Worst line from a McCartney song
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Nancy R:
wingsoverkc:
I love the lyrics of Average Person, especially concerning the boxer looking in the corner of his memory and that he lacked a certain height. Very cool tune. To answer the topic, the BipBop chant is pretty lame.
Even Paul agrees with that! (Bip Bop)
Bip Bop is A Day In The Life compared to Average Person. Average Person is probably, probably the best example of a turd polished to fool people into thinking it's a song! After Bip Bop was released, George Harrison said, "C'mon Paul, we know you can do better than THAT!" Obviously his reaction to Average Person was more muted; I'd like to think George was unavailable for comment because his head was in the toilet...
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I actually don't hate Average Person, for I see it as nothing more than a harmless little ditty. But lyrically: This entire verse: Well, I'm talking to a former engine driver Trying to find out what he used to do Tells me that he always kept his engine Spit and polished up as good as new But he said his only great ambition Was to work with lions in a zoo Oh to work with lions in a zoo Yes dear, you heard right Told me his ambition was to work with lions every night A tough stretch, that one
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I agree with most that The End of the End has great lyrics & evokes emotion without being overly cloying. The Average Person is pure garbage - if one looks up the definition of 'banal' in the dictionary, they should reference this song. 'Bip Bop' is not really a song, but a jam, so I'm o.k. with it just like I am with 'Mumbo'. But, to open your band's first album with 2 spontaneous jams & a cover is probably not the best decision-making.
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Bruce M.:
Wyrdskein:
On the day that I die, I'd like jokes to be told And stories of old to be rolled out like carpets That children have played on and laid on While listening to stories of old Why repeat the same phrase? It really grates.
You're kidding, right? That's the whole point, that the verse comes 'round full circle. The other verse, "On the day that I die, I'd like bells to be rung..." does the same thing. These are among the best lyric's Paul's ever written, and the song still chokes me up.
I don't think it works.
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SusyLuvsPaul:
There are only a very few of Paul's songs I don't like. "Average Person" is one. Often, although I'm a word lover, I'm distracted by his truly wonderful melodies to the point I barely notice the lyrics, so I've not even noticed most of these so-called "awful" lines. I noticed the dustbin lid line before, but I love the sexy song it's in "The Other Me" so that line doesn't bother me at all. I understand from what I've read that "dustbin lid" is an English or British slang term, I forgot what it stands for. I too don't approve of a lot of the "negative" threads which have been posted before about Paul, many of them made me wince, cringe and curse, but this one isn't as bad 'cause I noticed someone recently posted a "What Are Paul's Best Lines" thread. So this thread subject seemed like an okay idea to the boardie who had read that thread, and started this one. It was "the other side of the coin," to use a cliche. Remember, Paul's greatest musical strength is melody, although he's composed many truly wonderful and poetic and meaningful, even brilliant, lyrics as well, in his time Bless him!! WE LOVE YOU MACCA
________________________________________________________ As a lifetime Paul fan, I have to agree with Susy here. Paul's greatest strength are his seemingly endless melodies in many different music styles. He is definitely one of the true great "music" artists over the last 60 years. If you try to analyze the lyrics to every Macca song you will surely (like this post does) have many examples of weird, strange and in some cases bad lyrics. But Paul doesn't obsess with his lyrics. I think that is a good thing because it might interfere with just how prolific and spontaneous Paul is. In another forum (the subject was about Rockshow, the DVD) I wrote about stumbling upon this great DVD that was shown on the Palladium Cable Channel the other night. I watched the whole thing because the commercials were so short and the concert was so good. It made me think just how any of the songs on the Setlist were without real meaningful lyrics. I'm talking about songs like Jet, Spirit of Ancient Egypt, Soily, Call Me Back Again etc. I would be hard pressed to tell you what these songs meant but they certainly sound great and you find yourself singing and rocking to them. Maybe that is why Paul is the "true" King of Pop. He has been doing these type of songs for years and he sings in many cases, the same words that initially jumped out at him. As they say, you can dance and sing to them. Sirius Radio has a station called their Coffee channel. Every now and then I give it a listen While i'm sure this singer/songwriter station is filled with songs with good, deep lyrics, you would also fall asleep because so manly of the songs are void of good melody and rhythm. Very Few artists have better creative melodies and rhythm than Paul. Now there are times where Paul has the perfect lyric in his head that fits the melody exactly. I think of the song Here, There and Everywhere where the words are so perfect for the melody that they practically write themselves. In this case, it has a beginning, middle and end. When this happens, Paul many times has a classic on his hands. Paul has also many examples in his Catalog where the song has "clever lyrics with multiple meanings. Many examples of this but Tug of War, Wanderlust, Let It Be, Hey Jude happen to jump out at the moment. This is why Paul is so prolific. I believe he often spontaneously puts words into the melody that sounds good regardless of how good or bad they are.
