Last week, as I noted in an earlier post, James Corden took his Late, Late Show to London. While there, he did another of his Carpool Karaoke pieces...and this one will be difficult to top. There might be one or two, and even that will be open for debate. It was with Paul McCartney.
Given his car mate, they handled this version quite a bit different from all the others. And when you see the results -- and keep watching to the end (though I doubt you'll need that admonition) -- it was understandable why they did so.
What's also notable is McCartney's reaction through it all. For someone who's lived his lived in a fish bowl for 50 years, and has had more interviews and musical tributes -- and tends to seem well-prepared with most of his responses by now -- it stands out how much fun and moved and open he appears to be here.
What also stands out is the range of his fan base. Consider for a moment when you were, oh, say, 18 years old. And think back about 50 years earlier. How many music stars of that era half-a-century before who not only were still performing, touring and recording new albums. but even more to the point were people who had fans still excited to rush out to a concert they were giving, filling stadiums, let alone had masses of crowds excited just to know they were simply in the area and swarming them in public??
I don't know who all those people would have been for me, overlapping with my life from 50 years earlier when I was 18. But we're talking performers like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, and Jelly Roll Morton. Great as they all were, none were touring and packing them into major concert halls when I was 18. (Barely still when my mom was 18.) Most had long-since passed away. The closest may be Louis Armstrong, but even he started later and didn't release his first official album until he was over 40. And much as I love Satchmo, no, it's not really the same.
So, this is not only great fun, but sort of remarkable.
Given his car mate, they handled this version quite a bit different from all the others. And when you see the results -- and keep watching to the end (though I doubt you'll need that admonition) -- it was understandable why they did so.
What's also notable is McCartney's reaction through it all. For someone who's lived his lived in a fish bowl for 50 years, and has had more interviews and musical tributes -- and tends to seem well-prepared with most of his responses by now -- it stands out how much fun and moved and open he appears to be here.
What also stands out is the range of his fan base. Consider for a moment when you were, oh, say, 18 years old. And think back about 50 years earlier. How many music stars of that era half-a-century before who not only were still performing, touring and recording new albums. but even more to the point were people who had fans still excited to rush out to a concert they were giving, filling stadiums, let alone had masses of crowds excited just to know they were simply in the area and swarming them in public??
I don't know who all those people would have been for me, overlapping with my life from 50 years earlier when I was 18. But we're talking performers like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, and Jelly Roll Morton. Great as they all were, none were touring and packing them into major concert halls when I was 18. (Barely still when my mom was 18.) Most had long-since passed away. The closest may be Louis Armstrong, but even he started later and didn't release his first official album until he was over 40. And much as I love Satchmo, no, it's not really the same.
So, this is not only great fun, but sort of remarkable.
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