1 of Paul McCartney’s Favorite Songs Was Co-Written by a Movie Star
TL;DR:
- One of Paul McCartney’s songs was supposed to make listeners feel better.
- The track in question was inspired by a song co-written by a movie star.
- Paul compared the track to “Yesterday.
One of Paul McCartney‘s songs was inspired by a tune co-written by a major movie star. Paul compared the movie star’s musical talent to his own. In addition, Paul said he tries to write songs that uplift listeners.
1 of Paul McCartney’s songs was inspired by the work of a movie star Paul thought was funny
In the 2015 book Conversations with McCartney, Paul discusses his song “Too Much Rain” from his album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. He said he designed the song to help people going through a difficult time to feel better.
“Its inspiration, I must admit, is Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Smile;’ ‘Smile, though your heart is aching,'” he said. “That was at the back of my mind, one of my favorite songs.” For context, ‘Smile” is about having the will to smile when the world in unkind. Chaplin is the song’s credited composer while Joe Turner and Geoffrey Parsons gave the track its lyrics.
“That was just one geezer, Chaplin,” Paul continued. “Not only was he funny, he wrote ‘Smile.’ It’s like he wrote ‘Yesterday.’ A classic song. So that was it.”
Why Paul McCartney writes empowering songs for his fans
Paul reverted to talking about “Too Much Rain.” “If there’s too much rain, what are you going to do about it?” he asked. “You’re gonna laugh, you’re gonna sigh, but you’ve got to get on with it, and tell yourself it’s not going to happen again.”
Paul said he liked empowering songs. “I do those,” he said. “I’m interested in ‘Get over it’ songs, I do a good line in those because I’m interested in that idea.
“Because I know lots of songs have helped me, like ‘Smile,’ or some Fred Astaire stuff: ‘There may be troubles ahead,'” he added. “F****** right. That should be the backing: ‘F****** right.'”
Paul said he took solace in music. Subsequently, fans have come up to him and said his music helped them through hardships, including difficult times at school and chemotherapy. Paul felt there was tremendous power in that and that empowering listeners has become a big part of his job.
During a 2020 interview with NPR, Paul said he occasionally tried to write protest songs. He felt that genre wasn’t his forte. Instead, he preferred to write “optimistic and helpful” songs like The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” He said he was still trying to figure things out, just like everyone else.
The enduring legacy of Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Smile’
Aside from inspiring Paul, “Smile” has a legacy of its own. Artists such as Nat King Cole, the cast of Glee, Eric Clapton, Lady Gaga, and Michael Jackson recorded covers of it. Jimmy Durante’s recording of the track featured heavily in the marketing for the movie Joker.
“Smile” is a classic song and it even inspired the cute Beatle.
