Today, Sir Paul McCartney turns 80 years old. A few publications and websites, in honor of this milestone, are listing, or asking other artists to list, 80 out of the hundreds (thousands?) of songs Macca has written over the past 65 years or so that they particularly like. Well, I figured I'm a Beatles fan, and I spent a year listening to everything McCartney has ever recorded post-Beatles, so why can't I do the same? So here is my work of an evening: 80 songs written by Paul McCartney, in alphabetical order, that I think everyone should know (though it just so happens that the list ends with my single all-time favorite McCartney composition and Beatles song). Enjoy or criticize or ignore, as you feel inclined.
"All My Loving" (1963)
"Another Day" (1970)
"Band on the Run" (1973)
"Beware My Love" (1976)
"Biker Like an Icon" (1993)
"Blackbird" (1968)
"Call Me Back Again" (1975)
"Calico Skies" (1997)
"Can't Buy Me Love" (1964)
"Come On to Me" (2018)
"Coming Up" (1980)
"Dominoes" (2018)
"Drive My Car" (1965)
"Ebony and Ivory" (1982)
"The End of the End" (2007)
"Eleanor Rigby" (1966)
"English Tea" (2005)
"Figure of Eight" (1989)
"Fool on the Hill" (1967)
"For No One" (1966)
"Get on the Right Thing" (1973)
"Get Back" (1970)
"Getting Better" (1967)
"Goodnight Tonight" (1979)
"Got to Get You into My Life" (1966)
"Happy With You" (2018)
"Helter Skelter" (1968)
"Here Today" (1982)
"Here There Everywhere" (1966)
"Hey Hey" (1983)
"Hey Jude" (1968)
"House of Wax" (2007)
"I Can Bet" (2013)
"I Don't Know" (2018)
"I'm Looking Through You" (1965)
"I'll Follow the Sun" (1964)
"I Saw Her Standing There" (1963)
"I've Just Seen a Face" (1965)
"Jet" (1973)
"Junior's Farm" (1974)
"Lady Madonna" (1968)
"Let 'Em In" (1976)
"Let It Be" (1970)
"Let Me Roll It" (1973)
"Listen to What the Man Said" (1975)
"Long and Winding Road" (1970)
"Lovely Rita" (1967)
"Live and Let Die" (1973)
"Magneto and Titanium Man" (1975)
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" (1969)
"Maybe I'm Amazed" (1970)
"Michelle" (1965)
"Mother Nature's Sun" (1968)
"Mull of Kintyre" (1977)
"My Brave Face" (1989)
"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" (1973)
"No More Lonely Nights" (1984)
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1968)
"Oh! Darling" (1969)
"Paperback Writer" (1966)
"Peace in the Neighborhood" (1993)
"Penny Lane" (1967)
"Pretty Boys" (2020)
"Queenie Eye" (2013)
"Riding to Vanity Fair" (2005)
"Rocky Raccoon" (1968)
"She's Leaving Home" (1967)
"Sing the Changes" (2008)
"Smile Away" (1971)
"Sun is Shining" (2008)
"Take It Away" (1982)
"Too Many People" (1971)
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (1971)
"Wanderlust" (1982)
"We Got Married" (1989)
"What's That You're Doing?" (1982)
"When I'm Sixty-Four" (1967)
"With a Little Luck" (1978)
"Yesterday" (1965)
"You Won't See Me" (1965)
