Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Southern California, 1939

Mull of Kintyre

Some songs are better heard than seen.

I don't know that I've been a fan of the Beatles, but certainly, they've produced some well-known and well-liked songs.  But while I was working today, I heard this 1977 song by Paul McCartney & Wings, titled "Mull of Kintyre."  I'd never heard it before.  In fact, I thought the lyrics to the song were "Harlequin Tide."  That makes no sense or maybe it does since I really couldn't make out the lyrics anyway.  But I loved the melody, particularly the insertion of the bagpipes.  According to SongFacts, the song is about McCartney's farm in Scotland that he bought in 1966 and retreated there for a time after the breakup of the Beatles.  
Paul McCartney wrote this with Denny Laine, his bandmate in Wings.  The song is a tribute to the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland where Paul and his wife, Linda, had a farm.  The Mull is the area at the tip of the peninsula, known for its beautiful scenery and tranquil atmosphere.  After a difficult breakup with the Beatles, McCartney went there to avoid a nervous breakdown.