The Beatles: Their 10 best solo albums ranked, from Flaming Pie to Imagine
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Nancy R wrote:
BJ wrote: It sounded like a top 40 record but I don't think it sounded good for Paul to be singing those type lyrics for a man his age.
The lyric is "I just want it for you." The song should have been called "For You" but Ryan Tedder thought it would be funny to call it Fuh You because that was how Paul pronounced it and it made it SOUND like he was singing "I just wanna fu*k you." Stupid decision. My point is, Paul is not singing "those type of lyrics" and even if he was, imo, he's Paul McCartney and he can do whatever he wants, regardless of his age.
Sure he can sing any lyric he wants but expect him to get ridiculed in reviews and he did when a man in his late 70's is singing about being horny.
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Yankeefan2 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
BJ wrote: It sounded like a top 40 record but I don't think it sounded good for Paul to be singing those type lyrics for a man his age.
The lyric is "I just want it for you." The song should have been called "For You" but Ryan Tedder thought it would be funny to call it Fuh You because that was how Paul pronounced it and it made it SOUND like he was singing "I just wanna fu*k you." Stupid decision. My point is, Paul is not singing "those type of lyrics" and even if he was, imo, he's Paul McCartney and he can do whatever he wants, regardless of his age.
Sure he can sing any lyric he wants but expect him to get ridiculed in reviews and he did when a man in his late 70's is singing about being horny.
You guys have totally missed the point!! He was not singing about being horny! Reread my post, please. Paul's big mistake was going along with Ryan Tedder's decision to change the song title, which made it SOUND suggestive, when it really was not!
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Nancy R wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
BJ wrote: It sounded like a top 40 record but I don't think it sounded good for Paul to be singing those type lyrics for a man his age.
The lyric is "I just want it for you." The song should have been called "For You" but Ryan Tedder thought it would be funny to call it Fuh You because that was how Paul pronounced it and it made it SOUND like he was singing "I just wanna fu*k you." Stupid decision. My point is, Paul is not singing "those type of lyrics" and even if he was, imo, he's Paul McCartney and he can do whatever he wants, regardless of his age.
Sure he can sing any lyric he wants but expect him to get ridiculed in reviews and he did when a man in his late 70's is singing about being horny.
You guys have totally missed the point!! He was not singing about being horny! Reread my post, please. Paul's big mistake was going along with Ryan Tedder's decision to change the song title, which made it SOUND suggestive, when it really was not!
I understand your point I am just saying what critics wrote in reviews. When people listen to the song they are thinking he said f*** you and they are not going to go back and check the lyrics. Perception is reality sometimes. Critics also found "Come On To Me" a bit juvenile for a man in his late 70's. We all could disagree but that is what I read in several reviews when album was released. I agree with you, it was a big mistake because that song got more attention than much better songs on the album.
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Yankeefan2 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
Yankeefan2 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
BJ wrote: It sounded like a top 40 record but I don't think it sounded good for Paul to be singing those type lyrics for a man his age.
The lyric is "I just want it for you." The song should have been called "For You" but Ryan Tedder thought it would be funny to call it Fuh You because that was how Paul pronounced it and it made it SOUND like he was singing "I just wanna fu*k you." Stupid decision. My point is, Paul is not singing "those type of lyrics" and even if he was, imo, he's Paul McCartney and he can do whatever he wants, regardless of his age.
Sure he can sing any lyric he wants but expect him to get ridiculed in reviews and he did when a man in his late 70's is singing about being horny.
You guys have totally missed the point!! He was not singing about being horny! Reread my post, please. Paul's big mistake was going along with Ryan Tedder's decision to change the song title, which made it SOUND suggestive, when it really was not!
I understand your point I am just saying what critics wrote in reviews. When people listen to the song they are thinking he said f*** you and they are not going to go back and check the lyrics. Perception is reality sometimes. Critics also found "Come On To Me" a bit juvenile for a man in his late 70's. We all could disagree but that is what I read in several reviews when album was released. I agree with you, it was a big mistake because that song got more attention than much better songs on the album.
Great points Nancy and Yankeefan. I never thought about it before but I now wonder if "Fuh You" was a major reason why ES didn't get a Grammy Nomination for Album of the Year. I remember being shocked when ES didn't get nominated even though the Grammys had added 1 or 2 to the number of Album of the Year nominations that year. I was disappointed especially when so many of the critics gave it such high marks. Now that Yankeefan mentioned it, I do remember a few of the critics that I really respect putting ES down a notch or two only because of Fuh You while loving ES on the whole.
