Sir Paul McCartney鈥檚 songs have been used by millions to celebrate life鈥檚 biggest moments, but now the rock icon is listing off the tunes that have provided the soundtrack to his own life.
A fan named Alex wrote to the former Beatles star, asking what songs 鈥渢ake you back to certain periods in your life鈥 and what his own music evokes when he performs it today.
鈥淢y favourite albums by other people tend to be: Music From Big Pink by The Band, Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, and Harvest by Neil Young,鈥 the 83-year-old music legend replied on his website.
鈥淭hey are the three classics that I love to listen to, and they all remind me of certain times in my life.鈥
He said listening to his own work, including the music he made with The Beatles, has a different effect on him.
鈥淲hen I perform my own songs, the great thing is that they often bring back memories of recording them,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat can often entail memories of John [Lennon] and George [Harrison] in the studio 鈥 sweet memories!鈥
Sir Paul鈥檚 inclusion of Pet Sounds is hardly a surprise to longtime fans. He鈥檚 long listed it as a personal favourite, saying in 1990 that the Beach Boys鈥 masterpiece 鈥渂lew me out of the water鈥.
He has also called one of the album鈥檚 signature tracks, God Only Knows, his favourite song.
鈥淕od Only Knows is one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it,鈥 he told BBC Radio 1 in 2007. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really just a love song, but it鈥檚 brilliantly done.鈥
Sir Paul has also claimed that Pet Sounds influenced The Beatles as they created Sgt. Pepper鈥檚 Lonely Hearts Club Band.
He paid tribute to Brian Wilson when the Beach Boys co-founder 鈥 who was the mastermind behind Pet Sounds and many of the band鈥檚 other beloved albums 鈥 died earlier this month at the age of 82.
鈥淏rian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special,鈥 he wrote on Instagram. 鈥淭he notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while. How we will continue without Brian Wilson, God Only Knows.鈥
He hasn鈥檛 mentioned the other albums quite as frequently but has cited Neil Youn 鈥 along with Brian Wilson 鈥 as one of his favourite songwriters, calling him 鈥減retty uncompromising鈥.
And in September 1968, he gave Music From Big Pink a shoutout as The Beatles performed Hey Jude on the Frost On Sunday show, just two months after The Band released the album.
Listen closely, and toward the end of the song you can hear McCartney yell 鈥淭ake a load off, Fanny,鈥 a reference to The Band鈥檚 The Weight.
Sir Paul McCartney takes questions via his official Facebook page.