A great Paul McCartney quote

I read a great Paul McCartney quote the other day:

“One of the biggest thrills is sitting down with a guitar or piano and just trying to make a song happen.”

What I love most about this quote is what he didn’t say. McCartney didn’t say that he loved it when a song comes together. Or when a song sounds great. Or that he gets satisfaction from those magical moments when something appears effortlessly. In other words, all of the things we usually rejoice about.

No. In this instance, Sir Paul is speaking about the joy of simply sitting down and trying. This isn’t what we usually “go for,” though. Book stores don’t line their shelves with titles like “The Seven Habits of People Who Try.” And companies don’t use #justtry as their logo. And yes, the only reason we care about Paul McCartney is that he wrote a lot of great songs and was part of The Beatles.

But I feel this quote highlights a big part of what makes McCartney so special. Here’s a guy who hasn’t written many great songs in 30 years or so, yet despite this, he still gets a kick out of sitting down and trying. And in fact, this is the common thread between his early days and now. Whether it was with co-writer John Lennon or by himself, he seems to love that magical moment when you first sit down to compose. That magical moment of possibility, when you have no idea what may happen and what might appear.

In this respect, he’s kept a little of the teenager alive in him after all these years.  He doesn’t get discouraged if he doesn’t write a hit song. No matter what, he’s back at it the next day with the same energy and enthusiasm. Pretty amazing! And for me, inspiring. Let’s all sit down today and try to make a song happen 🙂

Here’s a fun Beatles story you’ve never heard before. Enjoy!

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