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December 2014

December 31, 2014 - PM.com

What's That You're Doing? (No.12 / Vol.2)

Phew! What a year 2014 was!

Having had such a fun 12 months here at PaulMcCartney.com we thought it would be nice to end the year with a look at some of our favourite highlights. So, off we go...!

JANUARY:
Paul kicked off his year winning five GRAMMY awards - a personal best! He also became the first musician to reach 10 million followers on the Japanese-based messaging app LINE.

FEBRUARY:
Paul followed his GRAMMY win by being presented with a special one-off NME award for Songwriter's Songwriter. (Not a bad start to the year!)

MARCH:
Paul began taking part in the popular #ThrowbackThursday Internet theme day on his social networks and we collect the photos together on the website HERE! He also began announcing more dates to his incredibly successful 'Out There' world tour.

APRIL:
Paul played his first live dates of the year in Latin America in April and we posted a new lyric video for the classic Wings song 'Band on the Run'.

MAY:
The month of May saw us re-launching PaulMcCartney.com, Paul created an account on the LINE PLAY community and he introduced the world to 'Newman', star of his NEW 'Appreciate' video!

JUNE:
In June we published the fan video for 'Save Us' which thousands of you helped to make! PaulMcCartney.com also got invited to the Primavera Festival to talk about our work online with Paul.

JULY:
Everyone went football crazy in June and July as the World Cup kicked off in Brazil. To celebrate we worked with Paul on an article about his concerts in the country's football stadiums. Paul launched a new set of stickers, on LINE, released his NEW video for the track 'Early Days', and began his summer tour of the US in Albany.

AUGUST:
During his US summer tour Paul helped celebrate one of the world's most iconic venues when he played 'Farewell To Candlestick: The Final Concert' unveiling previously unseen photos of The Beatles performance at the same venue - the band's last official concert.

SEPTEMBER:
Paul gave us a unique glimpse behind-the-scenes at the 'Early Days' video shoot where the blues musicians on set - including Johnny Depp - enjoyed an impromptu jam. Paul put out an urgent call to action to support the Meat Free Monday Climate Pledge as well as taking part in a new video to celebrate the campaign's fifth birthday. And to tie-in with the reissue of the classic Wings albums Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound we published a new lyric video for the track 'Call Me Back Again' featuring photos of Paul growing up.


OCTOBER:
During a break in his US tour Paul sat down with PaulMcCartney.com to do a live Twitter Q&A in which he discussed the Wings' reissues and touring, along with revealing if he's a dog or cat person, his favourite candy and details on the last time he 'twerked'! We built a microsite celebrating Wings and launched a new feature on PaulMcCartney.com allowing fans to download exclusive music from the band! Paul also reissued his NEW album with a wealth of extra goodies!

NOVEMBER:
The remastered Wings albums Venus and Mars and At The Speed Of Sound were reissued - the latest releases in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection - and we let fans download more exclusive Wings music! We published a new Spotify playlist featuring tracks that helped shape the sounds of the Wings albums, Paul sat down with PaulMcCartney.com and gave us our very own mini-concert, gave a songwriting talk with model Lily Cole for her Impossible website and throughout the whole of the month we posted classic photos of Paul with a moustache for #Movember! And if all that wasn't enough, Paul also gave fans the chance to join him (virtually!) on stage at Candlestick Park performing 'Live and Let Die' in a new app!

DECEMBER:
Paul's new single 'Hope For The Future' was released in December. Taken from 'Destiny' the song was his first written for a computer game. The video for the single featured Paul inside the game and we also got an exclusive look at the making of the video. For Christmas we spoke with Paul about his favourite yuletide memories, created a new video for the Wings recording 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae' and let fans download new colouring-in images along with a 2014 wordsearch.

So there you have it, a selection of some of our favourite 2014 highlights!

We'll see you all in 2015 with more exciting news, including how you can make your very own 3D printable Paul figure!

All the best!

PaulMcCartney.com


December 31, 2014 --Nerdist.com

NERDIST PODCAST PAUL McCARTNEY


CLICK TO LISTEN (1 hour and 20 minute interview!)

Sir Paul McCartney talks with Chris, Matt and Jonah about the first time he came to New York City and how people today being too addicted to their phones, and he tells stories about The Beatles, Wings, and more. He also talks about the song "Hope For The Future", which he composed for the video game Destiny!
(MACCA REPORT WEBMASTER NOTE: ONE OF THE BEST PAUL INTERVIEWS! )


December 31, 2014 -- Daily Express (UK)

Paul McCartney to bid for Beatles catalogue 30 years after losing it to Michael Jackson

Sir Paul McCartney may be set to bid for The Beatles catalogue he lost out on 30 years ago when he was outbid by Michael Jackson.

According to The Sun, leaked emails from Sony Entertainment reveal that company bosses discussed a plan to sell its music business, which includes a share in more than 250 songs penned by Lennon and McCartney for The Beatles.

The former-Beatle was outbid by Michael Jackson the last time the catalogue came up for auction in 1985.

At the time, the Thriller hit-maker paid £30 million ($46.7 million) for the lot and later sold half a share to Sony for £64 million ($99.5 million).

A music source told the publication: "Paul will want to buy the catalogue".

December 31, 2014 -- PM.com

Impossible Fan Q&A - Four Extra Questions

It was impossible (see what we did there!) for Paul to answer everybody's questions at his Impossible.com songwriting talk with Lily Cole. 

Fortunately, PaulMcCartney.com was on hand to record four more questions after Paul left, which he kindly answered for us later that day. Check them out below (sorry about the quality of the audio!)...

And remember to read the full transcript from Paul's talk HERE!

QUESTION 1
"Hi Paul, I was wondering if you were interested in how the Foo Fighters recorded their new album in eight different cities across America? What affect does the location of a recording of an album have on you as a songwriter? For example, when you recorded 'Band on the Run' in Nigeria, how did that influence the songs on that album?"

PAUL: "Yeah, I think there is a small affect. But generally it's more of an atmosphere thing for me. Some people will go to Memphis and do a blues album. For me, I went to Nigeria loving the Nigerian rhythms, and that kind of crept into 'Band on the Run' a little bit. A couple of the tracks have got the sort of [sings 'Ho! Hey Ho!' from 'Mrs Vandebilt']. You know, that's in there, and it's a little bit African. 

"But I'd arrived there basically with the album written. So in the arrangements, it didn't affect the songs at all. But in the atmosphere, it does a bit. 
"I think if I was writing songs in the place that would probably affect it. But actually in my case I think it's quite small."

QUESTION 2:
"How do you feel about students now studying popular music with a focus on The Beatles?" (Asked by student studying for an MA in Popular Music in Liverpool.)

