McCartney Gets "Standing" Ovation

Paul McCartney showcased the most ambitious musical endeavor of his career on Tuesday. "Standing Stone," a 75-minute-long symphony which took the former Beatle four years to complete, was commissioned to honor the 100th Anniversary of the EMI Group.

Having never learned to read or write music, McCartney wrote the symphony by playing on a keyboard that was linked to a computer program. The symphony was held at London's Royal Albert Hall with the accompaniment of the London Symphony Orchestra and was conducted by Lawrence Foster. McCartney was called back to the stage several times by an applauding crowd. All proceeds from ticket sales were forwarded to Music Sound Foundation, a charity that assists and encourages young people to get involved in the arts. The symphony moves ahead now to New York, where it will be staged at the legendary Carnegie Hall in November.

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Song Stories

“Let My Love Open the Door”

Pete Townshend | 1980

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

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