paul has done many of the best examples.
For me, a lot of Paul’s acousticky stuff sounds kinda pastoral, but especially:
Mother Nature’s Son
Heart Of The Country
Hey Diddle
Some People Never Know
Tomorrow
Little Lamb Dragonfly
I Lie Around
Country Dreamer
Mull Of Kintyre
Mamunia
Calico Skies
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4.25am
7 November 2022
Offline Beatlebug said
I LOVE this thread! I’ve had an obsession with pastoral-sounding music forever, and Paul has done many of the best examples.For me, a lot of Paul’s acousticky stuff sounds kinda pastoral, but especially:
Hey Diddle
Some People Never Know
Tomorrow
Little Lamb Dragonfly
I Lie Around
Country Dreamer
Mamunia
Calico Skies
Thanks — I think you were the one who first used that word “pastoral” for Little Lamb Dragonfly. My growing list already has many of the ones you have (I’m glad you also picked up on “Tomorrow”), but now I need to listen to
Hey Diddle
I Lie Around
Calico Skies.
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5.36am
7 November 2022
Offline I think I’ll add Hey Diddle for sure — those amusing ocarinas sealed the deal! I Lie Around is a little dicey for me and Calico Skies while lovely to me doesn’t seem to fit.
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4.17am
30 August 2021
Offline Ram On ?
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10.21pm
7 November 2022
Offline I might have curious criteria, but I’d have to decline Ram On . One reason is the prominent Fender Rhodes, which doesn’t seem to be very pastoral. I like the way Paul plays the Fender Rhodes and it fits the song for sure. The other reason is there’s nothing in the lyrics evoking Nature per se.
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1.02am
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20 August 2013
Offline What do you say to this one, @Sea Belt? The lyrics don’t come in until the end. The music is mind-blowing.
Heather
EDIT: Oh, I just flipped over to the thread for the song, and noticed that you don’t find this song inspired.
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7.07pm
7 November 2022
Offline I like the music but I don’t feel that extra amazement that you appreciate, @Ahhh Girl . I feel your pain, as there are a lot of songs I like from Paul that other people here either find so-so or even positively dislike — example, the medley on Red Rose Speedway (Hold Me Tight /Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut) which I don’t just like mildly but am excited about every time I listen.
Also, although the title, if referring to the word (not the name, his daughter) would at least refer to something pastoral, but I wouldn’t say the music or lyrics are especially pastoral.
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9.13pm
26 January 2017
Offline Mother Nature’s Son is the most pastoral of all I think, but Country Dreamer and Heart Of The Country are tied for a close second.
Haven’t seen The Great Cock and Seagull Race mentioned yet, its kind of a freewheeling electric blues, not the same vibe as the acoustic arrangements of those other 3, but to me it still feels like music written during a similar period where Paul was inspired by his farm life, and it fits that vibe for me.
Man We Was Lonely has a lot of sonic similarities to Mother Nature, and doesn’t explicitly mention anything pastoral, it does reference riding the fast city bike, and how he no longer does that, possibly suggesting that he is now out of the city and in the country. I think the whole McCartney album, since it was recorded on his farm by himself, has a great combination of pastoral stripped down sounds, and lyrical content that is either related to or inspired by life in the country.
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4.21am
7 November 2022
Offline I’m inclined to limit ‘pastoral’ to actual imagery & atmosphere of country life & nature, rather than indirect allusions we might infer without any direct evidence from lyrics.
@sir walter raleigh — I think the line is “I used to ride on my fast city line”
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12.40pm
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20 August 2013
Offline Not that McCartney website always gets the lyrics correct, but in this case the word is line. And, City is capitalized.
The Hammersmith & City line is close to St John’s Wood. Just an observation.
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