PAUL: "For me it's ridiculous, and yet very flattering. Ridiculous because we never studied anything, we just loved our popular music: Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc. And it wasn't a case of 'studying' it. I think for us, we'd have felt it would have ruined it to study it. We wanted to make our own minds up just by listening to it. So our study was listening. But to be told - as I was years ago now - that The Beatles were in my kid's history books? That was like 'What?! Unbelievable, man!' Can you imagine when we were at school, finding yourself in a history book?!

"So it's very flattering, and I think it's a kind of cool idea really, you know, like in LIPA. So yeah, it's very flattering. At the same time, I don't think that by studying popular music you can become a great popular musician; it may be that you use it to teach other people about the history, that's all valuable. But to think that you can go to a college and come out like Bob Dylan? Someone like Bob Dylan, you can't make. It was an early decision when we were thinking of our policies for LIPA, we said: 'We want to train people to be all rounders. Give them as much info as we can. But you can't tell them how to become a Bob Dylan or a John Lennon, because you know, nobody knows how that happens'."  

QUESTION 3:
"How do you jot down ideas for songs when you don't have an instrument, and how do you keep hold of them in your head before going into the studio?"

PAUL: "I use a little cassette recorder, which is very old fashioned but it works for me. It's like a Dictaphone that people would use, like to remember a speech or something. I will just go to the piano very quickly and sort of write a sketch. The trouble with that is you write too many sketches! I've got a lot of songs I need to finish!

"The good thing about it is that you didn't really make a proper recording. Because what can become a problem is if you've got a really good sounding demo, you go into the studio to make the record and you can never get the feel of the demo. It's like, 'Arrghhhhhh!' I make bad quality demos so that my record has to be better quality. So I can never say, 'We can use the demo'."

PaulMcCartney.com: "Do you have the instrumentation and arrangements in mind before you go into the studio? Or do you experiment when you're recording and go with what works best?"
 
PAUL: "Yeah, often you have a pretty good idea of how you want it to sound and then you make the rest up in the studio. That's how you record, you know. If it's just me doing all the parts, then I really kind of make it up, but based on an idea of how I wanted it to sound. When you've written a song, you sort of think, 'This should be a guitar, drums should be doing this'. It's a bit of a combination of both."

QUESTION 4
"How do you feel the music industry has changed over the years, and has it changed for the better or worse?" (From a student studying Music Management in London)

PAUL: "Hmmm, a loaded question! I think it wasn't as much of an 'industry' then. Now it is very much an industrial pursuit. Then it was just a sort of gang of groups that all happened to know each other and play and it was a sort of a more casual scene. Then they started calling it the 'music business', but we kind of ignored that word, we didn't take the word 'business' too seriously.

"But then as it went on and we got more popular and you realised that there was a lot of money involved, 'business' and 'industry' became how people referred to it. So yeah, it's just got more serious.

"I don't really think it's got any better. We would record four tracks in a day - which is unheard of now - and those four tracks still sell more than most contemporary records, so obviously the system was pretty good. It was very simple, you had to just be very disciplined. We knew when Ringo and I - bass and drums - were going to be reduced to one track that we could never get out of, it was set in, we knew we had to play great. There was no going back because they would wipe the two constituent tracks and then record over it when you were doing this bouncing down thing. But it was very disciplined; you just knew you had to get it right.

"There's a funny story where I once said to George Martin: 'George Martin, well in your day how did it happen?' He said, 'Well, we'd have the whole band' - and his was more like a dance band - 'in the studio, ready to go'. He said, 'And the telephone would ring' [impersonates ring-ring of telephone] 'and he said, 'Hello, yes?' - in his impeccable George Martin accent. They'd say, 'We're placing the needle on the record NOW, Mr. Martin!' He said, 'Thank you very much', hangs up the phone, '1,2,3,4' And they did the take! That was it! I said, 'Oh my god! What happened if someone got it wrong?' He said, 'They didn't'. And that was the discipline. Everyone knew there was no going back, whereas now you know you go, 'Oh, we can get it. We'll do another take or we'll get it in the mix, we'll just take that bum note out, we'll stick it on Pro-Tools, we'll fix it.' But it gives you, I think, too many options. It's great, it's very luxurious, but I don't think it helps the process."

PaulMcCartney.com: "Do you think having that focus and discipline - because you only have a short moment of time ­ is better than having countless tracks and days or even weeks to record?"

PAUL: "Yeah, much better. You would go in, start recording at 10.30am and by 1.30pm you were expected to have finished two songs completely. So you know, there'd be two songs each morning, lunch break, two songs in the afternoon. Very productive. And it was great, it was very exciting because nowadays I've just done some mixing, and a lot of it is just sitting, waiting for the computer to digest the data. You know, the little line filling up. And you watch it! I always try and do something [laughs] But you watch it like it's important! Loading slowly. Like yeah, do something! And it makes me remember, 'God, it was so exciting!' Just [shouts] 'Do it! Do it!' And you moved real quick and you got great results that are still played. And some of them sound very contemporary still. But they were done [clicks fingers] in a flash, which made it exciting, productive and intense! But that's what you wanted. That's what you were in it for, it was great!"

December 28, 2014 -- Daily Mail (UK) PHOTO

A Hard Day's workout! Paul McCartney and wife Nancy Shevell jump in their car after a Christmas gym session

Sir Paul McCartney won't be piling on the Christmas pounds this season.

The Beatles star was spotted after a workout with wife Nancy Shevell, jumping into their burgundy Lexus on Christmas Eve.

Sir Paul, 72, jumped in the front wearing a blue zipped up jumper, tracksuit bottoms and New Balance trainers, while Nancy took the passenger seat wearing a fur-trimmed (faux fur) parka. 

No doubt the McCartney household's Christmas dinner was a healthy extravaganza made up of the best dishes vegan cuisine has to offer.

Though the singer has admitted that he and his late wife Linda McCartney it was sometimes difficult to keep with tradition by going meat-free.

'We were like, you know, wait a minute, what can we do for Christmas? I wanted to be able do things, like traditional father things,' he told BBC Radio 4 in 2013. 'So at Christmas I wanted to carve something. We didn't have a turkey, we didn't have a roast, we invented stuff.'

'Linda invented a macaroni turkey, it was like a macaroni cheese and we let it go cold and then you pull it out, heat it up, and I would slice it.

Sir Paul added: 'We had some pretty goofy things. It was good fun. It was great. We enjoyed it and it tasted good. It allowed us to enjoy the whole thing rather than think, "Oh we're vegetarians now, our life has ended".'

Before he met Linda, McCartney did eat meat and one time The Beatles ate horse for Christmas.

During their final residence at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, the band dined at the city's British seaman's mission with The Dominoes.

John Frankland of The Dominoes said: 'We ate steaks and we found out later that they were horse steaks. We'd eaten a horse for Christmas.'

