You can drive my car

June 27, 2018 2:27 AM

Paul McCartney on Carpool Karaoke is television at its best. Not only does it have all the happiness and goofiness you expect Corden to deliver, but this McCartney karaoke is also unexpectedly tender, touching and meaningful.

Note: Some of us might want to keep tissues at hand.

posted by Too-Ticky (36 comments total)

:')
posted by lokta at 3:34 AM on June 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

I showed this to my wife last night, and it made her cry. As for me, I just have some allergies, that's all.
posted by maurice at 4:23 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Flagged as fantastic because there's no flag for "omg I need to send this to my mom right now" :)
Also my mascara is running now but that's ok
posted by pointystick at 4:45 AM on June 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

This is what my dreams are filled with but unfortunately I live in Ohio.
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 4:53 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Paul McCartney seems genuinely kind. And it's easy to feel, oh, that's well-rehearsed, but if you've watched other carpool karaokes, there are a lot of stars who just don't give a fuck how they come off.

He didn't have to listen to Corden's story about his grandfather. He didn't have to quietly say "he is" when Corden imagined what his grandfather would think if he were here. He certainly didn't have to greet everyone as an old friend, even passers-by who just wanted to shake his hand.
posted by maxsparber at 4:56 AM on June 27, 2018 [20 favorites]

Fuckin Paul McCartney, man. Does anybody have more fun being a rock star than he does? Many brooding young men think they want to be John, all acid and bluster, but even at 75, would he have embraced the world with such joy, without apparent cynicism?

This is just delightful.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:01 AM on June 27, 2018 [21 favorites]

My son sent it to me, but I had already seen it. I woke up in the middle of the night and my husband had left the TV on, and I heard Beatles songs, then I looked up, and there was Paul in the car singing! Was I dreaming? I watched the rest and when they got to the neighborhood pub, it got even more like a dream. Paul has such class, he was always my "favorite Beatle", now even more so. I am glad to see this here as well.
posted by mermayd at 5:13 AM on June 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

Yep... went to see the Stones last week, and "having fun" seems like a good way to describe what I saw.

And Jagger... if I have 1/10 as much vitality when I'm his age, I'll be very well pleased.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 5:13 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Totally needed this this morning. It's gonna be a good day.

It's interesting that teary-eyes substitute for reading glasses...
posted by zengargoyle at 5:36 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Attaboy Paul. Those faces in the pub were the same ones at the show, times ten thousand. My favorite reaction was the woman at the start of Hey Jude. Sort of an only-the-Beatles kind of musical recognition. The universal "Aaaiiiighh!" as it were.
posted by petebest at 5:39 AM on June 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

My tears held out til right at the end.

Our wedding was in Scotland and traditionally the last song of the night is Loch Lomond. Which is lovely, but I had heard it at every. single. wedding. we'd been to the past year. And honestly, I always thought it was a bit of a downer of a song.

So right when our band was about to play the first note of the song, my husband ran up to the lead singer and asked him to switch to anything, anything else.

Without missing a step, he nodded to the band and they started playing Hey, Jude.

Watching the pub sing along to it just took me right back to that night, surrounded by friends and family singing "Na na na nana na naaaaaaaaa!" at the top of their lungs. Fantastic.
posted by like_neon at 5:54 AM on June 27, 2018 [18 favorites]

He didn't have to listen to Corden's story about his grandfather. He didn't have to quietly say "he is" when Corden imagined what his grandfather would think if he were here.

This is the thing that got me. The bits are what they are. The heavy editing, undoubtedly tons of production assistants running ahead to set up 'interactions', etc... but Mr. McCartney proved he's a pretty good bloke in one quiet moment. Realizing something important is happening to another person, and instead of aw-shucksing it away, he made it even more poignant and memorable.
posted by DigDoug at 6:04 AM on June 27, 2018 [16 favorites]

I think his hair looks really good, for dye job. Cleverly done. We all know its done so has some white flecks at the front as if acknowledging this but has it dark at the back and sides so he doesn't have the shock of white hair that screams old man. I mean if you're going to dye it this is how to do it.
posted by Damienmce at 6:18 AM on June 27, 2018

My wife sent this to me and I told her I'd rather have my tongue pulled out of my mouth than watch another Carpool Karaoke but she said "keep watching" and because I love and trust her I kept watching and... yeah... it was good.

