Here Today (Paul McCartney song)

"Here Today" is a song by Paul McCartney from his 1982 album Tug of War. McCartney wrote the song about his relationship with and love for John Lennon, who had been murdered less than two years before. He stated the song was composed in the form of an imaginary conversation the pair might have had. The song was produced by The Beatles' producer George Martin. Although not released as a single, the song reached #46 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts.

Live performances

McCartney often performs the song live, and it is featured on the live albums Back in the World, Back in the U.S., and Good Evening New York City.

Personnel

References

Here Today (The Beach Boys song)

"Here Today" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher for American rock band The Beach Boys, released on their 1966 album Pet Sounds. It is the tenth track on the album. The song's lyric is expressed from the perspective of a narrator who warns the listener of the inevitable heartbreak that will result from his newfound love. It was later included as the B-side to the 1967 single "Darlin'".

Stephen Davis, who reviewed Pet Sounds, stated that "Here Today" "portrays a pessimism and disaffection that jars with the previous optimism. It is the end of the affair..." Donald Guarisco of Allmusic described the song as "a highlight of Pet Sounds" and "one of Brian Wilson's most ambitious arrangements."

Composition

The song was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with the lyrics by Tony Asher about love being "here today and it's gone tomorrow," with the potential for heartbreak that never lies too far away "a brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing/but if you're not careful, think about the pain it can bring."Tony Asher has said, "That's a song that has a number of little sections to it that are quite different. It was not one of the easier songs to write on the album. It was, as I recall, a song that I wrote quite a lot to, much of which we didn't use. It was sort of a struggle before we got a lyric that Brian was happy with." In 1990, Wilson said: "'Here Today' was a work of art in my opinion. It was assertive track with utilization of basses played up higher. The trombones gave it that masculine touch.." He added in 1996, "'Here Today' was probably one of the mystery songs on the album. I don't really know what it's about. I liked it, but yet I didn't. I don't really identify with that song like I do with 'You Still Believe In Me', or 'Caroline, No.' It was just one of those songs in there, one little song."