Did Paul McCartney influence ‘Evermore’? How they’re connected

Even if you’re currently living under a rock, chances are you know that Taylor Swift released her second album of the pandemic, Evermore, last week. Fan theories have been floating ever since the release – and some people are now saying that Paul McCartney might have played a role in the album.

Did this former Beatle help Taylor Swift with her second album? Swifties will notice it had more of a commercial vibe than her first quarantine release, Folklore. On second thought, the more upbeat tone of Evermore could’ve been influenced by Paul McCartney, whose track record of writing “silly love songs” easily made him the most pop-friendly member of the Fab Four. Let’s delve into the rumors, shall we?

Paul’s comments

In an almost faux-pas, Taylor Swift & Paul McCartney’s albums were almost scheduled to come out on the same day – a practice that’s usually not done unless artists are in direct competition with one another (think Oasis vs. Blur). 

In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Paul McCartney discussed the near-clash of his & Swift’s album. He explained how Evermore and his newest album, McCartney III, nearly came out on the same day. 

“I did the Rolling Stone cover with Taylor Swift,” he explained, “and she just emailed me recently, and she said, ‘I wasn’t telling anyone, but I’ve got another album.’ And she said, ‘So I was going to put it out on my birthday.’ . . . And then she said, ‘But I found out you were going to put [yours] out on the 10th. So I moved it to the 18th.”

He continued: “And then she found out we were coming out on the 18th so she moved back to the 10th. So I mean, you know, people do keep out of each other’s way. It’s a nice thing to do.”

Swift recently announced that the clash was almost non-issue, explaining that she almost released both Folklore & Evermore in January 2021. “There was a time in the beginning of the process where I was like ‘I will wait till January when things are looking more normal then I will put out ‘folklore,’” she told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “And I was like that’s my old brain thinking that there’s any way that I can control this.”

Swift & McCartney

This isn’t the first time the two have displayed a solid rapport. In a joint Rolling Stone article, the two discussed Glastonbury, which was cancelled this year due to the COVID pandemic. “Wow, it would’ve been so fun to play Glastonbury for the 50th anniversary together,” said Swift. 

McCartney replied: “It would’ve been great, wouldn’t it? And I was going to be asking you to play with me.”

Swift responded excitedly: “Were you going to invite me? I was hoping that you would. I was going to ask you.” McCartney responded that he would’ve performed “Shake It Off.” And, on the list of million reasons we hate COVID, this has to be close to be pretty close to the top. 

Paul’s new album

McCartney III is set to be released on December 18th. Critics are already raving about it, calling it a great album – especially for quarantine. Rolling Stone wrote: “Every decade should kick off with a Paul McCartney one-man-band album – and this one needs it more than most.”

The magazine also stated that “Like the rest of us [McCartney’s] been in lockdown, hanging out on his daughter’s farm, grandchildren on his knee, strumming his acoustic guitar in the English summer sun. It’s the warmest and friendliest of quarantine albums – it’s basically Ram meets Folklore.” 

Evermore

Evermore got rave reviews on par with McCartney III. In a five-star review, NME wrote that “If Folklore is an introspective, romantic older sister, Evermore is the freewheeling younger sister. Folklore was Swift’s masterful songwriting spun through a very specific sonic palette; Evermore feels looser, with more experimentation, charm, and musical shades at play.”

The review continues: “The new album reaps the rewards the stylistic leap of faith of Folklore represented, pushing the boundaries of that sonic palette further still.”

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Though 2020 was pretty hellish for everyone, at least we have musical gems like Taylor Swift & Paul McCartney to see us through. And, if we have to wait just a little longer for a musical collab, we’ll do just that!