After three years, several road trips, and multiple spin-offs, it’s hard to blame those who think James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” bit has lost some of its shimmer—but the Late Late Show host’s segment with Paul McCartney, filmed during the show’s big trip across the pond, proves that there’s juice in the tank yet. Appropriately, McCartney’s “Carpool” was shot not in London, but in Liverpool, where the Beatles were formed and rose to fame. The duo’s trip was by far the longest “Carpool Karaoke” clip ever—a whopping 23 minutes, enough time for McCartney to offer a guided tour of his hometown, revealing small secrets behind the music he made so many years ago as a teenager. It was a return to form for a segment that has, at times, lost its air of spontaneity—and a great reminder of what these short(ish) videos can do when executed well.
Above all, McCartney’s trip with Corden was a reminder of why the Beatles’ music has endured as a beacon of hope. And after a week like this one, it’s hard to deny the appeal of something this earnest and optimistic.
Naturally, Corden and McCartney spent some of their time in Corden’s car, although they took every possible opportunity to leave it. While buckled in, the two jammed out to classics including “Drive My Car,” “Penny Lane,” “Let It Be,” “Blackbird,” and McCartney’s new song, “Come On to Me.” Meanwhile, McCartney pointed out local landmarks, including St. Barnabas’ Church, where he sang in the choir as a boy. They also walked into the barber shop mentioned in “Penny Lane,” taking another photograph for the show to brandish with pride. As they sang “Let It Be,” McCartney described the dream that inspired the emotional song, in which his late mother came to him in a dream to comfort him. By the time the two finished singing, Corden was in tears, admitting that his emotional reaction had caught him off guard.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” McCartney said. “How it can do that to you.”
Later, the two paid a visit to the flat where McCartney lived as a teenager. After introducing himself to the home’s current resident, McCartney offered Corden a guided tour that hit all the highlights—including the water closet within which he often practiced his guitar as a boy. (McCartney insists it had great acoustics.) He also recalled the time he and Lennon played an early version of “She Loves You” for his father, who was also a musician. His dad’s response? “Son, it’s very nice, but there’s enough of these American-isms around. Couldn’t you sing, ‘She loves you, yes, yes, yes’?” As Beatles fans know, that advice, thankfully, went politely ignored.
McCartney played “When I’m 64” on the home’s current owner’s piano before taking off once more with Corden, who couldn’t resist trying out a few Beatles-style wigs before bringing McCartney to their last stop: a local watering hole.
At the pub, Corden surprised patrons by hiding McCartney behind a curtain with a band. He took a spot behind the bar and encouraged customers to try the jukebox, where they discovered their local legend ready to play them songs including “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Love Me Do,” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.”
The obvious admiration Corden has for McCartney was palpable throughout, and as the two’s discussions occasionally veered personal, it was a good reminder of what these videos do at their best. Going forward, this “Carpool Karaoke” should serve as a template for the form; even if not all singers can offer this kind of depth, they can certainly use a segment like this to go a little deeper than the typical canned anecdotes they reserve for late-night interviews. For now, though, perhaps it’s best to simply appreciate this video for what it is: a welcome, joyful respite from a very dark week.
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