Music Blog

Wacka, Wacka, Macca!

Nancy's Notes đŸ–ŠïžđŸŽ¶

Written for Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag Week #30 where we
are asked to write about a song by a group or solo singer
beginning with the letter M or N. This is my contribution.

When I was a teenager, my father and I would have the same disagreement at least every other week. It all revolved around my father’s comments regarding Frank Sinatra. His words never changed: “If you want to listen to Frank Sinatra, go ahead. I’ll be in another room.”

And, even though I knew what he was going to say, I asked anyway: “Why don’t you like Frank Sinatra, Dad? He’s a great singer!” My father would reply “I know he’s a great singer and performer but he’s a lousy, no-good womanizing bum who hangs out with gangsters and is a disgrace to his Italian roots. I like Sinatra, the “artist” but I have no use for Sinatra, the “man”!”

Of course, I couldn’t resist fanning the flames just a bit more by saying something like “Frank Sinatra doesn’t even know you exist! It’s not his personal life but his artistic contributions that people should care about.” And we’d dance around that argument for half an hour or so until my mother finally threatened us with bodily harm.

So, isn’t it ironic that I am now saying something quite similar to what my father said all those years ago?

And it’s all about my featured artist today. I never dreamed I would be featuring Paul McCartney today (or any other day). If I were to rank The Beatles in order by my personal favorite, Paul would come in 5th! All kidding aside, I’m not a fan of Paul McCartney, the “man”, but I freely admit that he is one of the most talented musicians to have graced us with his work. Today I’m showcasing two of his pieces from his incredibly prolific solo career.

The first song is called “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” which is done very much in the style of a jazzy Billy Joel. This is NOT the Gerry and the Pacemakers’ hit we all know and love. Written in 1946 by Joe Greene, this number is included on the 1990 LP by McCartney called “Tripping the Live Fantastic.“ Let’s have a listen.

This is “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” by Paul McCartney.

The second song is a piece entitled “Used To Be Bad” which harkens back to the sounds of The Steve Miller Band and ZZ Top (not surprising since it was co-written by McCartney and Miller). This one is a bluesy number which keeps going from start to finish and can be found on McCartney’s 1997 “Flaming Pie” LP. Upon its release, the time was ripe for McCartney to deliver an album steeped in Beatles lore and that’s exactly what he claimed “Flaming Pie” was all about. 

This is “Used To Be Bad” by the one and only Macca.

I hope you enjoyed hearing a little McCartney today as well as my personal reflection and the videos I chose for you. I hope you Paul lovers aren’t too pissed off!

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – week 30 – New Hearts

Big thanks to Glyn for hosting Mixed Music Bag every week.

Thanks for joining me today and spinning some tunes.

See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2024

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

38 thoughts on “Wacka, Wacka, Macca!”

  1. Pingback: DON’T GIVE UP – Priyaranjan blog

  3. Your intro made me smile as my daughter and I have had similar discussions about other artists. She is usually more in the know about the artist’s personal life where I tend to focus on the music. I appreciate her input, but it can ruin a perfectly good song. 🙄 Thanks for sharing, Nancy. đŸŽ¶

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  5. I lved reading about you differing opinions on Sinatra! I’ve always thought he was not a great singer in the technical sense, but he had a wonderful sound.

    As for Mr McC, having met him a a couple of times, we’ll disagree on the ‘man’ – but totally agree on his music!

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    1. Believe me, Keith, I would love to sit down and talk to someone who would change my mind about Macca, the man. I’ve heard and read so much, including comments by George and Ringo, that are hard to discount. However, when all that controversy was going on about Paul being dead, George was the one who said “any bit of data, either true or made up, is believable when it’s done well.”

      Re Sinatra, he was actually an excellent technician; is breath control and phrasing were tops, his pronunciation superb and his voice smooth and lovely. He set the bar for everyone who came after him, including Michael Bouble, Harry Connick, Frank Jr, Bobby Darin and a whole bunch of others.

      Thanks for your great comments.

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    1. You would think two people would eventually give up having the same disagreement after so many years, but we both love pushing each other’s buttons.

      Thanks, Cindy! My dad would stick to his guns if it killed him!

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    1. Of course you’re absolutely right, D. It’s the same way with actors and their movies; there are a couple of actors whose movies I won’t watch because I think they’re awful actors. The thing between me and my dad was more about the act of arguing than the topic of the argument. Thanks for your comments, D!

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  11. Hahaha! That’s too funnny! My mother is not a fan of Sinatra either. Just doesn’t dig him. Admits he can sign but will take Dino Martini over him ever time 🙂

    As for Paul McCartney… yeah, he can sing 😉

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    1. Haha! I love Frank and Dino for totally different reasons but it doesn’t have to be a game of choosing one over the other.

      Macca can definitely sing …. and compose and write lyrics and play 872 instruments. He’s a genius and no one will deny that, especially him. đŸ˜‚đŸ€Ł

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      1. I’m with you. Though I lean more towards Dino 😉

        Right. And I do like some of his stuff, to be honest. Though I’ve never spent a dime on any of his music!

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  12. There were Sinatra songs on the jukebox at Tommy’s Lunch, 49 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts in the summer of 1965. A few booths against the wall and a row of stools at the counter, it was a one-man sandwich operation. The man behind the counter hated Sinatra. When someone played a Sinatra song, the counterman would start yelling about Sinatra being a “whoremaster”, whatever that was.. It was a great place for a quick lunch, a good sandwich, and a comedy show.

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