Paul McCartney Once Celebrated New Year’s Eve in A Very Rock-Star Way
Typically, New Year’s Eve is a celebratory evening where one-year closes and a new one begins. While some prefer a quieter night with family and close friends, others usher in the next 365 days with great excitement. In his younger years, former The Beatles member Paul McCartney celebrated and rang in the new year in a rock-star way.
Paul McCartney said his love of music standards hails from fun family New Year’s Eve celebrations
As a young man, Paul listened to many different types of music. His father, Jim, was the leader of the Jim Mac Jazz Band. Paul and his younger brother, Mike, grew up listening to music standards from some of the greatest songwriters in history.
Every New Year’s Eve, the extended McCartney family gathered at Jim and his wife Mary’s home to celebrate. Paul recalled those family-filled evenings in an interview for the Independent.
“My dad used to play piano on New Year’s Eve, and all the ladies would sit around sipping their rum and blackcurrant. After half an hour, they would be singing, and I grew up associating those songs with family and good times,” Paul explained.
He then elaborated on how the music he heard as a child influenced his songwriting as a member of The Beatles. “I thought these songs were so well-structured. So did John [Lennon]. We loved the craftsmanship.”
However, as Paul grew older, he moved on to other types of celebratory New Year’s Eves, which were more rock-star than family-friendly.
Paul McCartney once rang in the new year in a very rock-star way
At the close of the 1950s, Paul’s career path as a working musician was already underway. 1958 cemented his friendship with John Lennon, and he was a member of John’s group, The Quarrymen. The group became a fixture in Liverpool, playing local shows and gaining confidence as performers.
Paul was soon old enough to enjoy the more adult beverages his extended family had drank for years. Therefore, at the end of 1958, he and John attended the annual McCartney party. Paul ended the night in a very rock-star way. Mark Lewisohn’s book Tune In recalled this fateful evening.
The author explained that Paul and John attended the fete and, now old enough to work behind the family bar, Paul found himself surrounded by alcohol. A blog named Gerryco23 reprinted a passage regarding the fateful evening from Tune In.
“At the McCartney clan’s annual New Year’s Eve knees-up in Aintree, Paul was now deemed old enough to work behind the bar. [A plank of wood on a few crates], pouring ale from the barrel, learning about ‘gin and it’ and ‘rum and black,'” he wrote.
He continued, “There was his dad leading the singing from the piano, playing all the wonderful tunes of the 1920s and ’30s. His dear Uncle Jack cracked great jokes to all the kids. The entire bevvied Liverpool, lot of them swaying to ‘Carolina Moon.'”
However, Paul reportedly enjoyed a drunken evening “filled to the gills with black velvet.” He rang in 1959 by throwing up,” a rock-star way to end the old year.
What will 2023 bring for Paul McCartney?
It truly was the year we ‘Got Back’ to where we once belonged! From Paul’s historic headline set at @Glastonbury to yoga poses and Birthday celebrations! Join us on a journey through 2022: https://t.co/r7kLhVMQlm
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) December 22, 2022
Paul embarked on his Got Back tour, playing his first live shows since 2019 in 2022. The setlist for the Got Back tour consisted of over 30 songs, including songs by The Beatles and Wings and songs from McCartney’s solo career. Each concert ran for around 2 hours and 40 minutes in length.
Paul turned 80 as the shows headed into East Rutherford, New Jersey, and he was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi to celebrate his birthday. He also headlined Glastonbury. He closed out the year with the release of a box of 7-inch singles recordings, a limited-edition release.
Could Paul hit the road again in 2023? Per his official website, there are no confirmed plans. However, as Got Back was a shorter tour in light of returning to touring after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there is a good chance he may play more shows in the new year to fill a void left by the abbreviated version of his 2022 outing.