December 26, 2014 -- PM.com

Wings 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae'

New Video: Merry Christmas from Paul and PaulMcCartney.com

To celebrate, this year we have dug through the Wings archive and found some previously unpublished photos of the band. We then set them to the recording of 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae'.

Wings' version of 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' was recorded in May 1975 at Abbey Road then released as the b-side of 'Wonderful Christmastime'. It also featured as a bonus track on the 1993 remaster of 'Back To The Egg'.

By the time the track was released as a b-side, the Wings line-up had changed to include Laurence Juber on guitar and Steve Holley on drums.


CLICK TO WATCH

The remastered 'Venus and Mars' and 'At The Speed Of Sound' are in stores now. Get them from your local record store or online at the below links:

'Venus and Mars':
Amazon ­ HERE: http://smarturl.it/VMamzn
iTunes ­ HERE: http://smarturl.it/Vmmfitdlx

'At The Speed Of Sound':
Amazon ­ HERE: http://smarturl.it/ATSOSamzn
iTunes ­ HERE: http://smarturl.it/ATSOSmfitdlx

December 25, 2014 -- PM.com

'You Gave Me The Answer' - Christmas Edition

It really feels like Christmas for all of us here at PaulMcCartney.com with two large trees up in the office (and a cardboard cut-out of one of us on top as the angel!).

For the month of December, our office is transformed into a colourful mix of tinsel, lights, trees and Christmas songs on the radio (along with the traditional argument over who wrote the best one!). There always seems to be a box of chocolates being passed around too. (We're a very festive bunch here!)

Last month ­in preparation for Christmas - we asked you to send in your questions for Paul and we received so many we couldn't pick just one. Instead, we chose a nice selection and sat down with Paul to find out some of his Christmas favourites.

PaulMcCartney.com: "What is your favourite Christmas song and by what artist?"

Paul: [sings 'Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire']

PaulMcCartney.com: "But which version is your favourite?"

Paul: "Nat King Cole's. So that is called 'The Christmas Song', but known by a lot of people as 'Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire'. I think that's my favourite. Nat King Cole's version is so atmospheric. Not a bad singer, and I used his microphone at Capital Studios in LA for 'Kisses On The Bottom'. And the guy came up to me and said, 'Did you know that this is the microphone that Nat used?' [Inhales heavily] 'Ah, so no pressure!'"

PaulMcCartney.com: "What is your favourite Christmas movie?"

Paul: "I think it's got to be 'It's a Wonderful Life', which is the one you see the most and it still works after all these years."

PaulMcCartney.com: "What's your favourite Christmas memory?"

Paul: "I think waking up as a really little kid on Christmas morning, and just seeing the white pillowcase that we used to get."

PaulMcCartney.com: "Like a Christmas stocking?"

Paul: "Yes, it was like a stocking but Mum and Dad used to put it in a white pillowcase, and it would be a present, a couple of nuts and a tangerine."

PaulMcCartney.com: "We still get the tangerine!"

Paul: "Yes, it's funny what they put in! We weren't well off so it wouldn't be like kids today with their serious couple-of-hundred-quid presents. But yeah, it was just so exciting it was the 'He's been! He's been!' Just totally buying into this idea that Santa had been in your bedroom and left this white pillowcase. Nuts, tangerine and a present or two. It's funny though; it's not so much the value of the presents - though that was good too! - it was just this idea of, 'He's been!'"

PaulMcCartney.com: "It has a really nice innocence to it."

Paul: "I think that's what it is. The favourite memories come through your childhood innocence."

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas from Paul and PaulMcCartney.com!

December 24, 2014 - PM.com

Hope For The Future' Video - Behind The Scenes

Paul recently revealed the video for his new single 'Hope For The Future' where he appears as a hologram in the game 'Destiny'.

Now PaulMcCartney.com takes you behind-the-scenes of the video shoot with director Daniel Askill:



Paul McCartney 'Hope For The Future [Behind-The-Scenes]'


CLICK TO WATCH

Tour photographer MJ Kim was also on hand to capture the shoot.

Dec 24, 2014 -CTV News

McCartney summons Lennon's ghost: 'I'm using him as a sort of judge'

Interviewed recently at his midtown Manhattan office suite, Paul McCartney seems as boyish and light-footed as he was on stage decades ago for "The Ed Sullivan Show," his manner informal, his build slender and well suited for jeans and a form-fitting sweater. He's so young in his thoughts that he will dismiss the idea of a memoir as a project for his 70s, catch himself, and dismiss a book again as if time were still a distant bother.

Memories can be found in his otherwise bright and modern office, from a small black and white photo taken of him by his late wife, Linda, to the abstract paintings by his late friend Willem de Kooning. But he is here to promote the present, a score he completed for Destiny, a first-person shooter game for PlayStation and Xbox. The premise was intriguing partly because he is no more adept at video games than he is at reading sheet music (many rock stars can't), and because the closing song he wrote, the ballad "Hope for the Future," captures how he looks upon the world.

"I thought, 'Seeing it's a shoot-em-up game, I will be the optimistic hope for the future,"' he says. "I will write something that sums up that side of the game."

Writing songs on commission has been a pastime for McCartney since his years with The Beatles, when he composed the soundtrack for the 1966 film "The Family Way." He likes the challenge of fitting a piece of music into a pre-existing narrative, comparing it to solving a crossword puzzle. One of his favourite tests was coming up with the theme song, a top five solo hit for McCartney, for the 1973 James Bond thriller "Live and Let Die."

"It's like 'Live and Let Die,' how the hell am I am going to write a song like that?" he says. "I can't change the title. I can't say I'm going to write a song, 'Live and Let Fish.' Then you sit around and go, 'OK, "You used to say 'Live and let live' ...'" You work out a whole hypothesis."

McCartney doesn't think of himself as a personal writer in the tradition of his former collaborator, John Lennon. His songs often are less about his own life than about assuming a mood or identity. So he is as comfortable declaring "Hope for the Future" as he was confiding "I believe in yesterday," as likely to imagine a lonely old woman ("Eleanor Rigby") as to put in a word for "Silly Love Songs." At times he takes on social causes, or at least tries. Having written "Blackbird" for the civil rights movement in the '60s, he attempted a song about police killings in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City.

"I was thinking recently about all these protests in New York and around the country. I thought it would be great to put something down about that, just to add my voice to the thousands of people walking in the streets," he says. "I thought it through and it just didn't come easily. I'm not giving up on it, but it didn't come easily, whereas some other emotions might come easily to me."

While forever a Beatle in the hearts of millions, he keeps his mind open to all moments. He sends out tweets on occasion and texts his friends, although the fine points of Spotify are beyond him (that's what lawyers are for). Sam Smith is a favourite young singer, and McCartney recently attended a Jay-Z/Kanye West concert, found it "amazing" and praised their lyrics as "modern poetry."

