Fans of the veteran songwriter Paul McCartney say they “almost cried” when listening to the lead single of his new album.
The Beatles and Wings legend confirmed The Boys of Dungeon Lane will be released on May 29, with lead single Days We Left Behind released on March 26. Fans have since taken to the r/PaulMcCartney subreddit to share their thoughts on the new song. Days We Left Behind marks the first studio release from McCartney in five years, with the upcoming album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, recorded over a half-decade while the Blackbird songwriter was on the Got Back tour. A fan took to the forum and asked: “So, what do we think of the new song?”
One fan made an unlikely comparison between Days We Left Behind and Tug of War, an album McCartney made in the 1980s alongside Beatles producer George Martin. Tug of War, McCartney’s fourth solo studio album, released just two years after the death of John Lennon. The song Here Today, featured on the album’s A-side, reflects on McCartney and Lennon’s friendship, as does Days We Left Behind, according to the Wings frontman.
McCartney said: “This is very much a memory song for me. It’s just a lot of memories of Liverpool. It involves a bit in the middle about John and Forthlin Road, which is the street I used to live in. Dungeon Lane is near there. I used to live in a place called Speke which is quite working class. We didn’t have much at all, but it didn’t matter because all the people were great and you didn’t notice you didn’t have much.”
Fans were quick to pick up on the comparison between the two songs, with one fan writing: “Wow, love this, a real Tug of War vibe to it. I think we’re in for a good album.” Another agreed, adding: “Wow that’s true! I did not think of Tug of War at first, but now that you mention it I can’t definitely hear that in the melody, that’s so cool!”
Others were left weeping at the song, with McCartney fans thrilled by the track. One person wrote: “I almost cried. It’s a blessing that in 2026 we are still getting new music from two Beatles. And it’s beautiful.”
Another added: “It sets out what seems to be the theme of the album amazingly, I can’t think of a better way to set up a nostalgic introspective album than a track like this.” A third suggested they had been expecting a change in tempo from the track, but were relieved to hear McCartney stick to the tender tone.
“I really liked it,” the fan wrote. “I kept expecting it to burst into something more, but it was a tender, melancholic song with a beautiful melody. Excited to hear the rest now!” A fourth wrote: “It’s a good song, but the pitch correction does ruin the vibe a little bit. I guess one can get over it though.”
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