Maybe I’m Amazed – Today’s feature song is a classic ballad and a fantastic cover by an influential band. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #PaulMcCartney #Wings #TheFaces

Imagine being at the top of the world and when you look down you see everything crumbling underneath you. Figuratively, this is where Paul McCartney was when he wrote ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’. It was written for his wife Linda who as the lyrics imply helped McCartney through this tumultuous time. ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ is regarded by some as one of Paul McCartney’s greatest compositions. Conversely, some consider it moderately insipid, but like all music it is up to the listener. The truth is, ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ captures a specific period of time for the songwriter and through these words, I  imagine McCartney has helped a lot of people keep their lives in focus by leaning on someone they love during difficult times.

‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ was a part of Paul McCartney’s first solo album. A true testament to his phenomenal ability is the fact he played all of the instruments on the album fittingly called McCartney. This included, piano, guitars, bass, organ and drums. It was recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios. Even though the Beatles were done, the magic within those walls remained.

In an interesting twist, ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ was not released as a single following the release of the album. Due to the album inspired radio formats of the day and the fact that a release by Paul McCartney was highly anticipated, DJs at the time gravitated toward this ballad. The resulting airplay led to an immense popularity that the song still enjoys fifty years after its composition. The album, McCartney, hit #1 on this day in 1970 and it remained there for three weeks.

Another stepping stone to the status that ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ achieved as a classic balled came in 1972 when Paul McCartney formed a band in order to go out on tour. He had the itch to perform again and the result was Wings. Paul McCartney and Wings were formed in 1972. In its initial incarnation Wings consisted of Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine on guitar, bass and piano, and Denny Seiwell on drums. After a period of rehearsal, they embarked on a tour. Now, this is the story of legend. Briefly, I will take you back to the last couple of years of The Beatles. McCartney was willing to do almost anything to keep the group intact and maintain a spark. One of his ideas was to drop by pubs and play an impromptu concert for patrons. Unfortunately, the rest of the band did not endorse the plan, so it never happened, short of the famous ‘rooftop concert’, associated with Let it Be. This notion was never too far from Paul McCartney’s mind so when he was thinking of a way to hit the road again he evolved this idea to a higher level. He would take Wings on a tour of U.K. universities. On many occasions they would arrive at a campus unannounced and perform live for whoever happened to be on campus at the time. This eleven city escapade opened the door to wider possibilities later in the year. The most the group charged for admission was 50 pence (approximately $6).

It is important to bring this mini tour up because it paved the way to one of a larger scale that began in July of 1972.The university tour begat the Wings Over Europe tour. It was at the show in Chateauvallon, France that Paul McCartney played ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ live for the first time. By this time Wings had added Henry McCullough on guitar. Here is a version from that tour.

Almost seven years after the song was written and initially recorded Paul McCartney and Wings released ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ as a single to promote their Wings Over America album. As a single it reached the Top 10 in the U.S and #28 in the U.K. It would go on to be a mainstay on many Paul McCartney live releases and concert tours right up to the present day.

I have said all of this about ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ and I may be holding the ace up my sleeve. This version of the song may be the best version I have ever heard. Check out The Faces cover.

It doesn’t get much better than this. Rod Stewart and Ronnie Laine sharing the vocals. Ronnie Wood in his pre-Rolling Stones days playing an incredible guitar, Ian McLagan on keyboards and Kenney Jones who would go on to replace Keith Moon in The Who. What a band. What a performance. Enjoy!