I don't care for the fake spontaneity of everything but I know that's how these things are done. Dude is a Beatle, he's like infinity years old, and he's still charming and can still rock the fuck out.
posted by bondcliff at 6:20 AM on June 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

Watching the pub sing along to it just took me right back to that night, surrounded by friends and family singing "Na na na nana na naaaaaaaaa!" at the top of their lungs.

I remember reading The Gunslinger and reaching the part where the saloon starts singing this song together. It's the first major instance in the book where you're tipped off that this world is a mix of old and new that includes pieces of Earth history, and I thought it was a lovely way to convey that information.

Also, if you find yourself in some post-apocalyptic Chivalric Sci-Fi Western and go into some run down watering hole, it seems a perfect fit for the guy at the upright piano to start playing "Hey Jude".
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 6:31 AM on June 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

just imagine how much more moving this would be if it were actually paul and not his imposter

(28IF never 4get)
posted by entropicamericana at 6:42 AM on June 27, 2018 [13 favorites]

BILLY SHEARS 4EVA
posted by maxsparber at 7:01 AM on June 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

This was one of the good ones. Thanks, Too-Ticky.
posted by Harald74 at 7:13 AM on June 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

The way Paul McCartney experiences his celebrity is just great. It's like he totally understands and really enjoys the fact that he creates all these "the time I met Paul McCartney" stories everywhere he goes and with everyone he meets and he is still a bit awed and humbled by it.

It's what it would be like if every person reacted to seeing me the way my dog does when she hasn't seen me for a few hours.

I don't think I'd often get tired of being able to do that for people.
posted by VTX at 7:14 AM on June 27, 2018 [17 favorites]

I have no great love for Cordon or the Beatles or Paul but man... lost it at "He is."

This is special.
posted by Twinge at 7:41 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

And it's easy to feel, oh, that's well-rehearsed

Good. Professionals prepare, in this case expressing his genuine emotions by writing carefully constructed songs about them for decades.

Loving the Beatles is kind of like saying the Bible is your favorite book, but here I stand I can do no other.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:43 AM on June 27, 2018 [9 favorites]

Also in actual street Penny Lane he (a person that comes and goes) stops and says hello to a barber showing photographs this is adorable.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:47 AM on June 27, 2018 [7 favorites]

For me it was the pub scene, old those old ladies skipping along like they were 16 again, and also all the young people singing along. I guess McCartney is the Mozart of the 20th century. We wondered when we were kids wether Beatles Music would be as timeless as some jazz and classical music, but today it must be proved.
posted by mumimor at 8:11 AM on June 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

I have been absolutely obsessed with Paul McCartney for the last couple of months, since randomly hearing 'Back Seat of My Car' somewhere. I mean, you have no idea... He really is amazingly... I dunno... sane? for someone in his position.

I got Ram for my 14th birthday and have always loved it, but in high school George was really my favorite and I loathed Wings. In the past few months I've been listening to all this amazing music Paul has put out - some I had heard before but didn't really associate with him, some are totally new to me.

If you really want to feel a sting in your eyes, listen to The End of The End. I think this was the song the man was talking about when he told Paul they played his song at his father's funeral. I loved the way Paul stopped even though he had to keep moving and made sure the guy knew he'd been heard.
posted by maggiemaggie at 8:17 AM on June 27, 2018

Also, a friend who heard about my obsession told me that McCartney was doing the Carpool Karaoke with Corden and I found the idea really disturbing. On watching it I was not prepared to get so emotional, and I'm so happy to know I'm not the only one!
posted by maggiemaggie at 8:33 AM on June 27, 2018

My mom loves Paul McCartney and the Beatles beyond the telling of it. When I saw this the other night, even though I'm no big fan of James Corden and Carpool Karaoke, I knew she had to see it.

