Paul McCartney/Wings-song by song thread

More about Mistress And Maid...

Finally, an acoustic live performance by Paul and Elvis at St James Palace on 23rd March 1995.

 

"Mistress and Maid" is a solid track, with some of the best lyrics on the album. One reviewer at the time said the only tracks on the album that seemed to be dealing with actual human relationships were the Costello co-writes, and that's pretty much right. A highlight of a mostly uninspired album.

 

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I owe it all to you
Another love-ballad. Nicely executed but another very ordinary and bland offering. At least for me

Paul: I’d been to a place in the south of France — the kids took us there for Linda’s birthday. I drove past this sign which said Cathedrale Des Images. It turned out to be this huge place carved out of the rock, you’re this big (finger and thumb apart) and the walls are this big (arm’s width). They have dozens of projectors and they throw these images on the walls suddenly the whole place lights up and it’s an Egyptian temple, next thing (finger snap) it’s all stained glass, and so on. It’s a trip, like UFO was back in Pink Floyd’s time. I came back and wrote I Owe It All To You: ‘I stood inside Egyptian temples/ I looked into eternal gardens’.

Hamish Stuart: I felt very involved in that song, played a lot and sang, and it came out very straightforwardly.

“I Owe It All To You” was performed a few times live and during soundchecks, but didn’t make it to the set list for the New World Tour.

 

Mistress And Maid (4/10)
One of my least favorite tunes in all forms, I just don’t like the melody or chords on this. Paul sounds like he’s not even paying attention to the lyrics on this version, it’s again too cheery for a depressing lyric. The woman is ignored and leaves the guy – Elvis C. collaborated on this and many think the original duet version was better. It’s such a sour note for me after 3 songs I enjoyed. I think it's more me than the song - it's a pretty good lyric too.

I Owe It All To You (9/10)
A lighthouse of the album, this illuminates everything to me. I had known the songs Paul had played live and the singles before getting the album, so when I first heard this I loved it. His trip to France as inspiration, we get a colorful tour Egyptian temples, eternal gardens, glass canyons, golden canyons, it’s a beautiful lyric that turns into a love song on the chorus.

But it’s the music that really gets me. The rural feel of the orchestration and acoustic sections of the opening is like waking up and being optimistic about what the day and world have in store. Yet the beautiful slide guitar after each chorus sounds like it’s bringing the sundown for another day, leaving dazzling colors. Bright folk-rock verses linked to sunny pop choruses before dimming down for elegant, gentler tones.

The coda is where the magic happens. Working off that calming slide guitar, Paul lets out perfect vocal accents striking the mood with some of the most gorgeous ‘ooooh’s I’ve ever heard. McCartney is king of the “ooooh” after this moment especially the one at 4:10. Excellent song to me, one of my favorites of the decade.

Biker Like An Icon (4/10)
Normally, I like Paul’s rock songs, but I do have trouble with this one. Okay, so the title and refrain isn’t great use of wordplay, maybe because it’s kind of corny. It’s the theme he and John worked on with “She’s Leaving Home” with the ‘man from the motor trade’. We had a thread on that song recently and in comparison, this feels like a cliché – the biker stereotype, again the girl falls for the ‘devious guy’. I don’t think the lyric is really weak but he already did this so it would have been better with a twist. The backing is kind of bland to me. There’s more oomph in other rock songs of his. The way this one gets singled out is a bit unfair but I still have the other issues with it.

 

He is that and as far as that goes I'll add that he is king of the pop/rock vocalists. Who is better? It's good to be da king.

 

I Owe It All To You

A beautiful love song. A sweet performance with great vocals, harmonies and melody. The acoustic intro is giving a fantastic atmosphere to the direct and simple expression of love, happiness and, powerful and honest magic moments.

Lyrics:

Last night you helped me through,
Took me to the lovers zone.
I saw there, images
Projected on a wall of stone.
I stood inside Egyptian temples,
I looked into eternal gardens,
Lay on the shores of distant islands,
Listening to the sea birds song of joy.

