Paul McCartney has released the first single — Days We Left Behind — from his first album in over five years, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which will be available from May 29.
His voice is now fragile, much like the sentiment carried in the song’s lyrics. Producer Andrew Watt allows Paul McCartney to be as ‘’Macca” as he can be — reflective in a way that recalls Bob Dylan on Time Out of Mind (1997). Memories seem to drip from every line of the lead single.
Dungeon Lane has long been close to McCartney’s heart. The road to the historic Speke beach — a place he loved — was permanently closed in 2019.
In the single, McCartney looks back in much the same way he has on several recent releases, such as Early Days on New (2013), Confidante on Egypt Station (2018), and That Was Me on Memory Almost Full (2007).
Turning the lens inward
On The Boys of Dungeon Lane, McCartney turns the “lens inward”, revisiting the formative years that shaped not only his life but also the very foundations of modern popular culture.
The album is described as his most introspective to date, taking listeners back to where it all began. Its tagline — “the story before the story” — is a clever one. The marketing team clearly understands McCartney’s audience: the vast community of The Beatles fans who know these stories like the backs of their hands. Any fresh insight into the Fab Four’s early days is bound to intrigue.
When McCartney turns towards reflection, the result is almost always poignant and sincere. Not always revealing, but perhaps this time we might get something closer to the bone. He has a rare ability to strike gold with nostalgia — Early Days from 2013 is a fine example, with its unforgettable lines: May sweet memories of friends from the past / Always come to you when you look for them / And your inspiration, long may it last / May it come to you, time and time again.
What about the new song, Days We Left Behind? It is beautiful, fragile, and vulnerable. McCartney’s voice is striking — weathered, yes, but expressive in a way only he can manage at this stage of his life. It remains beautifully sung. The instrumentation is simple: acoustic guitar, bass, a touch of piano, and McCartney’s layered harmonies. Above all sits the fragility of his delivery. This is a song driven by lyrics rather than musical flair, and those lyrics offer a clear indication of what the album will be.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards in 1964.
The section referencing John Lennon is particularly memorable: We met at Forthlin Road / And wrote a secret code / To never be spoken / I stand by what I said / The promise that I made / Will never be broken.
Echoes of Forthlin Road
For Beatles fans, 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton, Liverpool, is nothing short of a pilgrimage site. Now under the care of the National Trust, the house has become a must-see attraction.
The McCartney family moved in at the end of April 1956. Tragedy followed soon after, when McCartney lost his mother, Mary, in October of that year, leaving his father Jim to raise him and his brother Mike.
McCartney would later pay tribute to her in Let It Be with the reference to “Mother Mary”, and again in Lady Madonna.
It was at Forthlin Road that McCartney and Lennon developed early ideas before presenting them to the band. Songs such as She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, and Love Me Do all took shape here.
The new single offers a glimpse into the relationship between McCartney and Lennon. There is also a short accompanying album trailer, featuring fleeting images of Brian Epstein and a blackbird.
Equally intriguing is the website promoting the album, which includes a Google Maps module allowing users to explore Dungeon Lane — a clear indication that this is, at least in part, a well-crafted marketing exercise.
A new album from one of the greatest songwriters ever is always an occasion worth marking, particularly someone who continues to inspire younger generations to discover the music of the Beatles. McCartney was part of a journey that quite literally changed the world of music and touched countless lives across generations.
The chances of coming across a Beatles song on an Instagram Reel are about as high as bumping into a neighbour on your way out. Younger listeners remain fascinated by the Fab Four — and by bands such as Pink Floyd.
Perhaps a turning point came with the release of The Beatles Anthology in November 1995, an authorised documentary that made their music feel fresh again.
More recently, the band’s legacy has been revisited through a series of documentaries, including Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back, which chronicles their historic 1969 recording sessions. Looking ahead, four biopics — one for each Beatle — are expected in 2028, directed by Sam Mendes.
Also, go and watch Project Hail Mary, in theatres packed with teenagers. The story of an unlikely friendship, and an attempt to save at least two planets, uses Two of Us by The Beatles brilliantly.
“They gave their money and they gave their screams. But the Beatles kind of gave their nervous systems. They used us as an excuse to go mad, the world did, and then blamed it on us,” George Harrison once said in an interview for The Beatles Anthology in 1995.
Now and Then (2023) may be regarded as the Beatles’ “final song”, but it is certainly not the end of the road. McCartney remains the driving force behind keeping the group’s legacy alive — arguably more so than Ringo Starr. He possesses a treasure trove of Beatles photographs and, no doubt, a million untold stories.
Speaking of Starr, he too has new music on the way. The 85-year-old has announced a 10-track record — Long Long Road — featuring collaborations with Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow, and St Vincent. Set for release on April 24, it follows his 2025 album Look Up, which became his first number one on the UK’s official country chart.
As for The Boys of Dungeon Lane, its origins go back five years, when McCartney met Andrew Watt for a cup of tea. While casually playing guitar, McCartney “happened upon a chord that even he didn’t recognise”. He began altering notes until he arrived at a three-chord sequence, which Watt encouraged him to record. That session produced the album’s opening track, As You Lie There, and marked the beginning of what would become his 19th studio album, credited solely to Paul McCartney.
“It’s just a lot of memories of Liverpool. It involves a bit in the middle about John and Forthlin Road, which is the street I used to live in. Dungeon Lane is near there. I used to live in a place called Speke, which is quite working-class. We didn’t have much at all, but it didn’t matter because all the people were great and you didn’t notice you didn’t have much,” McCartney said in a statement.
The album also arrives months after the death of Len Garry, a member of The Quarrymen who played alongside McCartney and Lennon before the group evolved into the Beatles. His time with the band was brief, cut short by a severe illness — tubercular meningitis — but his place in their early history remains significant.