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Great post BJ!
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Nancy R:
Great post BJ!
That was very nice. Paul has some beautiful melodies, chord progressions and inventive bridges.
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JoeySmith:
I agree with most that The End of the End has great lyrics & evokes emotion without being overly cloying. The Average Person is pure garbage - if one looks up the definition of 'banal' in the dictionary, they should reference this song. 'Bip Bop' is not really a song, but a jam, so I'm o.k. with it just like I am with 'Mumbo'. But, to open your band's first album with 2 spontaneous jams & a cover is probably not the best decision-making.
I'll second the motion that Average Person is just awful. It comes across like a celeb trying really hard to show he's down with regular folks and utterly failing. It just doesn't work at all.
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I think Average Person is a fun song. I enjoy singing along to it, but the lyrics are clearly 'loose' to say the least - but convince me about The End of the End. What am I missing?
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Wyrdskein:
I think Average Person is a fun song. I enjoy singing along to it, but the lyrics are clearly 'loose' to say the least - but convince me about The End of the End. What am I missing?
It's poetry. Lines are callbacks from other lines from time to time. While I nodded, nearly napping Suddenly there came a tapping As of some one gently rapping Rapping at my chamber door "Tis some visitor," I muttered "Tapping at my chamber door Only this and nothing more" The repetition isn't lazy. It's a literary device.
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Yes I get the poetry thing - not always successful in song though, but due to this discussion its starting to grow on me. MAF is one of my favourite McCartney albums so I'm pleased about that.
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Wyrdskein:
I think Average Person is a fun song. I enjoy singing along to it, but the lyrics are clearly 'loose' to say the least - but convince me about The End of the End. What am I missing?
I don't think I can help you. You're literally the first person I've encountered who doesn't think those lyrics are at least good. If they don't reach you, I don't see how I can change that. But it's the most beautiful, heartfelt expression of an optimistic attitude toward death I've ever seen or heard. I'd have it played at my funeral, but I've already given instructions that they're to play "It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To."
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"From A Lover to a Friend" has some of the most horrible lyrics he's ever penned...If I was his producer, I would have said, keep this... From a lover to a friend Take your own advice Let me love again Now that you turned out to be Someone I can trust Someone I believe ...but go and finish the rest of the lyrics with something that makes sense. How this became the lead single from "Driving Rain" is insane. I remember Paul debuting it on WPLJ 95.5 here in NYC and afterwards, the DJ's were dumbfounded as to what they had just heard. I can't believe it ever got any air-play beyond that debut on PLJ. Dave Kahane should be ashamed of himself for allowing Paul to get away with this one.
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I love that song "From a Lover to a Friend"--it's interesting how opinions can differ...art is subjective (including songs, too?).
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"Cos when we kiss Nothing feels so good even when I get a medal from a local neighbourhood"
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SusyLuvsPaul:
I love that song "From a Lover to a Friend"--it's interesting how opinions can differ...art is subjective (including songs, too?).
That song, for me, has one minute of brilliance about it. What potential. Ended up meandering into a wasted effort, unfortunately.
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panposs:
"Cos when we kiss Nothing feels so good even when I get a medal from a local neighbourhood"
The actual lyrics are much better. You and me together Nothing feels so good Even if I get a medal From my local neighborhood I won't need a castle They've got castles in Versailles And I'm still stranded Wondering why
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HaileyMcComet:
panposs:
"Cos when we kiss Nothing feels so good even when I get a medal from a local neighbourhood"
The actual lyrics are much better. You and me together Nothing feels so good Even if I get a medal From my local neighborhood I won't need a castle They've got castles in Versailles And I'm still stranded Wondering why
Sorry, but they're pretty ordinary forced lyrics. Not in my chosen few.
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toris:
HaileyMcComet:
panposs:
"Cos when we kiss Nothing feels so good even when I get a medal from a local neighbourhood"
The actual lyrics are much better. You and me together Nothing feels so good Even if I get a medal From my local neighborhood I won't need a castle They've got castles in Versailles And I'm still stranded Wondering why
Sorry, but they're pretty ordinary forced lyrics. Not in my chosen few.
But one of my favorite post-Beatle Paul songs, I should add.... so lyrics are one thing.....