While I’m
generally rather enamoured with Paul McCartney’s critically acclaimed
new album Egypt Station (which is really very good) a song on it that touches
me particularly and is an emotional listen is the beautiful Do it Now.
What's struck
me particularly about the album is the high level of songwriting on display
across the board, and Do it Now’s one of the places when it’s most in evidence.
Macca has mentioned in interviews how the title stems from a phrase his dad
used to say as a positive encouragement, which instantly calls to mind the
story about the genesis of the song Let it Be, when Paul had a dream in
the midst of the Beatles' break-up where his mother (who
he lost to cancer during his childhood) came to him and told him not to worry
as everything would ultimately be okay.
In many ways, Do
it Now is like a companion piece to its hugely famous counterpart, but it still
packs a punch. Some of the lyrics are particularly powerful with one of my
favourite lines being “Nothing’s certain, that’s the only thing I know”, which
is pretty insightful when you think about it, particularly at
McCartney’s time of life.
For someone who strives
to challenge myself and give difficult things a go, this song has a great message to live
by; it’s that cliché: “why put off tomorrow what you could do today”; I’m a
firm believer in that. It’s so easy to let cautiousness rule your
motivation and stop you from doing anything; it's much better to give something a go than to spend a lifetime regretting you didn't.