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TL;DR:

  • One of Paul McCartney’s songs was inspired by something his father used to say to him.
  • He said the song was one of the best he ever wrote.
  • Paul noted his fans were sometimes uninterested in hearing the tune.
Paul McCartney wearing a suit
Paul McCartney | Fiona Adams / Contributor

One of Paul McCartney‘s songs was inspired by a phrase his father used to say to him. The cute Beatle felt the song would only work for listeners with a good father-son relationship. In addition, he said some of his fans dismissed the song in question because it wasn’t by The Beatles.

Paul McCartney named some of his favorite songs he ever wrote

In a 1989 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Paul said his solo song “Put It There” was one of his favorites of his own songs, up there with The Beatles’ “The Fool on the Hill,” “Hey Jude,” “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Let It Be,” and others.

“This choice does surprise me a bit because I can see that it might be considered just a nothing song unless you are someone who has had a kid — or can relate to that experience — or unless you are someone who liked your father,” he said.

Paul McCartney said a phrase his father used inspired ‘Put It There’

Paul discussed how his dad inspired “Put It There.” “The chorus (‘Put it there if it weighs a ton … / That’s what a father said to his young son / As long as you and I are here, put it there’) is what my father, who is now dead, used to say to me,” Paul recalled. “The thing the song always reminds me of is how very fragile life is — and how it’s important to let the people who are important to you know how you feel about them.”

In the 2015 book Conversations with McCartney, Paul discussed his dad’s use of the phrase “put it there.” “He was a great guy, and like a lot of these Liverpool guys, you never think about it until years later, when you’re grown up and it’s ‘What did he mean?'”

The former Beatle said some of his fans want to hear Beatles songs and not ‘Put It There’ when they attend his shows

Elsewhere in the book, Paul said the song came together quickly while he was on a vacation. Paul doesn’t enjoy taking a lot of time to write songs. He says a tune generally isn’t good if it takes a long time to write.

Paul discussed the audience’s reaction to his songs. He said some fans who come to his shows are only interested in listening to Fab Four tracks. He said these listeners go and have a beer while he plays “Put It There.” Paul said he doesn’t take issue with this, which is why he always puts older songs such as “Let It Be” and “Get Back” in his set lists.

Paul is a big fan of “Put It There” even if its not as popular as some of his older tracks.

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