I also remember how much the record company was "pushing" Fuh You so much in their advertising and therefore taking the attention off the really great songs (music and lyrics!) on the album. If the voters were listening more to the "lead" songs on the album, Fuh You might have been a big factor in keeping it from being nominated. The funny thing "Fuh You" was the only song on the main album not being produce by Greg Kurstin who I think did a great job. For me being a big Paul fan, it was the other songs on ES (not being hyped by the record company) like Happy With You, Confidante, People Want Peace, Dominoes, Do It Now, Hunt You Down/Naked that later on reallly resonated with me. And I liked I Don't Know a lot from the get go. The Grammy voters are probably busy people and needing to listen to so many of the new albums that year, it would make sense that they would focus on the "lead" tracks the record companies were pushing and "Fuh You" was definitely one of the "lead" songs. I agree with both of you that changing the title to "Fuh You" was a big mistake. As it was, I never heard "Fuh You" on the radio or a restaurants playlist one time. Conversely, I heard "Dominoes" on Panera Bread's Playlist multiple times.
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I was shocked when "Egypt Station" did not get nominated either because it received critical acclaim (exp. Rolling Stone) and it debuted at #1. In addition, it might have been the last time to honor McCartney at the Grammy Award ceremonies. I have usually disagreed with the McCartney team on their choices for singles and songs to promote the album. I can live with "I Don't Know" because it is a pretty ballad but I would have picked "Who Cares" instead of "Come On To Me". "Who Cares" is good upbeat song for radio play and has great message about bullying. I think that is better than hearing a man in his late 70's sing about coming on to him and it gets repetitive - geez. "Fuh You" is catchy but that one little line ruined it. Like BJ said, so many other really good songs like "Confidante", "Home Tonight" and "Do It Now" should have been promoted from "Egypt Station".
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Again, I must agree to disagree with Yankee and BJ. I totally dig Fuh You and Come On To Me; the production of both songs is brilliant, Paul's voice is outstanding, and both songs are fast, fun, and entertaining. And in concert, these songs are powerful. Yes, I have been at shows where Paul plays a new song and the reception is lukewarm. Not with these two tunes. Nobody was doing a beer run during these songs. No one. Why? Because they were fast, loud, fun, and Paul was having a blast singing them. The crowd could feel that. The songs, IMO, that cost a Grammy nomination for ES were probably Back In Brazil, Hand in Hand, and People Want Peace. Three pretty generic, semi-boring tunes.
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wingsoverkc wrote:
Again, I must agree to disagree with Yankee and BJ. I totally dig Fuh You and Come On To Me; the production of both songs is brilliant, Paul's voice is outstanding, and both songs are fast, fun, and entertaining. And in concert, these songs are powerful. Yes, I have been at shows where Paul plays a new song and the reception is lukewarm. Not with these two tunes. Nobody was doing a beer run during these songs. No one. Why? Because they were fast, loud, fun, and Paul was having a blast singing them. The crowd could feel that. The songs, IMO, that cost a Grammy nomination for ES were probably Back In Brazil, Hand in Hand, and People Want Peace. Three pretty generic, semi-boring tunes.
Yeay! We agree on all that wingsoverkc!
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wingsoverkc wrote:
Again, I must agree to disagree with Yankee and BJ. I totally dig Fuh You and Come On To Me; the production of both songs is brilliant, Paul's voice is outstanding, and both songs are fast, fun, and entertaining. And in concert, these songs are powerful. Yes, I have been at shows where Paul plays a new song and the reception is lukewarm. Not with these two tunes. Nobody was doing a beer run during these songs. No one. Why? Because they were fast, loud, fun, and Paul was having a blast singing them. The crowd could feel that. The songs, IMO, that cost a Grammy nomination for ES were probably Back In Brazil, Hand in Hand, and People Want Peace. Three pretty generic, semi-boring tunes.
I did not say "Fuh You" was a bad song, I did say it was catchy. I just stated the line where it sounds like McCartney sings f*** you got lambasted by critics in reviewing "Egypt Station". Once again, I did not say "Come On To Me" was a bad song, just some critics thought it was kind of juvenile for a man close to 80 to be singing a song about coming on to a woman. I thought "Who Cares" was better song, it rocks also and has a better and relevant message. Were you at shows where he played "Who Cares". If so, what was the reaction?
