The Paul McCartney Lyric That Quietly Closed Out His Most Manic Album
Freed of the pressure of leading a band, Paul McCartney decided to let his experimental flag fly in his 1980 album McCartney II. That relaxed spirit made its way into the lyrics, which occasionally revel in their silliness.
But for the least song on the album, McCartney went back to more traditional songwriting strengths: a pretty tune and heartfelt lyrics. “One Of These Days”, a prime deep cut from his catalog, emerged from that process.
Paul McCartney started to grow weary of fronting a band as the 70s ended. After all, they had been fulfilling that role for the better part of two decades. Barely a year had elapsed after The Beatles announced their break when McCartney started up Wings, who carried him through the majority of the 70s.
In 1980, Paul McCartney took the opportunity to record a DIY solo album. He played all the instruments on McCartney II, including synthesizers, which provided the dominant sound of the record. Aside from the ear-candy single “Coming Up”, much of the album was given over to offbeat tracks like “Temporary Secretary” and “Bogey Music”.
McCartney did go a more familiar route for the closing track. As he explained in an interview (as quoted by Beatles Bible), an unexpected visitor caused the change in direction.
“‘One Of These Days’ all happened when a Hare Krishna bloke came round to see me,” said McCartney. “He was a nice fellow, very sort of gentle. After he left, I went to the studio, and the vibe carried through a bit. I started writing something a bit more gentle that particular day. The song seemed right as a very simple thing, and it basically just says, ‘One of these days I’ll do what I’ve been meaning to do the rest of my life.’ I think it’s something a lot of people can identify with.”
Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia
