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TL;DR:

  • One Paul McCartney song might be about his father and it might be about God.
  • He compared the song to The Beatles’ “Let It Be.”
  • Paul revealed his feelings about God and the devil.
Paul McCartney at a piano
Paul McCartney | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

One of Paul McCartney‘s songs might be about God. It might also be about his father. During an interview, Paul compared the track in question with one of The Beatles’ biggest hits.

1 Paul McCartney song repeatedly refers to a ‘heavenly father’

In the 2015 book Conversations with McCartney, Paul discussed his song “Motor of Love.” In the song, he sings “Heavenly father, look down from above.” Paul was asked if the line was supposed to be about his father, James McCartney, or God.

“Heavenly father … That’s either my dad, or God, you know?” he said. “When I’m dealing in that area I don’t want to be specific. I’m not really religious.”

Paul compared “Motor of Love” to The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” In that song, Paul sings about “Mother Mary.” He said the tune was inspired by a dream in which his dead mother, Mary McCartney, came to him and asked how he was doing. He said he had that dream when he was having a difficult time with drugs and other issues.

Paul McCartney said he thinks God and the devil are personifications people made up

Paul gave fans insight into his own experiences with religion. “Some guy who used to be on the Pier Head [the waterfront plaza of Liverpool] … there used to be all these preachers there: ‘The Catholic faith is the only true faith!'” he added. “And then, ‘The Protestant faith is the only true faith, don’t listen to him, brothers.’ You’d go, Hmm, bloody hell, I wonder if any of them know, you know?”

Paul discussed his beliefs. “But with life, and the stuff I’ve been through, I do have a belief in, I don’t know … in goodness, in a good spirit, as opposed to messing ’round with evil,” he revealed. “I think people have personified good and evil. So good has become God with an ‘o’ out, and evil has become the devil with a ‘d’ added. That’s my theory. Don’t get me started on religion.”

How the song and its parent album performed on the charts

“Motor of Love” was never a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune appeared on the album Flowers in the Dirt (1989), which peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200. The album stayed on the chart for 50 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Motor of Love” didn’t chart in the United Kingdom either. On the other hand, Flowers in the Dirt topped the U.K. chart for one week. In total, Flowers in the Dirt remained on the chart for 20 weeks. Notably, Paul wouldn’t have a chart-topping album in the U.K. until he released McCartney III in 2020.

“Motor of Love” is an interesting song even if we don’t know for certain what it’s about.

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