It’s a big week for Beatles fanatics.
The newest addition to an extensive and mind-blowingly successful discography, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, transports listeners back to where it all began for prolific artist and Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, in post-war Liverpool. The album gives listeners personal insight into Paul’s beloved memories of growing up, playing in “smoky bars”, candid moments before Beatlemania took over, and, of course, stories of love.
The album is an energetic, heartfelt, and unexpected ride through an array of different styles and instrumental experimentation, played and arranged primarily by Paul himself. There’s “Wings style rock, Beatles style harmonies, McCartney style grooves, understated intimacy, melody-driven storytelling, character songs”. With his new producer, Andrew Watt, the recording sessions took place over 5 years, between sold-out global tours, without the pressure of record-label deadlines, making it feel almost like a passion project of Paul’s.
As a huge Beatles nerd and lover (I would have totally been a fangirl during Beatlemania had I been alive), this album means so much to me, as I’m sure it will to all Beatles fans across the world. Hearing Paul pour his stories into guitar ballads and classic rock anthems once again is a gift from such a renowned artist, at the age of 83.
The opening track on the album, “As You Lie There,” opens with spoken-word from Macca, setting the scene for a mysterious romance. Describing someone’s silhouette in the window, a naïve yearning and unrelenting limerence, Paul will never grow tired of writing “silly little love songs”. The song builds and erupts into an unbelievably catchy chorus filled with buzzy guitars and Paul’s growly vocals. “As You Lie There” sets the tone for the rest of the album with unexpected turns and odes to his folk, blues and classic rock roots.
The singles “Days We Left Behind” and “Home To Us” stand out as integral songs on the album, as they perfectly capture Paul’s retrospection and his memories of Liverpool with his bandmates. “Days We Left Behind” is a stripped-back McCartney-style ballad of acoustic fingerpicking and atmospheric piano keys. It’s raw and reflective of the nostalgia of their hometown, reminiscing about playing in “smoky bars” with “cheap guitars” and The Beatles’ grassroots beginnings.
“Home To Us” features the one and only Ringo Starr, singing along with Paul in an upbeat jangly tune about the imperfections and simplicity of their upbringings, not knowing any better and certainly not knowing “where the road was going to take (them) to”.
Another standout is the touching “We Two”. While McCartney has not explicitly confirmed the song’s inspiration, its themes of unconditional friendship, loyalty and shared ambition strongly evoke his relationship with John Lennon. Given the album’s deep focus on Liverpool memories and the formative years before Beatlemania, it feels difficult not to draw parallels between the song and one of music history’s most significant creative partnerships.
The song’s theme is rooted in “living for love”, detailing an unconditional and supportive friendship that is strong enough to conquer the world and start revolutions. “We wanna live for love,” a recurring lyric in the song, is also a major theme throughout John’s work as an artist and activist for world peace, especially in his most famous song, “Imagine”.
I also tie the title as an homage to the song “Two of Us”, from The Beatles’ very last record, Let It Be, which I always interpreted as being about John and Paul’s friendship, especially since the two sing on the track together in harmony, reflecting on the times spent together on the road and all the shared memories that came along with it.
But if you want to hear it from the man himself, you’re in luck. Paul has taken to his social media to share many stories about the origins and memories behind The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, including a coffee shop interview with Paul Mescal (WATCH HERE), who will be playing McCartney in the upcoming Beatles 4-film biopic. He also reflects on the song “Down South,” a core memory for him and bandmate George Harrison as kids, hitchhiking for fun.
The last two songs on the album, “Salesman Saint” and “Momma Gets By,” delve into the family dynamics of Paul’s childhood and how they shaped him as a person and musician. Wrapped in a blanket of folky acoustic guitar, accompanied by a swingin’ brass jazz band, “Salesman Saint” speaks to Paul’s humble working-class beginnings, but always having music, whether it be the radio or the family piano, to foster joy and hope in tough times. It’s here you can see where Paul’s talent and love for music was birthed.
The cohesion in The Boys Of Dungeon Lane lies in stories and reflection, not necessarily in style or genre, which makes the listening experience such an emotional rollercoaster, in the best way. Albums that try to stick so closely to a sound can fall flat because they’re repetitive, but Paul embraces genre-bending to share his songs authentically, producing them in whatever direction they naturally flow.
The Boys Of Dungeon Lane is an album that you cannot get bored listening to, whether you’re struck by the storytelling in Paul’s poetic lyrics, focused on that dirty, gritty, lead guitar tone, analysing the hints to Beatles lore, or simply swept away by those catchy melodies. This album is authentically Paul and a must-listen for every fan.
Paul McCartney’s The Boys Of Dungeon Lane releases May 29.
To pre-save or pre-order the album click HERE.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Header photo credit: Mary McCartney