Oh - I owe it all to you,
You make me happy,
Oh - I owe it all to you.

Late last night, we were right
Into some exotic scene.
Everywhere, images
Appearing on a giant screen.
I stood inside a glass cathedral,
I looked into the golden canyon,
Lay by the lakes of holy water
Glistening like a diamond in the light.

Oh - I owe it all to you,
You make me happy,
Oh - I owe it all to you.


Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney and Julian Mendelsohn
Written by Paul McCartney
Acoustic Guitar, Mellotron, Tambourine, Vocal Percussion, Vocals by Paul McCartney
Backing Vocals, Celeste, Clavinet by Linda McCartney
Electric Slide Guitar by Robbie McIntosh
Backing Vocals, Bass by Hamish Stuart
Percussion, Piano by Paul Wickens
Drums, Percussion by Blair Cunningham
Engineered by Bob Kraushaar
Label: Parlophone
Release Date: February 2, 1993
Recorded at Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Length: 4:51 minutes

 

I owe It All To You
Maybe I'll be in the minority here, but I love this track. Lyrically it has some clunkers in it, "Lovers Zone" being particularly unforgivable, but aside from that some of the imagery is really nice. I love that little acoustic guitar riff, his voice is gorgeous and I really just like the sentiment of the track overall."You make me happy" is a little simplistic in the chorus, however what we know now about Linda's untimely death not too long after this makes it work. My 2nd favourite track on the album behind Hope.

 

Some guy on a Beatles thread about ' The Beatles Again ' album posted that ' Lady Madonna ' was the worst song McCartney ever wrote.
Should I invite him to join us here?

 

Yeah, if Paul had thrown Tommy's Coming Home Again, Twenty Fine Fingers, Like Candy, and/or Playboy Into A Man then he would have had a classic album and one of his best.

 

Biker Like An Icon

A highlight. A fantastic story song with strong vocals and music. Paul and his "Wings" band are rocking, having fun and enjoying the moment. The performance is terrific and powerful with great lyrics, and pure rock!!! Bravo!!!

Lyrics:

There was a girl who loved a biker
She used to follow him across America
But the biker didn't like her.

She didn't care, she still persisted
Though her brother said she was twisted
And the family said they wouldn't miss her
Anyway.

She loved the biker like an icon
Gazing at his picture everyday.
She loved the biker like an icon
Slowly watching precious water drip away.

She did her best to fix a meeting
She pulled it off one night in Hollywood
When he met her he couldn't let her get away.

He didn't ask for her permission
He took advantage of her position
But he was always her ambition
Anyway.

She loved her biker like an icon
Gazing at his picture everyday.
She loved her biker like an icon
Slowly watching precious water drip away.

The family tried so hard to find her
They showed her picture across America.
But no trace of her sweet face
Was ever found.

She loved her biker like an icon
Gazing at his picture everyday.
She loved her biker like an icon


Credits:

Produced by Paul McCartney and Julian Mendelsohn
Written by Paul McCartney
Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Vocals by Paul McCartney
Keyboards by Linda McCartney
Slide Guitar by Robbie McIntosh
Backing Vocals, Bass by Hamish Stuart
Keyboards, Piano by Paul Wickens
Drums by Blair Cunningham
Engineered by Bob Kraushaar
Label: Parlophone
Release Date: February 2, 1993
Recorded at Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Length: 3:26 minutes

Promo Film:

Directed by Richard Heslop

Version 1 (With Performance):

 

More about Biker Like An Icon...

The single was released in a picture sleeve on November 8, 1993.

This is the single with 2 tracks, studio and live versions of the song:






Live version:

 

More about Biker Like An Icon...

Promo Film Version 2:

 

More about Biker Like An Icon...

Promo Film Version 3 (From Movin' On documentary):

 

More about Biker Like An Icon...

Promo Film Version 4:

 

More about Biker Like An Icon...

Finally, MTV in Control:

 

I Owe It All to You is just utterly forgettable. He throws around a lot of grandiose images in the lyrics but they don't add up to anything, and the melody, while not bad, is far from his most memorable. With Biker Like an Icon and this, the album has now taken a decided downhill turn from which it never quite recovers.

