Polaris Music Prize finalist Hubert Lenoir thinks all music fans should read The Lyrics by Paul McCartney
The Montreal singer-songwriter is a 2022 finalist for his album Pictura de Ipse: Musique directe
On Pictura de Ipse: Direct Music, the follow-up to his 2018 breakthrough album Darlene, Quebec City singer-songwriter Hubert Lenoir draws on the concept of cinéma direct — a style of observational documentary filmmaking in Quebec that emerged in the late 1950s.
The album earned Lenoir his second Polaris Music Prize shortlist nomination — the 2021 release is one of the 10 albums shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize, which celebrates the best Canadian album of the year. The winner, who will receive $50,000, will be announced on Sept. 19, 2022.
Fittingly, Pictura de Ipse: Musique Direct plays out like an audio documentary, using samples of snippets of iPhone conversations and field recordings of sounds from Lenoir's daily life, while moving past the glam-rock sound of his previous album for low-key grooves and a funkier feel.
Known as a bit of an enfant terrible of the Quebec music scene for his cheeky persona and quirky approach to performance, Lenoir has won several Prix Félix, was nominated for three Juno Awards and won the francophone SOCAN Songwriting Prize in 2022 for the Pictura de Ipse track Secret. He also made his acting debut in the 2021 film Like a House on Fire.
Lenoir told CBC Books about finding inspiration in Paul McCartney's The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present — and why music fans, whether they love McCartney and The Beatles or not, should read it.
An artist's oeuvre
"There are a lot of music books coming out every year, like biographies of rockstars and stuff. But this book is kind of special — I've never really seen this kind of thing before. You can really feel that McCartney put his heart and soul into it.
It's the work of somebody who's reflecting on his catalogue and being proud of what he's done.
"A big aspect of the book is the photographs, but it's more than just a coffee table book — there's really amazing content about every single song that he's written. There are the lyrics and so much about his songwriting. He's such an amazing songwriter and so influential — I just cannot deny the influence he's had on me, but also music at large; contemporary music as we know it.
"If you write songs, but also if you're just passionate about songwriting and also like the Beatles and his solo songwriting, it's a different kind of book — I don't feel like it's something that was just put out to buy at Christmastime, you know? It's the work of somebody who's reflecting on his catalogue and being proud of what he's done, but he's also very humble throughout this book — just talking about songwriting as this thing he likes to do."
Songwriting process
"It's interesting seeing the lyrics and accompanying images, like the pieces of paper where he started writing a first line or just a rhyme here and there. Filmmakers, musicians, whoever can really relate to someone who is having fun and doing what he thinks is the best but also doing what he likes — because in the end, everybody's just a human being trying their best, and I think that's pretty amazing.
In writing music, we sometimes take ourselves a bit too seriously — but when you have this kind of comic relief, it makes everything more relatable.
"He could easily just be like, 'I'm McCartney,' like it was this genius thing, but he's really upfront about the process and the struggle of writing songs. Also, a lot of the songs are coming out of jokes and just experimenting — like with Yesterday, at first the title was 'Scrambled Eggs.'
"He was often just having fun, mimicking somebody or trying to make himself or his friends and family laugh. I feel like in writing music, we sometimes take ourselves a bit too seriously — I think I can tend to do this — but when you have this kind of comic relief to when you're writing, it makes everything more relatable. It really inspires me to write like that, and makes me smile to read this book."
Watch | Music video for Hubert Lenoir's SOCAN Songwriting Prize-winning track Secret:
Objet d'art
"In terms of the physical aspect, it's really beautifully made. I got it as a gift, and while it must be expensive, it's kind of worth it as a collectors' piece. You can feel the love that went into it — there's a beautiful green slipcase, and you feel like it's something that will last.
"It feels like McCartney had a real hand in it — it's not this thing that has been made by the record label or something. It's something that fans can look back on and enjoy."
Listen | The Ten — Pictura de Ipse: Musique directe:
