Life Can Be Hard

“Life Can Be Hard” is a track from the album “The Boys Of Dungeon Lane“, released in 2026. An early version of the song was first heard in the documentary “McCartney 3,2,1” in 2021.

McCartney wrote this during lockdown, when “a lot of people had a hard time, but then a lot of people didn’t. We were lucky. I was with Nancy and she had her niece and her spouse, and they had a new baby, so it was really cool, the two of us in the house with the two of them and the baby.” He recalled how “every morning Nancy would get up and say to Marissa, her niece, ‘Can I wake the baby up?’” He pulled out a guitar to play some licks from the song, then talked about how the baby would touch the guitar, which adds to their affection for the tune — a “hope for the future” number.

From Variety, April 17, 2026 – From the “Boys of Dungeon Lane” listening session, April 16, 2026

A sweet love song written during the COVID lockdown which McCartney and Shevell spent with Shevell’s niece, her husband and their new baby. “It was very nice. Every day, [Nancy] would ask if she could wake the baby,” McCartney said, once again grabbing an acoustic guitar. As the crowd cheered, he laughed and said, “I haven’t done anything! Let me try again.” The audience again cheered, leading McCartney to very good-naturedly mutter, “pathetic.” 

He demonstrated how he created a gentle melody and then would let the baby strum the strings, leading Shevell’s niece and husband to declare that “it’s our song.” The genial, simple song is meant to inspire hope for the future. “I like that tune,” he said after it played. “It has very good memories.”

From Billboard, April 17, 2026 – From the “Boys of Dungeon Lane” listening session, April 16, 2026

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