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Nancy R wrote:
wingsoverkc wrote:
Again, I must agree to disagree with Yankee and BJ. I totally dig Fuh You and Come On To Me; the production of both songs is brilliant, Paul's voice is outstanding, and both songs are fast, fun, and entertaining. And in concert, these songs are powerful. Yes, I have been at shows where Paul plays a new song and the reception is lukewarm. Not with these two tunes. Nobody was doing a beer run during these songs. No one. Why? Because they were fast, loud, fun, and Paul was having a blast singing them. The crowd could feel that. The songs, IMO, that cost a Grammy nomination for ES were probably Back In Brazil, Hand in Hand, and People Want Peace. Three pretty generic, semi-boring tunes.
Yeay! We agree on all that wingsoverkc!
I agree as well, I loved Come On To Me
The video was brilliant, so sexy and fun. They were everyday people who felt sexy, were sexy and I think most everyone could relate to that catchy beat. I loved the part with the security guard dancing in the store's show window and then the man walking the dog comes up and starts dancing too... it was so much fun!! Fuh you was catchy and young as well. That critic sounds like a fuddy duddy. You're as young as you feel, and Paul still feels young to me and to the crowds! -
Yankeefan2 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
BJ wrote: It sounded like a top 40 record but I don't think it sounded good for Paul to be singing those type lyrics for a man his age.
The lyric is "I just want it for you." The song should have been called "For You" but Ryan Tedder thought it would be funny to call it Fuh You because that was how Paul pronounced it and it made it SOUND like he was singing "I just wanna fu*k you." Stupid decision. My point is, Paul is not singing "those type of lyrics" and even if he was, imo, he's Paul McCartney and he can do whatever he wants, regardless of his age.
Sure he can sing any lyric he wants but expect him to get ridiculed in reviews and he did when a man in his late 70's is singing about being horny.
I was friends with a couple in their mid 80's. A friends parents. Sometimes when I was visiting, she would hold onto his ankles while he did his sit ups, they were gymnasts. When he died she came over to us at the funeral. She told us he was the love of her life, and he was so sexy right until the end and they had sex all the time. She said didn't know what she was going to do without him. I guess you can be horny even in your 80's and be happy about it too.
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Well YankeeFan, Who Cares was fine, but it followed Letting Go which introduced the horn section, who were located in the audience. The horn section was so dynamic and being in with the audience was so clever and exciting, there was a notable drop off of excitement when Who Cares is played. And Who Cares is also the first ES song played, so the crowd's knowledge of the song was probably limited.
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Looked at a bunch of reviews again of "Egypt Station" and nobody is saying how "Fuh You" and "Come On To Me" are highlights of the album. "Come On To Me" is upbeat and probably does go over ok live but IMO it is repetitive with McCartney singing the same thing for it seems forever at the end of the song. Like I said "Fuh You" is catchy but the lyric gave it more attention than it deserved and it did not fit in with rest of album IMO. Some quotes from album reviews below.
Pitchfolk
"“Fuh You,” the second single from Egypt Station, trumps “FourFiveSeconds” by making McCartney seem full-on desperate—for either a hit or a fuck, but preferably both. Where “FourFiveSeconds” benefitted from minimalism, “Fuh You” is a maximalist jumble of modernist nonsense in which producer Ryan Tedder forces Paul to follow his playbook. McCartney admitted to Mojo that he was so irritated by Tedder’s method, he decided to rewrite the lyric “I'm a lover for you” as “I just wanna fuh you.” Perhaps that was a nifty way to twist the knife in the producer, but it also represents a bit of self-sabotage that is entirely in character for McCartney.
“I’ve got a career where I’ve been involved with songs that have meaning, and this doesn't amount to anything,” he apparently told Tedder. “Y'know—I wrote ‘Eleanor Rigby’!” Which is true! But McCartney also wrote “Bip Bop,” “Move Over Busker,” “Biker Like an Icon,” and many other flights of fancy that are either cute or irritating depending on your mood or tolerance for fluff. A large part of his charm lies in the way he vacillates between the banal and the profound, sometimes within the course of a single song.
