Hurtful Hits

Regarding Paul Grein’s Holier-Than-Thou article on the “Hits That Hurt” the credibility of certain pop music artists, particularly Paul McCartney (Jan. 3).

If McCartney sacrificed his virility and entered “wimpdom” with the “sugar-coated hit” “Ebony & Ivory,” so be it. It takes a master pop musician like McCartney and the talents of Stevie Wonder to make people all across the world sing a song of racial harmony.

Also, let’s make it a prerequisite for Times pop music critics to listen to the songs they are going to write about. Grein also calls “No More Lonely Nights” a wimpy record. Yeah, outside of some uplifting production by George Martin, tremendous drum backing from Stewart Elliot, a strong vocal by McCartney and some scorching guitar work from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, by gosh, it is a wimpy record.

RICHARD S. BORDEN

Moorpark