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TL;DR:

  • George Harrison discussed Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed.”
  • The original version of the track was not a hit.
  • A live version of the track was an international success.
George Harrison in a suit
George Harrison | Aaron Rapoport / Contributor

George Harrison discussed his opinion of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” and the song’s parent album. Subsequently, he discussed his attitude towards music in general. Notably, Paul McCartney explained why he always performs the tune during his live performances.

George Harrison loved Paul McCartney’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’

The book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters features an interview from 1970. He was asked what he thought about Paul’s debut solo album, McCartney. “I thought ‘That Would be Something’ and ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ are great and everything else I think is fair,” he revealed.

George discussed his opinion of the album as a whole. “It’s quite good but a little disappointing,” he added. “But I don’t know — maybe I shouldn’t be disappointed. It’s best not to expect anything and then everything is bonus.”

Paul McCartney says why he always performs that song as well as ‘Get Back’ and ‘Let It Be’

In the 2015 book Conversations with McCartney, Paul discussed why he always plays “Maybe I’m Amazed” at his shows. “Everyone who has ever played on stage knows it’s difficult when you’re foisting your new material on the audience,” he added. “If it’s me or The Stones or The Beatles, when you’ve got a back catalog, people want to hear some of that.

“With me, people would probably be disappointed if they didn’t hear ‘Get Back’ or ‘Let It Be,'” he added. “If you ask people what they want me to do, ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ will probably be in there.”

Paul discussed playing new music at his concerts. “I would love to do my whole new album, but I’m aware that it might not be the favorite show for the people who pay the money,” he said. “So I take that into account.”

Related

George Harrison Explained Why John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ Wasn’t a Beatles Song

How Wings’ ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ performed in the United States and the United Kingdom

The original version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” was not a hit. Wings later released a live version of the song on the album Wings over America. The live tune reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. Meanwhile, Wings over America reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a single week, lasting on the chart for 90 weeks altogether.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Maybe I’m Amazed” reached No. 28 in the United Kingdom. It stayed on the chart for five weeks. Wings over America reached No. 8 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for 23 weeks.

“Maybe I’m Amazed” inspired a cover by Billy Joel for the covers album The Art of McCartney. The album includes recordings of McCartney-penned tunes by notable artists such as Kiss, Brian Wilson, Alice Cooper, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and others.

George loved “Maybe I’m Amazed” and the public embraced the track.

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