FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 9, 2007

DEAR JERRY: As you know, Paul McCartney, who turned 65 last month (June 18), is the first artist signed by Starbucks new music company.

The worldwide marketing blitz and publicity given his first album, “Memory Almost Full,” makes me wonder how many 65-year-old singers got this much press over a new release.

Meanwhile, I have searched the Net, from inter to outer, looking for all the Beatles songs on which Paul sings the lead.

I find mention here and there of Paul singing a certain song, when the focus is on that song. But I need a complete listing.

Do you have such documentation?
—Rudy Beltran, Ruskin, Fla.

DEAR RUDY: The attention given Paul's signing with Starbucks Hear Music label may not be equaled by any singer of any age.

That it happens to someone old enough for Medicare only confirms what we knew all along — Sir Paul McCartney is not just anyone.

Which brings us to your much larger issue, for which, like you, I find no official source.

So, based on listening to a portion of every Beatles track, I have identified 86 titles on which Paul is the featured singer.

Some are McCartney solos (i.e., “Yesterday,” “Till There Was You,” etc.), whereas others have varying degrees of harmonizing by John Lennon and George Harrison.

First are tracks originally issued during their years together (1962 - 1970):

“A Taste Of Honey”; “All My Loving”; “All Together Now”; “And I Love Her”; “Another Girl”; “Back in the U.S.S.R.”; “Birthday”; “Blackbird”; “Can't Buy Me Love”; “Carry That Weight”; “Day Tripper”; “Drive My Car”; “Eleanor Rigby”; “Fixing A Hole”; “For No One”; “Get Back”; “Getting Better”; “Golden Slumbers”; “Good Day Sunshine”; “Got to Get You into My Life”; “Hello Goodbye”; “Helter Skelter”; “Her Majesty”; “Here, There and Everywhere”; “Hey Jude”; “Hold Me Tight”; “Honey Pie”; “I Saw Her Standing There”; “I'll Follow The Sun”; “I'm Down”; “I'm Looking Through You”; “I've Got A Feeling”; “I've Just Seen A Face”; “Kansas City”; “Lady Madonna”; “Let It Be”; “Long Tall Sally”; “Love Me Do”; “Lovely Rita”; “Magical Mystery Tour”; “Martha My Dear”; “Maxwell's Silver Hammer”; “Michelle”; “Mother Nature's Son”; “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”; “Oh! Darling”; “P.S. I Love You”; “Paperback Writer”; “Penny Lane”; “Rocky Raccoon”; “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”; “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”; “She's A Woman”; “She's Leaving Home”; “The Fool on the Hill”; “The Long And Winding Road”; “The Night Before”; “Things We Said Today”; “Till There Was You”; “We Can Work It Out”; “What You're Doing”; “When I'm Sixty-Four”; “Why Don't We Do It in the Road”; “Wild Honey Pie”; “Yesterday”; “You Never Give Me Your Money”; “You Won't See Me”; and “Your Mother Should Know.”

Next is a hodgepodge of tunes recently unearthed from early '60s sessions and BBC appearances. All came out in the '80s and '90s:

“Besame Mucho”; “Come and Get It”; “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”; “Hippy Hippy Shake”; “I Will”; “Junk”; “Like Dreamers Do”; “Love of the Loved”; “Ooh! My Soul”; “Searchin'”; “September in the Rain”; “Step Inside Love-Los Paranoias (Medley)”; “Sure to Fall (In Love with You)”; “Teddy Boy;” “That Means a Lot”; and “That's All Right (Mama).”

IZ ZAT SO? Since the above question required listening to every commercially-issued Beatles track, I kept a running tally on all four members, not just Sir Paul.

Singing lead on 84 Beatles tracks puts McCartney well ahead of George Harrison (42) and Ringo Star (12), but a bit behind John Lennon (112).