McCartney makes frequent visits to his native Liverpool, where he helped found The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts on the site of the school he and George Harrison attended as boys. And he keeps in close touch with family members and past associates, enjoying local gossip or joking with Beatles producer Sir George Martin. Loved ones speak to him from beyond. McCartney finds himself remembering his late father's pet expressions, like "Get stripped, you're on next," meaning asking a guest to take his coat off. While working on a song -- the melodies come to him constantly -- he might summon the spirit of Lennon.

"I imagine myself back into a room with John, and I'll think (about a lyric), 'Ugh, that's no good.' And I'll imagine him saying, 'No, can't do that.' So I'm using him as a sort of judge of what I'm doing," McCartney says.

History -- the Beatles, England, childhood -- follows him everywhere, whether to a White House party where young friends of the Obamas gushed like the kids of old, or a birthday party in Tokyo for his current wife, Nancy. The entertainment was Queen and Beatles tribute bands.

"I had a kind of very emotional moment when we were sitting there -- it could have been the alcohol," he says. "And I'm thinking, 'My God.' The power of British music finally came home to me. All the way across the world, in Japan, these guys were breaking down Queen songs, and the others Beatles songs. They were replicating them amazingly. They got all the orchestra parts on 'I Am the Walrus.' They may not even speak the language that well, but they speak these songs beautifully.

"I should know that we've had that effect, because it's historically true. But it doesn't always come home to you in quite the way it did that night. I was welling up and I was (thinking) 'I can't well up to a Queen tribute band."'


December 24, 2014 - Rolling Stone

Paul McCartney Pondering Song About Eric Garner Protests

The former Beatle admitted his first attempt at writing the song was fruitless, but says he hasn't given up on the song yet

Paul McCartney revealed that he recently tried writing a song about the killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson and Staten Island in an interview with The Associated Press. While the former Beatle admitted his initial attempts proved fruitless, he hasn't given up on the song.

"I was thinking recently about all these protests in New York and around the country," he said. "I thought it would be great to put something down about that, just to add my voice to the thousands of people walking in the streets. I thought it through, and it just didn't come easily. I'm not giving up on it, but it didn't come easily, whereas some other emotions might come easily to me."

McCartney, of course, has a long history of social activism, whether supporting numerous charities ­ especially animal rights groups ­ calling on the Russian government to release members of Pussy Riot and Greenpeace protestors, or penning "Blackbird" for the Civil Rights movement of the Sixties.

That awareness also played a part in his recent work for the recently released video game, Destiny, for which he composed the score and the closing song, "Hope for the Future." "I thought, 'Seeing it's a shoot-em-up game, I will be the optimistic hope for the future,'" he told the AP. "I will write something that sums up that side of the game."

The former Beatle also talked about keeping tabs on the present, while looking back on his life and storied career. He named Sam Smith as a current favorite, and had high praise for Jay Z and Kanye West, calling their lyrics "modern poetry."

Recently, McCartney paid tribute to another musician whose works he likes: bandmate Ringo Starr. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, the singer-songwriter explained how happy he was to be the one to tell the Beatles drummer that he'd made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also revealed that his favorite Starr tracks are "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo."


December 24, 2014 - Daily Mail (UK)

McCartney tribute to Joe Cocker

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has led tributes to rock and blues singer Joe Cocker, who has died at the age of 70.

Cocker, who was born in Sheffield and had a career spanning more than 50 years, died today after a battle with lung cancer.

He was perhaps best known for his cover of The Beatles' song With A Little Help From My Friends, which reached number one in the UK in 1968.

Sir Paul said: " It's really sad to hear about Joe's passing. He was a lovely northern lad who I loved a lot and, like many people, I loved his singing.

"I was especially pleased when he decided to cover With A Little Help From My Friends and I remember him and (producer) Denny Cordell coming round to the studio in Savile Row and playing me what they'd recorded and it was just mind-blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful for him for doing that.

"I knew him through the years as a good mate and I was so sad to hear that he had been ill and really sad to hear today that he had passed away. He was a great guy, a lovely guy who brought so much to the world and we'll all miss him."

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr also paid tribute to his friend, saying: "Goodbye and God bless to Joe Cocker from one of his friends, peace and love."

Edgar Berger, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment International, who signed Cocker, said: "Joe Cocker is a legendary artist of rock and blues history and yet he was one of the most humble men I've ever met.

"His iconic voice will forever be etched in our memories and our thoughts go out to Joe's wife Pam and his family at this difficult time. Joe will live on in the hearts of millions of fans around the world."

The son of a civil servant, Cocker was born in May 1944, living in Sheffield until his early twenties.

He worked as a gas fitter while gigging in local pubs and clubs and came to prominence in the early 1960s, famous for his distinctive gravelly voice.

A close friend of George Harrison and Paul McCartney, he shared a stage with other musical legends the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, his flailing arms and physical idiosyncrasies on stage winning him fans as much as his voice did.

His cover of A Little Help From My Friends reached number one in the UK in 1968, and a year later he performed the song at the famous Woodstock Festival, which helped launch his career and became the theme song for the TV series The Wonder Years.

In 1970 Cocker embarked on a major tour of the US, performing in 48 cities with a band of over 40 musicians christened Mad Dogs And Englishmen and recording a third gold album and a concert film.

He survived problems with alcohol and drugs to relaunch his career in the 1980s, and won a Grammy and an Oscar for his duet with Jennifer Warnes, Up Where We Belong, which appeared in the 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer And A Gentleman.

A prolific artist, he recorded 23 studio albums and 40 albums and was awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to music.

He lived in Colorado in the US and a way from music enjoyed long walks in the mountains with his dogs, fly fishing, playing snooker with friends, and growing tomatoes in his greenhouse, his record label said.

He is survived by his wife Pam, his brother Victor, his step-daughter Zoey and two grandchildren.

December 24, 2014- Female First (UK)

Mary McCartney didn't expect mother's death

Mary McCartney has admitted she didn't know the severity of her mother's condition, so her death came as a shock.

As the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney, she knew that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer but wasn't prepared for her sudden passing in April 1998, aged just 56.

Speaking to The Times newspaper she explained: "I didn't know my mother was going to die.

"When I took those last pictures of her I did them because she was doing a cookbook and we were like, 'Let's do pictures!'

"Fortunately for her she went through her treatment for a couple of years and, yes, it was aggressive treatment, but she was quite lucky in that she looked quite well.

"She managed to go horse riding and be up and about until two days before she passed away. And then she just went quickly. But before that, we weren't living with, 'We know you've got six months to live' or anything like that."

