Imagine: Paul McCartney opens a concert tour, and among the select few trusted to write the programme notes is Paul Du Noyer. Or: Yoko Ono agrees to write a foreword for a book about John Lennon because the author is someone who feels the music more deeply than some of the musicians themselves. This man never had chart hits, but his pen was known to everyone who wanted to make history. Because if Du Noyer was writing—it was serious. Now, the liverpool1.one website will tell you the most interesting facts about the journalist—and with no less depth than he wrote about musicians.
From Liverpool to Mojo: The Career That Changed Music
When you are born in Liverpool in the late 1950s, music is the fabric of reality. Young Paul Du Noyer grew up in a city that had not yet realised it would become a global brand. He heard the same street rhythms as young Lennon, caught the same sea winds that blew down posters from the clubs where the boys who would later form The Beatles rehearsed. But instead of picking up a guitar, he picked up a pen—and started writing in a way that made his words the soundtrack to the music of the era.
At 18, Du Noyer moved to the English capital and enrolled in the London School of Economics—and almost immediately found himself in the whirl of music journalism. Initially a freelancer, he later joined the editorial team of New Musical Express (NME), one of the most influential publications of that time. He wrote about new bands, categorised old hits, and—listened a lot. Not just to the music, either. He was also interested in what lay behind it: social change, politics, the language of the streets.
Paul’s style was quickly noticed. Every word he wrote carried weight. When Du Noyer was invited to Q—another giant of the British music press—he first became Deputy Editor, and then Editor-in-Chief. But it seems he was always drawn to creating something of his own.
In 1993, he founded Mojo—a magazine that redefined what music journalism could be. It was no longer a mere chronicle of hits or celebrity gossip. It was a magazine featuring analytical essays, archival research, and stories written with warmth, precision, and a sense of the moment. Mojo became the voice for those who love music with all their heart.
After Mojo, he didn’t disappear—he worked with The Word, created local projects, and wrote books. But it was in the 1990s that he established himself as the person who would later be quoted: the journalist who effectively maintained a dialogue with music.
Landmark Works: When Text Sounds Like Music
Paul Du Noyer’s career has something in common with a good album: there are no filler tracks, but there are culminations. His writing left a lasting impression. Over the years, he wrote about David Bowie, Ringo Starr, Madness, Amy Winehouse, and dozens of articles about lesser-known artists who, perhaps thanks to those very pieces, became famous. But his books garnered the greatest resonance—particularly those concerning John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Du Noyer did not write official biographies in the conventional sense—he was more interested in the process of music creation, the evolution of the artist’s thoughts, and the subtexts that usually get lost between dates and tour schedules. Paul revealed the person through their music, and the music through the person.
John Lennon: We All Shine On as a Spiritual Map of Songs
The book *We All Shine On: The Stories Behind Every John Lennon Song* was released in 1997. It was an attempt to ‘translate’ Lennon’s inner world into the language of explanation. Du Noyer analysed every track written by Lennon after the break-up of The Beatles—seeking both artistic form and personal motivation in each one.
Yoko Ono endorsed the book, which speaks volumes. Her trust is a sign that the author did not manipulate facts, did not play on sensationalism, but wrote honestly and accurately. And perhaps this is why the book became a kind of guide to the later Lennon—complex, controversial, but authentic.
Paul McCartney: A Conversation That Spanned Decades
Another important project is *Conversations with McCartney*, a book compiling over 30 years of interviews, chats, and notes. It was released in 2015 but did not feel like a summary. On the contrary, it was an open dialogue that is still ongoing. Du Noyer skilfully combines chronology with personal perception: McCartney appears not only as a legend but as a lively, intelligent person who constantly has to answer the same question—what is it like to be Paul McCartney?
It is worth mentioning that it was to Du Noyer that McCartney entrusted the writing of the texts for tour booklets (including the Flowers in the Dirt and Get Back tours), as well as liner notes for album reissues. This is a level of trust that goes beyond the ‘journalist-musician’ relationship.
The Role of Liverpool in Du Noyer’s Work
Paul Du Noyer grew up in Liverpool—and the city stayed with him forever. Even while working in London and interviewing global stars, he always left a shadow of his hometown in his writing: in the rhythms, in the metaphors, and in the details.
When the book *Liverpool: Wondrous Place* was published, it became, essentially, an autobiography of the city told through music. It was an attempt to show why these stories originated here. Du Noyer recreated the mentality of a port city: with its openness to the world and its deep internal code. He wrote about both glory and oblivion—for instance, how long Liverpool officially ignored The Beatles’ legacy until local enthusiasts began fighting independently for the right to remembrance.
The story of the Eleanor Rigby statue is further proof of this. The local council long refused permission for the monument—claiming, ‘it’s just a fictional character.’ For Du Noyer, this was a painful symbol: a city that gave birth to a global cultural phenomenon was ashamed to honour even its fictional figures. And he decided to change this—through words.
Besides The Beatles, Du Noyer wrote about lesser-known but city-essential bands: Deaf School, The La’s, local scenes, and clubs. He was interested in both the fame and the soil from which it sprouts.