Paul McCartney's 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane' Album Details Emerge

Last night in Los Angeles, Paul McCartney hosted a listening party for a very small group of lucky fans to hear a preview of his new album, ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’, which will be available in May.  Just three journalists were invited, one was Melinda Newman of ‘Billboard’ magazine who was kind enough to give us details of each track.  She described the secrecy in which this party took place, in producer Andrew Watt’s studio with Watt and McCartney providing insider comments about the album’s 14 songs. 

Fans were enthusiastic to be sitting with McCartney, his wife Nancy, and Watt as they heard the tape of the first new Mac album since 2020, it must have been an unforgettable experience.   Fans had to give up their cell phones and sign non-disclosure agreements about revealing details, but it was probably to protect MPL Records from anyone recording.  The 90-minute party was also filmed so all of McCartney’s fans may get a chance later this year after the album’s release to see the party with McCartney’s song-by-song commentary.

Referencing the ‘Billboard’ piece’s song descriptions, we can play a bit of song catalog association.  We will give the song description and then what song in Paul’s catalog most sounds like the description.   

“As You Like There” – a spoken word intro leading into various parts and tempos for the rest of the song – part of it rocks.   – “Beware My Love”

“Lost Horizon” – the only song that is an archived track from years ago with just a new guitar overdub – a midtempo ‘chugging’ song about living in the ‘now’.  - "Sing the Changes"

“Days We Left Behind” – this was already released as a preview of the album and it’s closest brother in Paul’s catalog  in sound and lyric is “Early Days”.

“Ripples in a Pond” – a ‘bouncy upbeat’ love song with a spacy bridge.  – “Silly Love Songs”

“Mountaintop” – a dreamy psychedelic song with tape loops – “I Want You to Fly” or “Lovers in a Dream” from the side project Fireman

“Down South” – an acoustic folky tune about spending time as a child with John Lennon and George Harrison before The Beatles.  – “Early Days” or “Here Today”

“We Two” – a sparsely produced love song with harmonium, spinet and snare drum. – “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”

“Come Inside” – a rocking love song – “Come On to Me”

“Never Know” – a ‘dense heavy tune that veers into clarinet and back to heavy’ – “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” (clarinet solo is at the end)

“Home to Us” – a Beatlesque duet with McCarntey trading lines with Ringo Starr.  Layered vocals, key changes, tempo shifts – about growing up in Liverpool.

 Musically - “Beautiful Night” involved Starr and had these song elements.  Lyrically – “In Liverpool”.

“Life Can Be Hard” – an acoustic love song – “Calico Skies”

“Star” – an acoustic song about stars in the sky and hope. – “Venus and Mars”

“Salesman Saint” – about Paul’s father, starts with trumpet, a ‘building’ arrangement that gets ‘heavy with time signature changes’.  Lyrically, “Put It There”, musically

“Band on the Run”

“Momma Gets By” – a lush piano ballad with orchestra.  – Lyrically, “Daytime Nighttime Suffering”, musically – “Tug of War”