Mary now admits she used to dislike talking about her late mother's condition but over the years she's grown to "acknowledge" talking about it.

"I didn't want to acknowledge it in case it made something bad happen, but actually now I'm quite upfront about it.

"I'm more, 'It's rubbish but we might as well talk about it.' "


December 24, 2014 - PM.com

Impossible Fan Q&A - Extra Questions

It was impossible (see what we did there!) for Paul to answer everybody's questions at his Impossible.com songwriting talk with Lily Cole. 

Fortunately, PaulMcCartney.com was on hand to record a few more questions after Paul left, which he kindly answered for us later that day. Check it out below

And remember to read the full transcript from Paul's talk HERE!

Extra Question #1
"Hi Paul, I was wondering if you were interested in how the Foo Fighters recorded their new album in eight different cities across America? What affect does the location of a recording of an album have on you as a songwriter? For example, when you recorded 'Band on the Run' in Nigeria, how did that influence the songs on that album?"

PAUL: "Yeah, I think there is a small affect. But generally it's more of an atmosphere thing for me. Some people will go to Memphis and do a blues album. For me, I went to Nigeria loving the Nigerian rhythms, and that kind of crept into 'Band on the Run' a little bit. A couple of the tracks have got the sort of [sings 'Ho! Hey Ho!' from 'Mrs Vandebilt']. You know, that's in there, and it's a little bit African. 

"But I'd arrived there basically with the album written. So in the arrangements, it didn't affect the songs at all. But in the atmosphere, it does a bit. 
"I think if I was writing songs in the place that would probably affect it. But actually in my case I think it's quite small."

Extra Question #2
"How do you feel about students now studying popular music with a focus on The Beatles?" (Asked by student studying for an MA in Popular Music in Liverpool.)

PAUL: "For me it's ridiculous, and yet very flattering. Ridiculous because we never studied anything, we just loved our popular music: Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc. And it wasn't a case of 'studying' it. I think for us, we'd have felt it would have ruined it to study it. We wanted to make our own minds up just by listening to it. So our study was listening. But to be told - as I was years ago now - that The Beatles were in my kid's history books? That was like 'What?! Unbelievable, man!' Can you imagine when we were at school, finding yourself in a history book?!

"So it's very flattering, and I think it's a kind of cool idea really, you know, like in LIPA. So yeah, it's very flattering. At the same time, I don't think that by studying popular music you can become a great popular musician; it may be that you use it to teach other people about the history, that's all valuable. But to think that you can go to a college and come out like Bob Dylan? Someone like Bob Dylan, you can't make. It was an early decision when we were thinking of our policies for LIPA, we said: 'We want to train people to be all rounders. Give them as much info as we can. But you can't tell them how to become a Bob Dylan or a John Lennon, because you know, nobody knows how that happens'." 


December 17, 2014 - Headline Planet

Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett and Paul McCartney have been added to the December 17 "Tonight Show."

A "Tonight Show" episode that was originally set to feature "The Interview" stars Seth Rogen and James Franco will now feature three very recognizable music names.

NBC confirmed that the lineup for the Wednesday, December 17 edition of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" has been altered to feature Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.
.
McCartney will serve as the night's lead interview guest, while Bennett and Gaga, who collaborated on this year's "Cheek to Cheek" album, will serve as secondary interview guests and musical performers for the episode.

Other "Tonight" lineup additions include Chris Pine, Bobby Flay, Jerry Seinfeld and Big Sean. Full listings follow:
Wednesday, December 17: Guests include Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga and musical guest Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Show #182 WATCH

December 17, 201 4 -- Macca Report News

Macca signs authographs for waiting fans after The Daily Show

After arriving in New York from London on Sunday December 14th, Paul taped a TV interview for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Monday night.


CLICK TO WATCH

The show was aired on December 16th where Paul revealed he would be at the Rock and Roll Hall of fame induction ceremony on April 18th in Cleveland, OH to give Ringo his award. (see MORE... below)

When Paul left the taping, he was mobbed by fans outside the Comedy Central studios. He generously signed several autographs while being shielded from the rain by a security guard holding an umbrella.


December 17, 2014 - RollingStone.com

Green Day, Lou Reed, Joan Jett, Ringo Starr Lead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2015 Class

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year's inductees: Lou Reed, Green Day, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Bill Withers and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band will all join the class of 2015. Ringo Starr will be given the Award For Musical Excellence and 1950s R&B group the "5" Royales will receive the Early Influence Award.

The induction ceremony will be held at Cleveland's Public Hall on April 18th, 2015. Once again, the general public will be allowed to attend. Tickets go on sale this Thursday.

Artists are eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single. Green Day, whose debut EP, 1,000 Hours, came out in 1989, are entering the institution in their first year of eligibility. "I had to go for a walk when I heard the news," says Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. "We're in incredible company and I'm still trying to make sense of this. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has always held something special for me because my heroes were in there. This is a great time for us to sort of reflect and look back with gratitude."

Starr was inducted as part of The Beatles in 1988, though his three other bandmates have since entered the Hall of Fame as solo artists. "This means recognition to me," he says. "And it means, finally, the four of us are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though we were the biggest pop group in the land. You know that won't look funny in black and white."

MORE...

Ringo Starr on Hall of Fame Induction: 'Finally, the Four of Us Are In'
"This came out of the blue," he says. "I didn't expect it and I didn't know that George and John were in"

Ringo Starr first learned he was receiving the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Award for Musical Excellence when Paul McCartney called him up about two weeks ago. "He said, 'Would you accept the award?'" Starr says. "I said, 'Sure, man.' He said he'd been talking to Dave Grohl and other people and they were stunned that I wasn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he needed something to do that night and he's going to give me the award." Rolling Stone spoke to the affable drummer about his reaction and why he'll still be drumming.

RS: Congratulations on the big news.

RINGO: Yeah, the big news! My goodness! I'm so excited.

RS: What was your first reaction?

RINGO: I think it's good. I didn't know that George and John were in it. I'm not keeping up with it all the time. We'll have a very nice evening and it'll be my pleasure to receive the award.

RS: So this isn't something you thought about much?

RINGO: No. I didn't think about it much or expect it. This year has been quite busy. I've been touring a lot. I got the humanitarian award from GQ. I became a male model for John Varvatos, so my life is busy anyway. This came out of the blue. I didn't expect it. I got the call from Paul two weeks ago. He said, "This could happen. Do you want to do it?" I said, "Sure."

RS: What does this mean to you personally?
RINGO: It means recognition. And it means, finally, the four of us are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though we were the biggest pop group in the land. You know that won't look funny in black and white.

Finally, the four of us are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though we were the biggest pop group in the land.

RS: Tell me your memories of the 1988 ceremony when the Beatles got inducted.