Egypt Station is firmly within this tradition. “Fuh You” aside, the album is fairly handsome,"
The Guardian
" The Tedder collaboration – Fuh You, released as a single – is the album’s nadir, like matter meeting anti-matter: McCartney on the melody, deploying little harpsichord parps, and Tedder, laying the production out on a stifling computer grid, smothering all spontaneity with a hypoxic density of instrumentation, making for an overweening scent of Coldplay. It is one of two songs on Egypt Station in which a septuagenarian flaunts his libido, and that’s not the reason it’s buttock-clenchingly uncomfortable. According to a recent interview, McCartney’s crash course in how Tedder works – throwing out pat phrases over hooks until something sticks – was a salutary eye-opener. "
Slant
" McCartney’s weakness for lightweight novelties has been seemingly ebbing away in recent years, but it’s on full display on “Come on to Me,” which sees him coupling his throaty, horny-old-man come-ons with hilariously overblown electric sitar, bluesy harmonica, and a braying brass section piled tactlessly on top of an unremarkable three-chord progression. "
Rolling Stone
" He’s also picked up a knack for silly sex songs like “Come On To Me” or the ridiculous “Fuh You,” which basically serves as a sequel to his 1971 shagathon “Hi, Hi, Hi.” With the Romantic Beatle slavering “I just wanna fuh you,” it makes “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” sound subtle. "
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I give up. This is not worth my time. Love2travel or wingsoverkc, maybe you have the energy. -
Losing energy over this too, but will give it a shot. Rolling Stone also hated RAM, Venus and Mars, and Back To The Egg. All I know is I know what I like and I love Fuh You and Come On To Me. And the thousand and thousand of fans in 2019 agreed with me at Paul's concerts. There is a reason he played Fuh You, Come On To Me, and Who Cares live; they rocked and rolled the crowd. If Fuh You is the nadir of the album, according to the dope from The Guardian, then so be it; I'll keep playing Fuh You for years and years.
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I just wanted to join the discussion since I'm an admitted "Paul nutcase". I have probably listened to Egypt Staion (ES) more than practically anyone. My car CD player only holds 1 CD and ES has been the only CD in my car for well over a year.
Like all new albums do, it has to grow on you, but the more I played it, the more I liked it. In the end, I have to say that I think it is one of Paul's best albums but without a couple of weaker tracks. At this point, I know what my ears like and what songs I love. At this point, the "only" song that I routinely skip is "Fuh You". Sorry WingsoverKC and Nancy. I love your enthusiasm for Paul and "Fuh You' but I give the song a high thumbs down. I also have to agree with many of the critics that Yankeefan cited above and I have disagreed with these same critics before. To me, I don't like the overall lyrics to the song (they don't say anything to me) but I also don't care for the "word play" with the title. On top of this, I don't like Ryan Tedders backing vocals...specifically the part where he sings "I just wanna fuh you" at least 3 times in the song in the high voice. Upon repeated listens, it just got "grating" to my ears. Now does the song ruin ES for me. Not totally since it is only 3 minutes long and parts of the song is catchy (the "I just wanna know how you feel parts). But in reality, I now skip it regularly because I just got tirred of it. Music is subjective so I get it when other people like something that I don't.
I have to totally disagree with WingoverKC relative to what song/songs cost Paul (and it was Paul's own fault!) a Grammy Nomination for ES. Just look at the numbers. After ES came out, the first singles out of the gate were "Come On To Me" and "I Don't Know" (double sided singles). When radio decided to latch onto "Come On To Me", Capitol then had to decide on the next single to promote. Because "Fuh You" had the controversial title, Capitol unfortunately went hog wild to promote it.
Just look at the numbers if you go to Youtube under "Fuh You". It had an extraodinary number of listens...like 24 Thousands (quite high for Paul). But with those high listen #'s, Fuh You also had a high number of dislikes like 4.2 K. To give you a relative comparison, if you go to other songs that WingsoverKC mentions that might have hurt Paul's chances for a Grammy nomination, here are those "listen" numbers:
Hand in Hand - only 158 likes and 2 dislikes
Back in Brazil - only 137 likes and 6 dislikes
People Want Peace - only 60 likes and 1 dislike
The point is that Capitol was successful in getting fans to listen to Fuh You via youtube, but many people hated the song. I remember reading the reaction to the fans at the time "Fuh You" was released. I couldn't believe how the older, veteran Bealtle/fans reacted. There were the many common reasons...it didn't sound like Paul, it sounds like a 2018 Top 40 record rather than a Beatle or Paul song, bad lyrics etc etc.
The one fact you could easily see was that Fuh You was a lightning rod for opinions good and bad. The older fans of the Beatles and Paul in general didn't like the sound and it wasn't Beatlesque in their mind. Many fans were disappointed at least from a survey point of view.
