Cloudy

Q: The song talks about the beginning of your friendship with John Lennon, and you mention a secret that you kept. Are you able to tell us what that secret was? Paul: No, I mean, that's the secret, you know. The lyrics is, "We met at Forthlin Road and wrote a secret code." So I'm meaning we wrote songs, but you did, you had secrets that only you two know. That's what brings you together.

80s mclennon hashtag happy

(Not entirely McLennonlens, and not in first person, but structuring my overall review:)

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As You Lie There: Feels like two songs stuck together and the screamy bits feel like they're addressing Dakota John, with the quieter bits reminiscing on when they first met and the Devotion Commenced.

Lost Horizon: Reminiscent thematically of Get Enough and musically of Lonely Road. Musically it shows its early-2000s origins.

Days We Left Behind: We already know the bridge is about John; also interested in the references to the boys of Dungeon Lane, some of whom "will feel the pain" and some "were meant for more".

Ripples in a Pond: Unfortunately I gotta put this in the "love song for my wife that I'm phoning in" category (except maybe the middle eight).

Mountain Top: If this isn't at least partially about the LSD Emperor of Eternity night I'll eat my hat. Full of Revolver/Pepper evoking harpsichord, a few tape loops, imagery reminiscent of Lucy in the Sky, reference to "the two of us" doing something "on the second bus".

Down South: The "oh yeahs" are exactly the same as the ones on Beatles songs like "I'll Get You", described by Paul as "a bit f*ggy, very Beatle-y". Also "bummin' around down south" has to be a double entendre.

We Two: Musically this wasn't as interesting as I hoped but the theme of a loving, equal partnership make it a John song, plus "we wanna live for love, like other people do" and "over over again, I'll be in love with you". Also I NEED to know what the beepy sounds at the end are. (EDIT: It's a tape rewinding, thanks @rumyodin !) Reminiscent of Strawberry Fields.

Come Inside: The freakout section has more great Pepper-y mellotron and loops. Kind of sounds like an address to fans too - "I been saying it all, you just gotta listen with an open mind."

Never Know: Mellotron flute and backwards guitar (?) tape loop alert!! Think this one takes place in post-breakup Scotland depression period. Also recorders. Echo before the freakout bit reminiscent of the end of Day In The Life.

Home To Us: Kind of a skip for me, but appreciate the sentiment.

Life Can Be Hard: Another one in the category of "slightly ambivalent love songs for The Wife". Nice orchestral arrangement.

First Star of the Night: I like to think that the cheering star is John's spirit :)

Sailsman Saint: A lot more ambivalent than initial reports indicated. The parents in this are traumatised but carrying on because they have no choice. I really love the musical experiment at the end. Weirdly the circular chords in the chorus kind of remind me I Want You (She's So Heavy).

And like, the album jumps around chronologically, signified by the musical eras especially, but having Paul's next song be that heavy duty seduction song? Implying he basically bartered doing LSD for a wedding ring?! Making 'Tomorrow Never Knows' be the direct response to 'She said, she said', intended for Paul, tying back into the Lost Horizon of Shangri-La theme again from the second song and none of that, none of that fucks me up like the last track, and like... 'Never Know' seems to imply that yeah, he did psychedelics just for John so he wouldn't lose him.

"There’s a song, Momma Gets By, towards the end of the album. That’s just a flight of fantasy. I’m imagining this woman faced with this guy who seems a bit lazy. I’m making up two characters in a play. I’m messing around with them and thinking, Well, what was she thinking? Why does she think that? It just turned into that song. You take bits of yourself, bits of the life you know, and that’s what’s interesting to me as a writer – writing about what is or what was or what could be."

Having a song right before about how your parents made it through World War 2 and all the miserable things in the world and all they needed was hot tea and cigarettes to be together and happy, then turning that into a fantasy where you once again turn yourself into your mother, working to hold the family together while dad is off doing... who knows what but it's sure not enough and your mother was a saint, she must have been a saint because you can't, you just can't do it like she did, and now, fifty years later taking the story of standing in your kitchen and John comes in and says 'I want a divorce' and turning it into a fantasy where you're a saint like your mother, where you didn't start an argument, where you remember to weather the storm and the imperfections and that no marriage is a honeymoon you romantic little fool why did you think money would make it easier.

And if it rains, she never complains She's tough enough to make it through the storm, mm-hm Papa gets back and heads for the sack As soon as he steps inside the kitchen door But she doesn't mind, she's seen it all before She doesn't care, she's got her own philosophy of life It wasn't too long ago that she agreed to bе his wife And even though hе's complicated, she takes it in her stride What are his silly faults compared to what she feels inside? She loves him She loves him with all her heart and soul All her heart and soul Because she loves him She loves him with all her heart and soul All her heart and soul

You can read my mind

If you wanted to

You can come inside

You got to let me know

What you want to do

I don’t wanna hide

Step right up and take a look

See what you can find

All my life’s an open book

Come inside my mind

I can tell the truth

If you want to hear

What I have to say

There’s not a single thing

That you have to fear

If you come my way

[...]

Open up your mind (Yeah)

Open up your heart (Yeah)

Nothing else is keeping us apart

[...]