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The Man on the Run

Words + Music: Vol. 42

Paul McCartney, Morgan Neville

Written by
Paul McCartney, Morgan Neville
Read by
Paul McCartney, Morgan Neville
Length
2 hrs 55 min
Rating
4.8 / 5
Listed
$11.97
Publisher
Audible Originals
Released
2026-03-19

Shelved under

What it is

In the 1970s, Paul McCartney was a man on the run.

After the breakup of The Beatles, the biggest and most culturally influential band of the 1960s, Paul McCartney faced an impossible question: Who was he now? At 27 years old, being a Beatle was all he had known since he was a teenager. Now he had to figure out who he was as an artist, as a husband, and as a father.

In this Audible Original, hear Paul tell the story of his most transformative decade in his own words. Based on interviews conducted with Paul by Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville over three years in Los Angeles, New York, and London, this is an immersive deep dive into this period of his life.

From his retreat to a dilapidated farmhouse in rural Scotland with his wife Linda and their young family, to forming Wings and touring universities in a van, to recording Band on the Run in Nigeria—this is the intimate, unfiltered story of how Paul McCartney reinvented himself. Discover the painful end of The Beatles, his reconciliation with John Lennon, the creation of his solo album McCartney, the collaborative spirit of Ram, and the personal challenges that shaped this extraordinary decade.

This is Paul McCartney's story of creative resilience, personal growth, and the courage to follow his instincts no matter where they led: a lesson not just in creative freedom, but in what it means to grow up.

Featuring iconic performances from Paul's catalog including "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Band on the Run," "Live and Let Die," and more.

Special Thanks: Scott Rodger, Steve Ithell, Jaime Finkel, Lucie Panton, Lee Eastman, Alex Parker, Alicia Beauchamp Scott, Aoife Corbett, Ben Chappell, Iona Murray-Brown, Jamie Kirkham, Maddy Evans, Mark Levy, Nancy Jeffries, Nansong Lue, Patricia O'Hearn, Richard Ewbank, Richard Miller, Ross Martin, Samantha Townsend, Steve Orchard

About the series

Words + Music in order →

Words + Music — 42 books, showing the 24 around this one

  1. · The Road to Redunktion: Words + Music, Vol. 294.7
  2. · Please Tell My Brothers: Words + Music, Vol. 354.7
  3. · From the Streets to the Suites: Words + Music, Vol. 364.7
  4. · St. Vincent: Words + Music, Vol. 44.4
  5. · How to Play the Guitar and Y: Words + Music, Vol. 214.4
  6. · Dear Life: Words + Music, Vol. 284.7
  7. · A New Moon: Words + Music, Vol. 324.8
  8. · The Confederacy: Truth and Reconciliation: Words + Music, Vol. 74.4
  9. · To Balance on Bridges: Words + Music, Vol. 194.8
  10. · Straw into Gold: Words + Music, Vol. 334.5
  11. · One More Hour: Words + Music, Vol. 174.5
  12. · Welcome to My Panic: Words + Music, Vol. 144.7
  13. · The Moment in 1965 When Rock and Roll Becomes Art: Words + Music, Vol. 154.7
  14. · Somebody Saved Me: Words + Music, Vol. 274.6
  15. · Sheryl Crow: Words + Music, Vol. 64.6
  16. · Alanis Morissette: Words + Music, Vol. 84.7
  17. · The Man on the Run: Words + Music: Vol. 424.8
  18. · All I Can: Words + Music, Vol. 234.6
  19. · Patti Smith at the Minetta Lane: Words + Music, Vol. 14.3
  20. · Songs That Shook the Planet: Words + Music, Vol. 264.7
  21. · Unquiet: My Life with Beethoven: Words + Music, Vol. 114.4
  22. · Speaking Truth to Power Through Stories and Song: Words + Music, Vol. 54.8
  23. · Under My Control: Words + Music, Vol. 384.7
  24. · Road Trip Elegies: Montreal to New York: Words + Music, Vol. 94.3

On the charts

Charting now — best position 8 on Highest rated in Arts & Entertainment, reached October 5, 2026. Seen on 1 chart over 45 days of readings, the first on August 28, 2026.

1 14 8 August 29, 2026 October 24, 2026 August 29, 2026 — position 14September 2, 2026 — position 12September 3, 2026 — position 12September 4, 2026 — position 12September 5, 2026 — position 12September 6, 2026 — position 12September 8, 2026 — position 12September 10, 2026 — position 12September 11, 2026 — position 12September 12, 2026 — position 12September 13, 2026 — position 11September 17, 2026 — position 10September 21, 2026 — position 9September 22, 2026 — position 9September 23, 2026 — position 10September 24, 2026 — position 10September 25, 2026 — position 9September 26, 2026 — position 9September 27, 2026 — position 9September 28, 2026 — position 9September 29, 2026 — position 9September 30, 2026 — position 9October 1, 2026 — position 9October 2, 2026 — position 9October 3, 2026 — position 9October 4, 2026 — position 9October 5, 2026 — position 8October 6, 2026 — position 8October 7, 2026 — position 8October 8, 2026 — position 8October 9, 2026 — position 8October 10, 2026 — position 8October 11, 2026 — position 8October 12, 2026 — position 8October 13, 2026 — position 8October 14, 2026 — position 8October 15, 2026 — position 8October 16, 2026 — position 8October 17, 2026 — position 8October 18, 2026 — position 9October 19, 2026 — position 9October 21, 2026 — position 10October 22, 2026 — position 10October 24, 2026 — position 11
Highest rated in Arts & Entertainment — position by day.
ChartBestDaysLast seen
Arts & Entertainment
Highest rated 8 45 days October 24, 2026

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