Anyway, my point is that if there was one song on ES that might had hurt Paul's Grammy chances easily the most, it was the controversial one..Fuh You. It was the only song that was getting the bulk of the attention after the initial single "Come on To Me" and "I Don't Know. Just looking at the "listens" for some of the other songs on ES like People Want Peace, Back to Brazil, and Hand in Hand, people were hardly listening on Youtube to those songs. Another thing we know about Grammy voters over the years is that they are a highly "conservative" group. They don't usually like "controversy." The one song (after the first single) that they did probably hear was "Fuh You". I doubt they probably heard the "other" songs more than once. That is not enough to really get a feeling for how good an Album is or isn't.
In the end, all the promotion that Capitol did for Fuh You, didn't register with Sales from everything I could see. I really think "Fuh You" was the main reason that ES didn't get a Grammy nomination. I think it was such a shame for Paul since it was a very good album with many good to great songs.
Now I'm tired.
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You should be tired after that (overly long) diatribe!
Sorry, but I couldn't make it through the whole thing!If I had listened to Egypt Station for a whole year like you, to the exclusion of anything else, I'd probably dislike Fuh You too!
Can we just all agree to disagree and put this thread on the shelf?
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Nancy R wrote:
You should be tired after that (overly long) diatribe!
Sorry, but I couldn't make it through the whole thing!If I had listened to Egypt Station for a whole year like you, to the exclusion of anything else, I'd probably dislike Fuh You too!
Can we just all agree to disagree and put this thread on the shelf?
Yes I was actually tired before I started writing. It wasn't one of my better ones.
I was being very facetious about listening to Egypt Station for a year. Yes it is the only CD I have had in my player but I have Sirius so we listen to the 60's, 70's, the Bridge, the Beatles channels etc. My wife is much more tech oriented than me so we also listen often to Panadera and Spotify playlists so we do get a lot of variety. When I'm in the car by myself, I do put on ES so I have listened to it very consistently.
I do skip Fuh You most of the time because I'm impatient and want to get to the good stuff (Bruce's best 4 in a row starting with Confidante).
As several of us "non-believers" have said, Fuh You is catchy but you can't listen to it too often. I still remember one reviewer who said that occasionally "Top 40 Radio sometimes has a brilliant song but Fuh You is bad Top 40 Pop". That was the primary reason it never caught on with the public. Even Paul was 2nd guessing himself with the song (remember Paul saying "i'm the guy who wrote Eleanor Rigby etc" but Paul liked Ryan Tedder's personality and Tedder talked him into the song and having the title "Fuh You". As you said, big mistake. I have no proof of course, but in my opinion, the bad reviews on specifically that song unfortunately killed ES relative to getting a Grammy nomination and possible win.
This is not the first time that Paul's intuition on album tracklising went wrong. Just think of Flowers in the Dirt where Paul left off several great Paul/Elvis songs in favor of the last 2 songs that finished Flowers. Again, criitics didn't like the 2nd half of Flowers.
Anyway, God Bless you and Wingsoverkc for still attending Paul's shows. I just couldn't so I admire you guys and I am happy for you. Oh Yes, Happy With You...another great hidden gem on ES. I remember Wingsoverkc telling how well "Fuh You" went down with the audience last year. That doesn't surprise me that when people get a few drinks in them, they will dance and like fast songs. Again, when I'm in my car just listening to ES, I just don't feel that way about the song. Being such a consistent listener to ES, that was the song I got tired of very quickly.
By the way, the 3 songs that were listed during this subject as being "too generic"and weak ES songs are 3 that I really like. They are:
Hand in Hand - Best love song on ES; love Greg Kurstin's arrangement, the cello's. Paul's lyrics. Again, this is the type of Paul song that I love.
People Want Peace - love Greg's arrangement and the Band's backing vocals. Love the lyrics, the cello's. Imo, the best Paul peace song since Pipes of Peace.
Back in Brazil - this track took me longer to like. I didn't like the "Ichaban" repetitiion at first but I got used to it. But the best part of the song is the music with all the instruments. Lyrics are pretty good too about the everyday life of a couple in love.
Unfortunately, these are just some of the songs that got lost with all the publicity behind "Fuh You".
Sorry for being longwinded here but at least my mind this morning was working far better than yesterday late afternoon.
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OMG, BJ, please stop, you're killing me! I said, "can't we please shelve this discussion" and you go on again for paragraphs!
P.S. It's *Pandora*
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Nancy
I'm finished with the subject. I still love ES. Hope you are ok.
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Meanwhile.......... I'm surprised that no one has mentioned George's 'George Harrison' album, which is not only a very strong candidate for his best solo album but also for any solo album by an ex-fab?
