Pretty Boys

Album: McCartney III (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Paul McCartney wrote this mainly acoustic song about certain photographers who behave improperly when in the studio and treat their subjects as objects. He explained to NME: "I had read a newspaper article about some male models who'd got annoyed at a photographer who'd been too aggressive and a bit abusive, so I started to imagine a fictional tale about these male models."
  • Oh, here come the pretty boys
    A line of bicycles for hire
    Objects of desire
    When they're working for the squire


    McCartney told The New York Times that while walking along a New York street he noticed a big line of bicycles for hire. It struck him the Big Apple's CitiBike public bicycle sharing system and London's similar scheme had bikes "like models, there to be used."
  • The ex-Beatle recorded the song for McCartney III, which features McCartney on all the instruments. On this song, he plays the same upright bass Bill Black owned and played when touring with Elvis Presley. McCartney told Uncut magazine that the historic instrument was a gift from his first wife, Linda.

    "We had quite a few acquaintances in Nashville," he recalled. "One of the guys who we knew happened to know Bill Black's family. He was chatting to Linda and said, that old bass is just sitting in the barn. Nothing's going to happen with it. I think Linda thought, 'Gosh, talk about a birthday present!' She organized it all and gave it to me. I've been playing it ever since. I can't play it very well because I'm an electric bass guy. But it's a great sound and as long as the part I'm doing is simple, I can manage it."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Melanie

MelanieSongwriter Interviews

The singer-songwriter Melanie talks about her spiritual awakening at Woodstock, "Brand New Key," and why songwriting is an art, not a craft.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.