Paul McCartney's new two-volume book, The Lyrics
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The Lyrics, by Paul McCartney, to be published in the UK this November

Over two volumes, the iconic songwriter recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career.

This November will see the publication of The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, a two-volume self-portrait in which McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career – from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present.

Paul McCartney says: “I hope that what I’ve written will show people something about my songs and my life which they haven’t seen before. I’ve tried to say something about how the music happens and what it means to me and I hope what it may mean to others too.”

The two volumes are introduced and edited by the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, who says: “Based on conversations I had with Paul McCartney over a five-year period, these commentaries are as close to an autobiography as we may ever come. His insights into his own artistic process confirm a notion at which we had but guessed — that Paul McCartney is a major literary figure who draws upon, and extends, the long tradition of poetry in English.

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present will be published by Allen Lane in two hardback volumes on 2 November. Each volume will be 480 pages long with colour photography throughout and will not be sold separately.

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