3 Paul McCartney Songs From 1968 That Changed Songwriting as We Know It

No matter if you were alive in 1968 to hear some of his Beatles bests or just got into his work recently, one can’t deny that Paul McCartney changed songwriting with some of his ever-enduring compositions. Let’s take a look at just a few songs that Macca wrote while in the Fab Four that have since influenced thousands, if not millions, of musicians who walked in his footsteps.

“Hey Jude”

This was the easiest entry I could have possibly included on our list of Paul McCartney tunes that changed songwriting forever in 1968. “Hey Jude” is a sweet, soothing, almost lullaby-like song that gives way into a dramatic pop-rock anthem. The climax of this song still gives listeners goosebumps after all these years. It’s heartbreaking that McCartney wrote this banger as a way to soothe a young Julian Lennon who was struggling after his parents’ divorce, but the result ended up being something that just about every listener could relate to. After hearing this song, many a songwriter realized that something intimate and personal can still really resonate with a broad range of listeners.

“Hey Jude” was the song of the year back in 1968, peaking at No. 1 across the board in the US, UK, most of Europe, Canada, and beyond.

“Blackbird” from ‘The Beatles’

Paul McCartney heard the call of a blackbird while visiting Rishikesh, India, and took that natural inspiration and combined it with another. That other inspiration was the plights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The result was “Blackbird”, a soft folk anthem of encouragement for those fighting the good fight across the pond. McCartney proved that a protest song could be soft and gentle with this one.

Listeners resonated with this Macca-penned anthem. “Blackbird” wasn’t released as a single and thus didn’t chart majorly, but it has since become a fan-beloved favorite.

“Mother Nature’s Son” from ‘The Beatles’

How about a little bit of a deep cut? McCartney wrote “Mother Nature’s Son” for The Beatles’ famed White Album, and it’s a tender one-man show. I included this song on our list because I find it very interesting how Macca took a folk song and recorded it in a sophisticated, polished studio setting, and yet, the song doesn’t lose any of its intimacy or appeal. In a way, I think McCartney proved that even pristine, controlled conditions could yield good folk music.

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