The Light Comes From Within

Album: Wide Prairie (1998)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Linda McCartney died in April 1998, and in October the same year her widower the multi-talented Paul McCartney released a posthumous album, Wild Prairie.

    "The Light Comes From Within" is the 6th track on this album, and the last song she ever recorded. Linda played piano on it as well as supplying the vocals. She was diagnosed with breast cancer some three years earlier and by this time she had almost certainly come to terms with her impending death, so the theme of the song may be deduced from this fact coupled with the title. It is also clear from its in places earthy language that she was taking a swipe at someone, in particular "critics who in the past have ridiculed Linda McCartney for being untalented as well as for her beliefs in vegetarianism and animal rights" according to a BBC report of January 1999. She was of course an immensely talented woman, a successful photographer before she met McCartney (her second husband), she would later win acclaim in this field entirely on her own merit.
  • "The Light Comes From Within" was released as a CD picture disk backed by another McCartney/McCartney composition, "I Got Up", and was unsurprisingly banned by Auntie Beeb. McCartney started a campaign to have the ban lifted, but the song never received airplay, even though at least one DJ found another excuse not to play it. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. JonesSongwriter Interviews

The Stax legend on how he cooked up "Green Onions," the first time he and Otis Redding saw hippies, and if he'll ever play a digital organ.

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How five songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.