Light From Your Lighthouse

When I first heard this track, it made me think it felt akin to a gospel song, and I kept imaging it as one. Most people don’t rate this song highly on the album, but I like it, HOWEVER… I like many of the earlier versions of this COVER more. That’s right; it’s not a Paul composition. My gut feeling for once proved right. “Let Your Light Shine on Me” is a traditional gospel blues song, first recorded by The Wiseman Quartet in 1923, Ernest Phipps in 1928, and later by Blind Willie Johnson in 1929. The song is also known as “Shine On Me”, “Let It Shine on Me”, “Light from the Lighthouse” and “Light from Your Lighthouse”. Then it was included in 2008 on the album ‘Electric Arguments’ by Paul McCartney and the Firemen.

“Light from Your Lighthouse” by The Fireman (Paul McCartney and Martin Glover) on the album Electric Arguments. New, extended, verses, based around the original chorus. On the album it is given no credits at all. Yet on Paul’s official and connected sites (i.e. the Firemen) it is credited as:

Composer Lyricist: Paul McCartney This is untrue and I am surprised Paul got away with it when all he had to do was acknowledge the original composer. At the very least it maybe could claim co-writer but even that would be a huge stretch.

An interesting stumble/error in the McCartney cataloguing? […]

I have checked the account in Luca Perasi’s book and indeed it is told how Paul recorded the song ‘loosely’ based on the traditional. Paul defends this as a regular thing that artists do. Personally, having heard the original I do not share Paul’s opinion, and I think he has been fortunate not to have encountered a copyright infringement. At least a co-write attribution could have been listed. The word ‘loosely’ others would consider a slight and a more appropriate and honest word such as ‘adapted’ suitable. The changes to the song are not that substantial. I personally don’t ‘feel the changes’ (yes, a deliberate pun). I do feel on this occasion Paul has insulted the original composer by not acknowledging him on the album itself. A shame.

Jeremy Keane – From comment on Electric Arguments • Official album by The Fireman, 2026

Lyrics

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012

This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.Read our exclusive interview with Luca Perasi

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