 

Dude obviously never heard "Ode To A Koala Bear" or "Pretty Little Head"

I Owe It All To You 3.5/5

A nice album track, nothing special but somehow it touches me. It sounds a bit like a Neil Young track and it's totally 90s.

The 90s was the last decade when a lot good rock music hit the charts ... I miss that times.

 

Haven’t been that committed lately since this is a bit of a blind spot in my Macca knowledge.

I’ll find a spot later in today to fill in the gaps.

 

I like the verses musically, the acoustic and the slide - it feels very Flaming Pie to me - maybe because of some similarity to Calico Skies in the fingerpicking (or was a different song from that album)?
Unfortunatly I don`t like much more about this song.

 

Nonetheless I now have the song`s chorus stuck in my ears!
Damn McCartney.

 

Mistress And Maid: 2.5/5

This Flowers-era leftover is serviceable but not that great in my opinion. I do like Paul and Elvis’ acoustic live performance of this on better. Like with so many of the Flowers demos, this one loses a bit in its translation to album but it wasn’t top notch to begin with. Hey. At least Paul didn’t do Pads Paws and Claws!



I Owe It All To You: 3/5

This song is almost depressingly boring compared to the rest of the album but that’s really an unfair statement. It’s a very nice song and one of the few on the album where I think the production values got it right. Good album filler. Not much more. Is it me or does Paul get a bit tripped up with those complicated acoustic guitar lines? Robbie couldn’t have done that and then overdubbed his slide parts?

 

I hope when you say "finally", I don't step on your toes here but it should be noted that there were some CD single releases of Biker Like An Icon.

The official release contained two leftover Unplugged tracks: Midnight Special and Things We Said Today.

Both are stellar performances.

















But what is REALLY interesting is the promo CD contains another track from the Unplugged show that is not found anywhere else at all. Mean Woman Blues. It exists only on this promo. This is a highly sought after CD.

 

Agreed. The unplugged performance is fantastic and unique.

About the single, there are 3 versions:

1. Biker Like An Icon / Biker Like An Icon (Live)

2. Biker Like An Icon / Midnight Special / Things We Said Today / Biker Like An Icon (Live)

3. Biker Like An Icon / Things We Said Today

About the promo, that exclusive track is great. Sadly, Unplugged was skipped but has an interesting mix of songs and is a real acoustic concert.

From Club Sandwich 55/56, Winter 1990/91:

Paul McCartney:

"I like any excuse to loosen up, and one of the attractions of Unplugged was that it was so loose. A lot of people liked the very informal, intimate atmosphere. I did – in fact, I was a bit surprised at how intimate and how informal it was. It was fairly nerve-wracking, though, not plugging into amps after all those years, using mikes for the guitars. It’s a completely different discipline – if you turn around to look at the drummer, the guitar sound goes.

We may well put some acoustic stuff into the next tour. A lot of people said that their favourite bit of the 1976 Wings tour was when we all sat down for the acoustic set. For Unplugged we stood up, because we had sat down in 1976. Next time, we’ll be hovering above the audience.

To me, the Unplugged set was the nearest thing I’ve done to a pub gig for a long time. And in my particular case, as I’m not a black blues singer from the ’50s, my stuff tends to have more humour when it gets like that. But I feel more comfortable not being serious. The breakdown at the front of ‘We Can Work It Out’ was hilarious. It’s like something from a blooper tape. The album has that element to it, and I’m really glad we did it."

 

Mistress And Maid is a lesser McCartney/MacManus composition. The melody doesn't really go anywhere during the verse. But the "look at me" chorus is good. If I had to choose, I think I prefer the cassette demo to Paul's finished recording.

 

I Owe It All To You is a good example of where Off The Ground fails. It is a pleasant little song with a catchy chorus but it feels utterly inconsequential, as much of the album does. Earlier, someone called it "boring" which, I am sad to say, is pretty accurate. There are a few good, compelling songs on Off The Ground, but much of it lacks a spark.