My mom also hates most technology and she's probably seen like five YouTube videos in her entire life, so I knew that a link to a YouTube video wouldn't necessarily be something she'd willing click on, but I told her to trust me.

She eventually clicked on it and loved it and wouldn't stop raving how lucky the people all were to get to see Paul. She's going to England next year and is going to make a point of stopping by Penny Lane. :)
posted by juliebug at 9:19 AM on June 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

I lived in Liverpool for many years, only a few blocks away from the Philharmonic, where Paul did his little surprise concert.

This video made me really miss Liverpool - my second home, my lovely little city by the sea. ❤
posted by triggerfinger at 9:39 AM on June 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

Nthing that this was great. Not a big fan of CK (mainly no interest in the artists, and Corden seems like a nice guy, but I don't really watch him), but between the artist, the location, and the real spontaneity mixed in with the fake spontaneity ... wow.

The way Paul McCartney experiences his celebrity is just great. It's like he totally understands and really enjoys the fact that he creates all these "the time I met Paul McCartney" stories everywhere he goes and with everyone he meets and he is still a bit awed and humbled by it.

I think it was Alec Baldwin that I heard or read observing that literally no one else has as much experience at making people feel instantly comfortable as McCartney, and this was another great example of that.
posted by pmurray63 at 10:34 AM on June 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

What artists in their prime today will be as productive, and as widely loved, in their late careers as Paul is?

None artists. No pop artists that came before him, and none that I can see currently toiling. I hope I'm wrong, because losing Paul will be devastating enough, particularly in these times.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:49 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

What artists in their prime today will be as productive, and as widely loved, in their late careers as Paul is?

Weird Al, one would hope, but he's a special case.
posted by radwolf76 at 2:01 PM on June 27, 2018 [3 favorites]

If you really want to feel a sting in your eyes, listen to The End of The End yt . I think this was the song the man was talking about when he told Paul they played his song at his father's funeral.

I know it's the one we played for my dad. The record was so new none of us had even heard it yet; he'd just left the cd with a post-it and a request.

And that's how I ended up in a pile of at least 15 friends and relatives, all of us holding each other and sobbing. Only-mildly-sarcastic thanks-a-bunch, Sir Paul.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:19 PM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

This is kind of tangential, but it struck me when I watched this a few days ago:

"Penny Lane" includes the lines "In Penny Lane there is a fireman with and hourglass / And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen."

"Penny Lane" was released in 1967. It's 2018 now, and the Queen referred to by the song is still Queen. (And she had already been Queen for fifteen years when Penny Lane was released.)

I knew that intellectually, but hearing that line drove it home.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:30 PM on June 27, 2018 [16 favorites]

This video made me really miss Liverpool - my second home, my lovely little city by the sea. ❤

I flew over it on my way to Bath in May, first time I have seen it from the air. Any town that has a massive Irish community and a Chinatown is someplace I want to visit.

My girlfriend's mother is obsessed with Paul McCartney and has been watching that video again and again. Maybe I'll convince her to take a group holiday.
posted by maxsparber at 2:33 PM on June 27, 2018

Yep. Cried. Thank you!!!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 4:56 PM on June 27, 2018

This particular performance of the song he wrote about John never fails to get me: Here Today
It's a crappy 10 year old video with bad sound in a record store or something, with annoying people talking (who would talk during this?) but wait for it, the emotion is pretty intense.
posted by chococat at 7:55 PM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Fuckin Paul McCartney, man. Does anybody have more fun being a rock star than he does? Many brooding young men think they want to be John, all acid and bluster, but even at 75, would he have embraced the world with such joy, without apparent cynicism?

I don't mean to point this out as a way to judge one or the other but I think this bit of trivia sheds a lot of light on how Paul's and John's attitudes were very different.

In the song "Getting Better", Paul wrote the lines:
I've got to admit it's getting better (Better)
A little better all the time

While John's contribution was to add:
(It can't get no worse)
posted by VTX at 11:40 AM on June 28, 2018 [1 favorite]