Paul McCartney - McCartney

Written By: Moti Kupfer

Release date - 17.04.1970

On September 20, 1969, John Lennon informed his bandmates in "The Beatles" that he intended to leave. At the request of their business partner Allen Klein, he agreed to delay the public announcement so as not to harm the release of their final album "Let It Be".

A rift quickly formed between Paul McCartney and the other three members over the future management of the band. John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr believed that Klein, known for securing highly favorable recording contracts, deserved their trust. McCartney, however, did not trust Klein and preferred his father-in-law, lawyer Lee Eastman, or someone else entirely.

The conflict escalated when Paul McCartney refused to sign a new five-year recording contract for "The Beatles". He felt particularly betrayed upon learning that John Lennon and Klein had chosen producer Phil Spector to assemble a new "Beatles" album from the unfinished "Get Back" sessions.

To McCartney, this reworking of the material violated the band’s core principles. He saw it as a petty act of revenge by John Lennon.

As the breakup of "The Beatles" became inevitable, Paul McCartney fell into depression and came close to a nervous breakdown. He withdrew from public life, isolating himself with his wife Linda and their daughters on his farm in Campbeltown, Scotland, and drank heavily.

His disappearance fueled the already widespread conspiracy theories claiming he was dead. While those rumors were baseless, they only added pressure as journalists kept trying to verify them.

Years later, Paul McCartney reflected on that period, explaining that the pain, disappointment, and grief over losing the band were overwhelming and nearly drove him to madness.

From this emotional low point, however, came a new beginning. Encouraged by Linda, Paul McCartney began planning his future outside of "The Beatles". He started writing new material and finishing older songs, some dating back to the band’s 1968 trip to India.

Shortly before Christmas 1969, Paul McCartney returned with his family to their home in St John’s Wood, London. There, he began recording his debut album using a simple four-track tape recorder he had purchased.

Paul McCartney played every instrument on the album himself, from acoustic and electric guitars to bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion, while Linda contributed backing vocals on several tracks.

The result was a raw, home-recorded album, far removed from the polished productions of "The Beatles". At times uneven, it nevertheless captured McCartney in his most authentic and intimate form.

“This was an old dream that came true. From the moment the album was released, I told myself that one day, in one of the programs I would host, I would use this melody as the opening theme,” said the respected broadcaster and music editor Menachem Granit, referring to the instrumental "Momma Miss America".

Granit began his radio career sometime in 1972 as a technician after completing his military service. He had moved with his family to Australia at the age of five, where he developed a deep connection to Western music. When he returned to Israel, he made sure to blend that influence with local music.

When he was a soldier, the debut album of Paul McCartney was released and deeply shook the young Granit’s world. With the instinct of an editor who knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff, he recognized the uniqueness of that charming instrumental piece and promised himself that one day it would serve as the opening theme for a program of his own.

The years passed, Kol Yisrael shut down, and the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation took its place. The internet evolved into a fast-moving stream of endless information. Out of this changing landscape, the idea of creating a program that tells the story of one album at a time began to take shape. “Album for a Desert Island” launched in October 2017, with Granit, in his distinctive storytelling style, guiding listeners through the paths of a single album on a Sunday evening. Naturally, he did not forget "Momma Miss America", which became the program’s opening theme from day one. It was a piece that managed to tell the story of an entire album in just 4 minutes and 4 seconds. A composition that came together almost by accident, merging two separate recordings into one. At the beginning of the track, the voice of the sound engineer can be heard announcing “Rock n Roll Springtime Take 1”, a remnant of one of the original pieces that were fused together.

Through the album’s journey, we encounter a vulnerable and confused McCartney, leaning on Linda and expressing his love for her in "That Would Be Something" and "Maybe I’m Amazed", two of the few tracks that George Harrison reportedly appreciated.

The lyrics of "Every Night" reflect McCartney’s emotional struggles during this period, while still carrying a sense of hope. He wrote the song during a holiday in Greece, channeling the depression he experienced after the band’s breakup.

"Teddy Boy", written during the Beatles’ stay in India in 1968, tells a story of family estrangement and a widowed mother finding new love. Paul McCartney later described it as a song he began in India and gradually completed in Scotland and London. Originally recorded for the "Get Back" project, it was ultimately left unused.

Another standout, "Junk", combines a delicate melody with melancholic lyrics that echo themes similar to "Eleanor Rigby". It reflects on objects that once held meaning but have been discarded, subtly mirroring the dissolution of "The Beatles". Paul McCartney also wrote this song during the band’s time in Rishikesh, India.

On March 25, Paul McCartney discovered that Klein had decided to delay the release of his debut album. George Harrison initially reassured him that it would still be released on April 17 as planned.

However, when Phil Spector reported that "Let It Be" was nearly complete and could be released alongside its accompanying film at the end of April, priorities shifted.

John Lennon and George Harrison sent McCartney a letter on March 31 instructing EMI to postpone his album until June 4. Instead of delivering the message through staff, Ringo Starr brought it personally, unaware of how tense McCartney had become.

McCartney reacted angrily, ordering Starr out and threatening consequences. The confrontation ultimately led the others to back down, allowing McCartney to release his debut album about three weeks before "Let It Be".

The album’s cover, created by Linda McCartney, features a bowl of cherry-red liquid placed against a cream-colored wall, surrounded by red cherries.

For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music

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