Music

Darius Rucker Named ‘the Perfect Paul McCartney Song’

Darius Rucker called a Beatles song "the perfect Paul McCartney song." Subsequently, he said he nearly cried when he met Paul.

by Matthew Trzcinski

Published on January 7, 2023

2 min read

Darius Rucker praised 1 line from The Beatles’ song he called ‘the perfect Paul McCartney song’

In a 2022 article from Stereogum, Rucker named “Let It Be” as his favorite song Paul ever wrote. “I think it’s the perfect Paul McCartney song,” he opined. “‘When I find myself in times of trouble/Mother Mary comes to me’ — just the vividness of that line is so McCartney.”

Subsequently, Rucker commented on the lyrics of “Let It Be.” The thing that really makes it is the amazingly great verse lyrics,” he said. “It’s all deep, and then the chorus is just three words. It’s huge.”

Rucker discussed his introduction to “Let It Be.” “We played so many records in my house,” he said. “My brothers and sisters were all older than me except for one, and their friends were always bringing stuff over. I was five or six and my brother played ‘Let It Be’ on the stereo.

“I remember the song for me, growing up as a young kid,” Rucker continued. “It was one of those songs I loved because I knew the chorus as soon as I heard it — I could sing it. I’m a huge McCartney guy, so I love it all. But the ballad stuff is what I’d go to a little more.”

Darius Rucker almost cried while meeting Paul McCartney

Rucker revealed seeing Paul play live was the first item on his bucket list. He got to meet and greet Paul with his family. He was about to cry before meeting Paul, so his daughter punched him in the leg so he would knock it off.

Rucker recalled Paul wore a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band-style jacket during the encounter. Rucker managed to fight back a tear when he met Paul, whom he idolized because he is such a huge figure in the history of music. The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman said he would not have found success if it were not for the influence of The Beatles.

What John Lennon had to say about The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’

Rucker wasn’t the only one who discussed “Let It Be.” The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes a 1980 interview. In it, John was asked about “Let It Be.” He said it was more like a Wings song than a Beatles song

Subsequently, he said Paul went through a creative spurt that was possibly brought on by the “shock” of John’s relationship with Yoko Ono. He said “The Long and Winding Road” was also part of that creative spurt, which he referred to as Paul’s “last gasp.”

“Let It Be” is Rucker’s favorite song Paul wrote and John felt it was a notable part of Paul’s discography.