RINGO: 1988 was a long time ago, I'm afraid. It was a big dinner with a lot of people. Mick [Jagger] was there. It's interesting that you do those gigs and you bump into a lot of people you haven't met in a long time, so that's always good.

RS: Do you recall Mike Love's speech that night?

RINGO: I don't. Did he mention me?

RS: He chewed out most people in the room, including the Beatles, and said that Mick Jagger was too "chickensh*t" to get on stage with the Beach Boys.

RINGO: Yeah. I don't really ever listen to what he has to say [laughs].

RS: They're also inducting Bill Withers.

RINGO: Oh, great! I only know about me, but Bill Withers! How great is that.

RS: He hasn't really performed much in public in the last 25 years.

RINGO: I met him about six months ago. He came to a session we were doing. It was so great. He's not playing anymore or coming out much. We all said, "Come on, Bill, get up and play." He was like, "Oh no, I don't do that anymore." But that's great company already. Who else is on the list?

RS: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

RINGO: My gosh.

RS: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

RINGO: Oh yeah, Joan Jett is great!

RS: Green Day.

RINGO: Oh yeah, I love Green Day. It's actually, in its fashion, very rock and roll this year. Some years it's not very rock and roll.

RS: As an early influence, they're bringing in the 5 Royales.

RINGO: Do I know them? I can't put my finger on it.

RS: They were an American R&B band that was popular around 1952.

RINGO: That was before even my time.

RS: The ceremony is back in Cleveland this year.

RINGO: I was just in Cleveland over the summer. It was great. I had a really good time and the people were great.

RS: Are you going to perform?

RINGO: Not that I know of. I told Paul that I'm not putting a band together. If he puts a band together, I'll do "With A Little Help From My Friends."

RS: I can't think of a better song for the all-star jam at the end of the night.

RINGO: That part of it I'm leaving to my producer, Paul [laughs].


December 15, 2014 -- Daily Mail (UK) (PHOTOS)

They did Come Together, honest! Sir Paul McCartney is lead through JFK airport strides behind younger wife Nancy Shevell

They may have caught the same flight but Sir Paul McCartney, 72, and his 54-year-old wife Nancy were strides apart when they touched down at JFK International Airport, New York on Sunday.

After a long haul flight in from London, the married duo walked separately as they were escorted through arrivals, former Beatles singer Paul keeping a low profile a few paces behind in tinted shades.

Paul cut a smart image with youthful touches including a padded jacket and black plimsolls, while his wife kept her ensemble hidden beneath a camel overcoat.

Nancy may not have modeled her usual polished hairstyle but the younger beauty still had an air of elegance as she highlighted her long legs with velvet leggings.

And while the socialite chose to walk alone with her head down, she made fast-paced strides look comfortable with flat pumps on and her patterned in-flight socks rolled right up to meet her trousers.

Paul was returning to the US after promotion of his new single, Hope For The Future, for which the music video debuted on Monday.

The hipster, after 44 years in the industry, was taking a new direction with his musical offering having accepted an offer to pen a track for new video game destiny.

The video accompanied for the track sees McCartney immortalised as a hologram, as he returns after 25 years out of the music business and 34 years since he reconciled with The Beatles.

He recently opened up about the heartache he felt after the death of band member John Lennon in 1980, the 34th anniversary of which was on Monday.

Speaking on The Jonathon Ross Show, Paul said : 'I was at home and I got a phone call. It was early in the morning, I was in the country and I just got a phone call and it was like... woah. I think it was like that for everyone.

'It was just so horrific, you couldn't take it in and I couldn't take it in and I just for days couldn't think that he was gone ... It was just a huge shock, then I had to tell Linda (Sir Paul's late wife) and the kids and it was very difficult... It was very difficult for everyone.

'Paul was the one to announce the split in April 1970 and the famous four-piece put their differences behind them 10 years later, just before Lennon's untimely death.

He continued: 'I'm so glad because it would have been the worst thing in the world to have this great relationship that then soured and he gets killed, so there was some solace in the fact that we got back together.'


December 14, 2014 -- Paul McCartney Twitter

From Paul's recent Q&A to tie-in with this week's release of "Hope for the Future".

Dominic asks:
You recently composed for the score of 'Destiny' Was that any different to your regular composing?

PAUL: Yes. Normally I don't have to slot my composition in somewhere; I'll put it on my album or play it on stage. But working on 'Destiny' it had to go in a certain place. So I tailor-made it to fit into the world it was going to be played in.

Francy McCartney asks:
How has been to write a song for a videogame like Destiny??

PAUL: Very interesting. I was given the ballpark for where the music would be used, then set about writing what I thought would be a cool song for the game. It was great fun!

Hope For the Future - EP (DOWNLOAD on iTunes) $4.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hope-for-the-future-main/id945462682?i=945462685

WATCH the video - HEAR the "Hope For The Future (Mirwais Mix)"
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/paul-mccartney-hope-for-the-future-video-exclusive/


December 14, 2014 -- Paul McCartney Twitter
Throwback Thursday Photo

Tea-making in the USA!

This week in Wings (and tea-making) history: The band released the 'Wings over America' album documenting their epic tour across North America that kicked off in Fort Worth and ended with three nights in LA. (Photo by Robert Ellis)


December 14, 2014 -- Macca Report News

New Beatles book by Macca Reporter explores hidden music nuances of Beatles recordings

Ted Montgomery's book - "The Beatles Through Headphones: The Quirks, Peccadilloes, Nuances and Sonic Delights of the Greatest Popular Music Ever Recorded "­ examines every song the Beatles recorded by cataloguing the hidden sonic nuggets that can only be heard on headphones. You think you've heard the Beatles? You've never heard them like this.

Order your copy of The Beatles Through Headphones by clicking on any of these links:

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/ZXkjCL
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/Zp3X4C
McFarland: http://bit.ly/1qhuASo

Hear Ted's interview with Dennis Mitchell on "Breakfast with The Beatles."
LINK (scroll down to bottom of page)


December 8, 2014 -- Wired.com

Exclusive: Paul McCartney Stars as a Hologram in His New Music Video


McCartney at the "Hope For the Future" video shoot.
© 2014 MPL Communications Ltd/Photographer: MJ Kim

Paul McCartney (or "Sir P," as we have him saved in our phone) has had quite the surprising 2014. First he wrote and recorded "Hope For the Future," a song for Activision's massively successful videogame Destiny-the first time he'd ever written specifically for a game. Then, last month, he worked with Jaunt VR to turn his Candlestick Park concert in August into a virtual-reality experience. Now, he completes the high-tech trifecta by not just releasing "Hope For the Future" this week as a standalone song, along with four remixes, but by pairing them with a video that brings him into the world of Destiny. And he was kind enough to give us the worldwide exclusive.


