Full Description
This book explores the phenomena of Paul McCartney's career and his legacy in popular music and culture.
Paul McCartney has lived an extraordinary life in popular music and popular culture. His careers as a Beatle, as a solo musician and band leader in Wings, and in areas outside music have varied tremendously and are well-documented. That Was Me: Paul McCartney's Career and the Legacy of the Beatles explores the impact of Paul McCartney as a musician outside the Beatles, identifying the continued excitement in generations of fans and listeners, and his perennial efforts to perform and record music. Richard Driver argues that his solo career is multi-faceted and extremely diverse, ranging from breaking sharply with the style and output of the Beatles to experimenting in orchestral and operatic music and returning to music designed to emulate and reproduce the style, success, and popularity of the Beatles. Through McCartney we can literally and symbolically view and revisit the popular music phenomenon that was the Beatles, and popular music from the 1950s to today.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: That Was Me: Paul McCartney's Career and the Legacy of the Beatles
1. The Beatles and Paul McCartney: A Historical and Cultural Legacy
2. McCartney in the Wake of Let It Be: The Legacy of the Beatles
3. McCartney on the Run with Wings: The Career of Paul McCartney
4. Tragedy and Reunion for McCartney: "I Still Remember How It Was Before"
5. Re-Meet the Beatles: McCartney and the Anthology
6. McCartney and the Beatles Legacy: "The Same Me That Stands Here Now"
7. McCartney at Egypt Station: Anniversaries, Experimentation, and Rejuvenation
8. Made in Rockdown: McCartney III and Paul McCartney's Legacy
Conclusion: McCartney Live: His Legacy in Concert, 2002-2022
Appendix: Selected Discography
Bibliography
About the Author
