Liza Minnelli’s Favorite Paul McCartney Song Surprised Him
Liza Minnelli’s favorite Paul McCartney song surprised the former Beatle, even though the song in question is one of his best. It was one of his first solo songs too.
Liza Minnelli’s favorite Paul McCartney song
Supposedly, Liza Minnelli’s favorite Paul McCartney song is “Maybe I’m Amazed.” The former Beatle spoke about it in his book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present.
Paul wrote that he was surprised by the actor, singer, and dancer’s choice. He expected her to go for one of his songs that’s a bit more “ballady.” He wrote, “But she really likes this one.” This is surprising because “Maybe I’m Amazed” is one of Paul’s most popular ballads.
The “Yesterday” singer explained that “Maybe I’m Amazed” isn’t the conventional way of presenting a relationship or “of some of the contradictions that can arise from being in love.” Paul thinks that’s why Minnelli likes the tune so much. “It shows the fragility of love,” he said.
Minnelli’s favorite Paul McCartney song has been in the former Beatle’s setlist for years
Fortunately, Minnelli’s favorite Paul McCartney song has been on his setlist for years. So, if she catches him in concert, she knows he’ll always perform it. He even dedicated the song to her once.
In 2016, Paul spoke with Rolling Stone about his One on One setlist. It was a deep dive into the “Jet” singer’s entire catalog, and “Maybe I’m Amazed” was on it. Paul explained, “Liza Minnelli once said it was her favorite song of mine. I would have expected more of a show song, but that’s cool. This one’s for Liza!”
Paul was annoyed that ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ fell under the Lennon-McCartney rubric
In The Lyrics, Paul explained that though he wrote “Maybe I’m Amazed” immediately after The Beatles’ split, it was “somehow included under the Lennon-McCartney rubric, where it doesn’t belong.”
The McCartney tune was one of Paul’s first solo songs, but because of The Beatles’ contractual agreement, it got “caught in the publishing net. That was very annoying,” Paul added.
Paul eventually got out of that deal. He filed a lawsuit against the other three Beatles in London’s High Court of Justice for the dissolution of the group’s contractual partnership on Dec. 31, 1970. Later, the courts sided with Paul, and they appointed a receiver.
There were many reasons why Paul sought the dissolution of The Beatles’ contractual partnership. One bonus was that all of his solo work would be credited only as Paul McCartney tunes from then on.
Whether “Maybe I’m Amazed” is a Lennon-McCartney song or just a McCartney tune, Minnelli loves it. That could be because the song has an old-time sound to it. Paul has often said that Golden-Age Hollywood stars like Fred Astaire inspired him on many songs. Minnelli is the daughter of Judy Garland and was born into that same old Hollywood world.
Whatever Minnelli’s reason is for loving “Maybe I’m Amazed,” she picked one of Paul’s biggest hits. Critics didn’t think much about McCartney; they claimed it sounded unfinished. However, they excluded “Maybe I’m Amazed” from that critique. They, the fans, and Minnelli love it to this day.