CLICK TO WATCH

In the video, above, McCartney appears in the 28th-century game universe as a hologram-serenading various Guardians via projection from a Ghost AI assistant. (In the game your character's Ghost was voiced, somewhat clunkily, by Peter Dinklage, making this quite an upgrade.) And just as in the game, the song's grandeur perfectly matches the often jaw-dropping landscapes. If that doesn't sate your appetite for "Hope For the Future" goodness, we've also got the exclusive stream of one of the song's remixes. You go ahead and enjoy; we'll be busy trying to figure out what tech-savvy shenanigans Sir Paul's got up his sleeves for next year.

Hope For the Future - EP (DOWNLOAD on iTunes) $4.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hope-for-the-future-main/id945462682?i=945462685

WATCH the video - HEAR the "Hope For The Future (Mirwais Mix)"
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/paul-mccartney-hope-for-the-future-video-exclusive/


December 7, 2014 -- Jonathan Ross Show - Twitter (WATCH)

@JRossShow Tweets about Paul

Did you ever get to play The Beatles Rockband?'

I did and I got mashed.'

I play the real bass and I wrote it' - but still lost at Rockband.

When I see some Japanese fans I think I'll just pop out' - Paul McCartney tempted to walk again on Abbey road crossing.


CLICK TO WATCH

'The jerk of all jerks' - PaulMcCartney on Lennon's killer.

'There's some solace that we got back together and were friends' - Paul McCartney opens up about John Lennon's death.

'Dear sir, we are a semi-pro rock combo would you like to book The Beatles?' - PaulMcCartney on his humble beginnings.

'We know we'd come full circle and we'd done it' - PaulMcCartney on why the Beatles never came back.


December 7, 2014 - The Mirror (UK)

Paul McCartney opens about John Lennon's death on The Jonathan Ross Show: 'His killer is the jerk of jerks'

The iconic rocker said: "It was a very big shock. I was so sad that I was not going to see him again. And the guy who did it was the jerk of jerks. He was not politically motivated."

As the 34th anniversary of John Lennon's death approaches on December 8, his former Beatles band mate Sir Paul McCartney has branded his murderer MDC "the jerk of jerks".

The 72-year-old admitted The Beatles had an 'acrimonious' relationship at times but the death of one of his closest friends left him reeling.

"There was acrimony in The Beatles. But when he got killed we were friends. We used to call each other up and swap bread recipes," he revealed on The Jonathan Ross Show, airing on Saturday night on ITV.

"I was at home when he died. I got a phone call. It was so horrific. I could not take it in that he was gone. It was a very big shock. I was so sad that I was not going to see him again."

Blasting Chapman, he added: "And the guy who did it was the jerk of jerks. He was not politically motivated."

The musician also spoke of his wife Nancy Shevell, whom he married in 2011.

He said: "I met Nancy in a surf shop. I went in and rubbed sun cream on my face and then she told me she knew Linda [McCartney, Paul's first wife]. Nancy had cancer and had treatment in the same place as Linda.

"She said she liked me because I had not rubbed the cream in my face properly.

"She encouraged me to go back touring. She likes to get me out if the house."

McCartney was also critical of U2, who recently released their new album Songs of Innocence, for free via iTunes - which automatically downloaded the record to people's computers.

He said: "It was a heroic idea but people deleted it. Not such a good idea. I prefer to release records the old fashioned way."

In the touching interview, Sir Paul spoke fondly of his memories of being in The Beatles, revealing the reason they started writing songs in the first place.

"We used to do covers all the time," he said.

"Most of our act was covers We had to come up with a trick as to defeat [other bands playing the same covers on the same bill as us] so John [Lennon] and I started writing and that's how we started writing. There was no great muse, it was just to beat these people who knew our act."

The music legend also spoke about about the calm before their storm of success.

"They are fond memories because then The Beatles happened and it all got to be a phenomenon and everything but [before that] it wasn't, it was just two guys wandering along trying to work it out," he said of himself and John Lennon.

Speaking about rifts in the band, Paul said it was all down to "business".

"We got to a point where we got really crappy over business," he explained. "To me that rubbed off on me and for years I thought 'oh me and John, bitter rivals' and all this stuff. I was very lucky before he got killed [that] we were mates and we were ringing each other and we were talking.

"He used to make bread and we'd talk about 'what's your recipe man?' so it got very normal again but it was important for me - it still is - to see photographs of us writing lyrics and things and smiling at eachother That's what it really was. The story about the break up, it's true but it's not the main bit, the main bit was the affection."

Paul spoke openly about the significance of rekindling his friendship with Lennon: "There was a big business thing and everything got very sour and then that kind of just got boring and I would just ring John and eventually it just got friendly again.

"So now he had a baby and I was bringing up babies so we could talk about that. You could talk about normal stuff so it got very nice and I said, to this day, I'm so glad because it would have been the worst thing in the world to have this great relationship that then soured and he gets killed, so there was some solace in the fact that we got back together. We were good friends."

Speaking about whether there was ever talk of The Beatles reuniting, Paul said: "We kinda knew we'd come full circle and we thought 'it's going to spoil it.'" "So that was never on the cards then?"

Jonathan asked to which Paul replied, "not really, no."

On The Beatles edition of a rock band video game where players play plastic instruments along with the console, Paul admitted he had played and even got beaten: "I did and got mashed I was with one of my grandkids who was doing great And I said 'yeah but I played a real bass and I wrote it!'"

December 7, 2014 -- BBC Radio 2 (UK)

Steve Wright interviews Paul McCartney

Steve chats to Paul about his new single, the first piece he's written for a video game. (9 minutes) LISTEN
December 7, 2014 -- ContactMusic (UK)

Abbey Road werewolf Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney has revealed he recreated the classic Beatles 'Abbey Road' album cover in a werewolf costume on Halloween.

The 72-year-old musician passed by the world famous recording studio in London while returning home after a Halloween party in October and couldn't resist asking his wife Nancy Shevell to photograph him stood on the pedestrian crossing just like he and the rest of The Fab Four did for their classic 1969 LP.

And Paul boasts his monster mask was ''so brilliant it scared a couple'' of my grandkids''.

In an interview on BBC Radio 2, he revealed: ''There's no way you'd know it was me, and coming back from the party, we crossed the crossing and so I said, 'You've gotta stop.'

''So I did a picture of me in this werewolf outfit crossing the zebra crossing. Of course the guy who I was holding up was this taxi driver who was very annoyed with me, and I'm going, 'No, no you've gotta do it.' I'm positioning Nancy and saying, 'You've got to take it from there,' and so Nancy got it and she Instagrammed it to everyone.''

