Celebrating Sir Paul: Another Day

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To celebrate Paul McCartney’s birthday this month I’m looking at some of my favorite songs from him. This list encompasses his entire career, from that band before Wings (Bee Tulls, or whatever) to the newest album (which I have been enjoying). Today we move to his first solo single. Another Day (Paul) Wow, did the critics massacre this song when it came out. Even John Lennon blasted it in his infamous “How Do You Sleep” (“The only thing you done was ‘Yesterday,’ and since you’ve gone you’re ’just another day’”). (Side note: Lennon later backtracked on the vicious attacks in that song, claiming it was about him and not Paul. Sorry, John, but there was never a ”John is dead” rumor [“those freaks were right when they said you was dead”], and that picture of you mocking the cover of Ram was the lowlight.) Blah, blah, blah, it’s just another boring review. If you think back to “Eleanor Rigby,” you see Paul watching what’s going on and reporting it with a sympathetic narrative. In this song, he basically did the same thing: he’s watching a single woman dealing with loneliness (“sometimes she feels so sad”) and the soul-draining monotony of work (“as she posts another letter to the sound of five people gather round her and she finds it hard to stay alive”). And he’s detailing this poor secretary’s miserable existence as if he can see right through her to the pain she has. If this is boring, then so was “Eleanor Rigby”…and that wasn’t boring. Another Day Written by Paul McCartney Released as a single, 1971 Don’t stand her up: