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TL;DR:

  • Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” is very different from a Frank Sinatra song.
  • Paul discussed what the song would be like if Sinatra wrote it.
  • The cute Beatle contrasted “Maybe I’m Amazed” with one of his other ballads, “My Love.”
Frank Sinatra wearing a fedora
Frank Sinatra | GAB Archive/Redferns

According to Paul McCartney, “Maybe I’m Amazed” has different lyrics from the type of song Frank Sinatra would sing. Paul discussed what lyrics Sinatra might have written if he had composed the tune. Notably, other rock stars took a crack at the hit.

Paul McCartney’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ wasn’t supposed to sound like a romantic conversation

During a 2001 interview with Billboard, Paul wondered if “Maybe I’m Amazed” would become a standard that would get covered for the next 50 years. “It was for Linda and was about her,” he said. “It was to try and get a little deeper into a love song: ‘Maybe I’m amazed the way you hang me on a line, pulled me out of time.'”

Paul felt the song did not mimic regular romantic conversations. “The sort of stuff that you don’t say to a girl except in a song,” he said. “I think a lot of people relate to it. It’s a quirky song, but people know what it means — it’s the ‘maybe’ I’m amazed.”

Paul McCartney’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ was less confident than a Frank Sinatra love song

Paul contrasted “Maybe I’m Amazed” with Sinatra’s music. “A straight love song would say, ‘I’m amazed at the way you love me,'” he said, “That would be the Sinatra thing, and it would be called, ‘I’m Amazed.’ But the ‘maybe’ is like a guy not quite wanting to admit it.” Paul felt the song was honest and added he tried to be honest in his music.

During a 2002 interview with Hot Press, Paul discussed the song further. “As you say, that one was written early days with Lin and just being so in love and so chuffed at this idea of starting a family,” he said. “If it’s going well, that’s a great, great moment in your life.”

Paul added “Maybe I’m Amazed” had a bit of a “disclaimer” in its lyrics. He contrasted it with his later song “My Love,” which he felt was like a bouquet of roses for Linda.

How the song impacted other musicians and ‘The Simpsons’

“Maybe I’m Amazed” became a bit of a standard. Billy Joel, Joe Cocker, Ruby Starr (no relation to Ringo Starr), and Norah Jones each put their spin on the ballad. Notably, Sinatra never recorded the track.

The tune also inspired a joke in “Lisa the Vegetarian,” a 1995 episode of The Simpsons. In it, Paul said he you can hear a recipe for lentil soup if you play the song in reverse. This is a reference to both Paul’s longtime vegetarian activism and claims that rock bands put backward messages in songs.

“Maybe I’m Amazed” is a popular love song even if it’s not the sort of song Sinatra would have performed.

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