Paul still works at Abbey Road Studios and he admits that whenever he goes back to the studio The Beatles made famous he can't help but reminisce about his times there with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

He said: ''For me, I start the tour, and whoever I'm with, I'm saying, 'Well OK now we [The Beatles] came here.' I just start on the stories and I bore everyone stiff every time.'

December 6, 2014 -- PM.com

New Photo Collection: #Movember

Over the past month we've been posting some fantashtic photos of Paul sporting a moustache to coincide with #Movember, the campaign to raise funds and awareness about men's health.

As the month comes to a close we have collected the photos - plus a few more - from Paul's archives and today publish them here on the website.

Check out Paul and his moustache by clicking HERE!

December 6, 2014 -- PM.com

Paul Creates His Own Video Game Character For 'Destiny'

Earlier this year saw the release of the most highly anticipated video game of the year ­ 'Destiny'. Years in the making, 'Destiny' is one of the biggest entertainment launches of 2014. The enormity of the game was further underlined by the fact Paul wrote the game's end title theme song 'Hope For The Future', as well as working on the soundtrack.

In 'Destiny' the player becomes a Guardian of the last city on Earth, able to wield incredible powers. The Guardians explore the ancient ruins of the solar system, from the red dunes of Mars to the jungles of Venus, defeating Earth's enemies along the way.

When a player starts the game, the first thing they must do is create their own Guardian, this means that each player in Destiny is completely unique.Paul has revealed his own Guardian that he has created for the game.

Guardians can be one of three classes ­ Titan, Hunter or Warlock. Paul has opted for a female Hunter. Hunter's are the biggest risk takers out of all the classes, they like to bend the rules to make their own luck. Players can also select the race of their character and Paul's character is part of the Awoken race, descendants of Humans. After choosing the class and race Paul was then able to personalise his character's face. Talking about the design Paul said, "I had quite a laugh creating her".

Paul's song 'Hope For The Future' marks the first time he has written for a computer game. Produced by Giles Martin, the song is as epic as the game itself and is set for release in December.

'Hope For The Future' will be released on December 8th. 


December 6, 2014 -- PM.com

'Hope For The Future' - New Single Release Details

Paul McCartney's new song - 'Hope For the Future' to be globally released on 8th December


 Digital bundle to include Paul's original anthem from the biggest entertainment release of the year 'Destiny' plus four exclusive mixes
 
Paul's new song 'Hope For The Future' will be globally released on Monday 8th December. The song was written by Paul for the record-breaking video game 'Destiny', and until now has been exclusively available within the game itself. Produced by Giles Martin, 'Hope For The Future' is as epic as the game, which sold-through more than $325 million worldwide in its first five days[1].
 
It goes without saying that Paul has written countless hit singles, orchestral scores, electronica works, film themes, and has consistently changed the world with his music. Listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the 'World's Most Successful Composer and Recording Artist of All Time', Paul has now added another first to his impressive list:

'Hope For The Future' marks the first time that Paul has ever written specifically for a video game - one poised to become the most successful franchise of its kind.

Details of the release are confirmed today and the original version of the track from the 'Destiny' credits will be made digitally available alongside four special mixes.

The tracklisting is as follows:
 
1) 'Hope For The Future (Main)'
2) 'Hope For The Future (Thrash)'
3) 'Hope For The Future (Beatsession Mix)'
4) 'Hope For The Future (Jaded Mix)'
5) 'Hope For The Future (Mirwais Mix)'
 
Talking about the writing process Paul said:

"When you're writing something like 'Hope For The Future', which is custom made, it is like doing a portrait for someone. You have to use your imagination and work out what they need, what they're going to want and then what you want to give them. Then you've got to combine those three things into something that you still think maintains integrity. So in the game you're a Guardian of the last city on Earth so that suggested to me the 'hope for the future' idea and I went from there. Then I thought it is not just a game song, this will get played outside the game so it has got to be stand alone too, you can't have references to aliens or people will think, 'What's he talking about?' So it had to have its own stand alone meaning and integrity."
 
From Bungie, the creators of the 'Halo' franchise, Activision Publishing Inc., the creators and publishers that brought you 'Call of Duty', 'Destiny' is the biggest new video game franchise launch in history and one of the biggest entertainment launches of the year.

More info about 'Destiny':

In Destiny, you are cast as a Guardian of the last city on Earth, able to explore the ancient ruins of our solar system in a social, living universe filled with other players. You will journey through environments spanning the red dunes of Mars to the lush jungles of Venus while creating your own legend as you and your friends venture out into the stars to reclaim the treasures and secrets lost after the collapse of humanity.

Over the course of your adventures you will become more powerful as you wield rare and exotic weapons, gear, and super abilities. In addition to the story campaign, you can take your unique character into any cooperative or competitive activity, including the ability to compete with or against your friends in The Crucible, Destiny's competitive multiplayer mode featuring numerous playlists and maps spanning diverse environments across the galaxy.


December 6, 2014 -- The Mirror (UK)

The Beatles legend was forced to pull out of a string of Asian concerts

Paul McCartney lost a stone in just one week after being rushed to hospital in Japan with a mystery bug.

Speaking for the first time about the drama in May he said: "It was some stomach thing and I was throwing up and didn't eat for a week, which is one way to lose weight.

"That's not recommended. I lost nearly a stone or something."

Sir Paul, 72, praised doctors in Tokyo who nursed him back to health, saying: "They looked after me amazingly and by then I was on the drugs anyway, so I didn't care. I felt great."

The bug forced the star to pull out of a string of Asian concerts.

He said he "wasn't worried about it being life-threatening" but added: "It was enough to lay me up quite quickly whatever it was and then they said 'Take six weeks off'.

"My friends said 'Normally, you'd hate that 'cos you love working'.

"But I took six weeks and came back stronger than ever."

Paul has vowed to return to Asia to continue the tour, adding: "I'm going back to Japan next year."

The former Beatle was speaking in front of a hologram of himself to launch his new song Hope For The Future, released on Monday.

He had a full body scan in LA to produce the image but insisted the process was "not scary".

He also revealed that Bob Geldof did not call him to join the Band Aid 30 line-up to record Do They Know It's Christmas? despite his featuring on the original recording in 1984.

He joked: "I was away in Brazil so they didn't ring me.

"What are you playing at, Bob? I was in the original.

"I think the new one is OK. It's great that it's raising a lot of money for Ebola victims. That's the main thing."

Paul, whose new single was written for record-breaking video game Destiny, insisted he would never follow U2 and give away an album on iTunes.

He said: "I don't think I'd do that. I wouldn't want people asking to delete it. That slightly backfired, didn't it?

"I'm not sure those grand gestures are cool to do.

"You talk about it ­ you always have a meeting and you go 'Oh, shall we just drop it like Beyonce?' But half an hour later you go: 'Nah.'"



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