"Maybe I'm Amazed" is a song written by the English musician

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

that was first released on his 1970 debut solo album '' McCartney''. Although the original recording has never been released as a single, a live performance by McCartney's later band

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...

, from the live album '' Wings over America'', was released in 1977; this version became a top-ten hit in the United States and reached number 28 in the United Kingdom. In 2011, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine ranked "Maybe I'm Amazed" number 347 on its "

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...

" list.

History

McCartney wrote the song in 1969, just before the

break-up of the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, active from 1960 until 1970. From 1962 onwards, the band's members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Their break-up is attributed to numerous factors, including the 1967 d ...

. He credited his wife

Linda Linda is an English feminine given name, derived from the Spanish word , meaning "pretty." Linda may also refer to: Names * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) ...

with helping him get through the difficult time. Although most of his debut solo album was recorded at his home in London, McCartney recorded "Maybe I'm Amazed" entirely in

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

's Number Two studio in

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...

, on 15 February 1970. McCartney played all the instruments: guitars, bass, piano, organ and drums. At 0:44 into the track, "you can hear the noise of the drumsticks hitting one another, a detail cleaned up in the 2011 ''McCartney'' reissue". Although McCartney declined to release the song as a single in 1970, it nonetheless received a great deal of radio airplay worldwide. A promotional film was made, comprising still photographs of McCartney, his wife Linda, and daughters Heather and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

; it aired in the UK on 19 April 1970 on ITV in its own slot, and later as a part of an episode of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

's ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

''.

Reception

Regarded as one of McCartney's finest love songs, it achieved the number 347 position in the "

" list compiled by ''

'' magazine in November 2004, and is the only solo McCartney song to make the list. In a late 2009 Q&A with journalists held in London to promote his live album ''

Good Evening New York City ''Good Evening New York City'' is a CD/DVD double live album by Paul McCartney consisting of material performed over three nights as the inaugural concerts at New York City's Citi Field, 17, 18 and 21 July 2009, part of his Summer Live '09 conc ...

'', McCartney said "Maybe I'm Amazed" was "the song ewould like to be remembered for in the future". In a review for the ''McCartney'' album on release, Langdon Winner of ''Rolling Stone'' described "Maybe I'm Amazed", as "a very powerful song", that states "one of the main sub-themes of the record, that the terrible burden of loneliness can be dispelled by love." Winner continued to describe the track as "the only song on the album that even comes close to McCartney's best efforts of the past. It succeeds marvelously." In a retrospective review for ''McCartney'', ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

'' has highlighted "Maybe I'm Amazed", along with "Every Night" and "Junk", as songs that "still sound absolutely effortless and demonstrate the man's natural genius with a melody". Joe Tangari of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' similarly evaluated "Maybe I'm Amazed", along with "Junk" and "Singalong Junk", as the "peaks" of ''McCartney''. While McCartney's former bandmate

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

admitted that he did not care for the album, he conceded in an interview that he thought "Maybe I'm Amazed" was "great".

Live version

A live recording from the 1976 album '' Wings over America'' was released as a single by McCartney's band

on 4 February 1977; it reached number 10 in the US on the ''

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Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, and number 28 in the UK. This live version is longer than the original and has a slower

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said, "Already a classic and familiar track, this version comes without the false ending. You'll be amazed, too." Versions of the song can be heard on several other live McCartney albums, including '' Back in the U.S.'' and ''

Back in the World ''Back in the World'' (subtitled ''Live'') is a live album by Paul McCartney composed of highlights from his spring 2002 "Driving USA" tour in the United States in support of McCartney's 2001 release ''Driving Rain''. It was released internatio ...

''. "Maybe I'm Amazed" has become a centrepiece of McCartney's concerts, along with "

Band on the Run ''Band on the Run'' is the third studio album by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released on 30 November 1973. It was McCartney's fifth album after leaving the Beatles in April 1970 and his final album on Apple ...

" and " Live and Let Die". Live versions of the song are available on the 2011 reissue of '' McCartney''.

Track listing

7"

# "Maybe I'm Amazed" – 5:11 # "Soily" – 5:10

12" US Promo, Record Store Day 2013 EP

Side A # "Maybe I'm Amazed – Short Version (Mono)" – 3:43 # "Maybe I'm Amazed – Album Version (Mono)" – 5:11 Side B # "Maybe I'm Amazed – Short Version (Stereo)" – 3:43 # "Maybe I'm Amazed – Album Version (Stereo)" – 5:11

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

According to author John C. Winn: ''McCartney'' studio version: *

lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, bass, piano,

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, drums *

Linda McCartney Linda Louise, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, cookbook author, and activist. She was the keyboardist and harmony vocalist in the band Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings tha ...

backing vocals ''Wings Over America'' live version: *

lead vocals, piano *

backing vocals, organ *

Denny Laine Brian Frederick Hines (29 October 1944 – 5 December 2023), known professionally as Denny Laine, was an English musician who co-founded two major rock bands: the Moody Blues and Wings. Laine played guitar in the Moody Blues from 1964 to 1966 ...

backing vocals, bass guitar *

Jimmy McCulloch James McCulloch (4 June 1953 – 25 September 1979) was a Scottish musician best known for playing lead guitar and bass as a member of Paul McCartney's band Wings from 1974 to 1977. McCulloch was a member of the Glasgow psychedelic band One i ...

lead guitar * Joe English – drums

Certifications

Cover versions

Faces The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...

recorded a studio version of the song in 1970 and released it as a US-only single, while a live version appeared on their 1971 album ''

Long Player The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification ...

''.

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

covered the song for the 2014 tribute album '' The Art of McCartney''.

References

Sources

* {{authority control 1970 songs 1971 singles 1977 singles 1970s ballads Rock ballads Paul McCartney songs Faces (band) songs Paul McCartney and Wings songs Songs written by Paul McCartney Apple Records singles Capitol Records singles Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Jem (singer) songs Norah Jones songs Music published by MPL Music Publishing Live singles Soul ballads Blue-eyed soul songs