Paul McCartney has shared two songs from an upcoming Record Store Day Black Friday single, Ahead of the Black Friday/RSD picture disc seven-inch, Paul McCartney has made his two unreleased songs available on streaming platforms today.
‘Home Tonight’ is an extremely likeable, poppy number which is elevated by Greg Kurstin’s brilliant production and what I’m assuming is the Muscle Shoals Horns, who were used in the Egypt Station sessions.
‘In A Hurry’ is one of Paul’s character study songs, this time about someone who “never took the time to look around.” It has a lively break around the 1.40 mark which recalls the ambitious arrangement on ‘Despite Repeated Warnings’ and shares that song’s creative ‘anything goes’ attitude.
Paul put out these two songs from an upcoming Record Store Day Black Friday single that he recorded during the sessions for last year’s Egypt Station. “Home Tonight” is a jangly acoustic song, and “In A Hurry” is the kind of Beach Boys-inspired baroque/psych pop that — save for Paul’s more grizzled vocals — sounds like something he might’ve written in 1967.
One can only marvel that these unreleased tracks were lying unused and weren’t considered for either bonus tracks on the original deluxe of Egypt Station or for the Traveller’s or Explorer’s condition.
Paul McCartney’s first album in five years is a lot like his most recent records: a little nostalgia mixed with some forward-thinking music. He knows he’s never going to make another Sgt. Pepper’s or Band on the Run, so he instead finds a sweet spot afforded to a legend like himself — one that allows him to nod back to his past as he forges ahead. The result is something like a concept record, and one of his strongest outings in years. He gets horny, looks back on his wild past and even finds time for a lengthy jab at Donald Trump. He sounds a little worn at times, but that’s to be expected. And that fatigue fits the theme of Egypt Station, which drives from one stop to another with a renewed sense of purpose.
Paul performs “Come On To Me” featured on the album Egypt Station
You’ve seen what Little Freddie, Ali, and Elsa can do. Think you can do better? Show us! Film yourself dancing to ‘Come On To Me’
“My hope is that if there are kids being bullied – and there are… Maybe by listening to this song and watching this video, they might just think it’s not as bad… that it’s the kind of thing you can just stand up to, laugh off and get through.”
Paul and Emma put a lot of care into making this film. Take a sneak peek behind-the-scenes of ‘Who Cares’. featured on the album Egypt Station.
Paul McCartney invites you on a musical journey to Egypt Station. Sharing a title with one of Paul’s own paintings, Egypt Station is the first full album of all-new McCartney music since 2013’s international chart-topping NEW. Egypt Station was recorded between Los Angeles, London and Sussex, and produced (with the exception of one Ryan Tedder track) by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck, Foo Fighters). True to the inspiration behind its title, Egypt Station’s 14 songs combine to convey a unique travelogue vibe. Between the opening and closing instrumentals Station I and Station II, each song finds Paul capturing a place or moment before transporting the listener seamlessly to the next destination. Stops along the way include an acoustic meditation on present day contentedness (Happy With You), a timeless anthem that would fit on virtually any album of any McCartney era (People Want Peace), and an epic multi-movement closer clocking in at seven minutes with a song suite structure harkening back to the days of Paul’s previous combos (Despite Repeated Warnings). The result is a kaleidoscopic journey through myriad musical locales and eras, yet firmly rooted in the here and now – with Paul’s singular unmistakable melodic and lyrical sensibility serving as a guide.
Egypt Station is a moving statement from a guy who’s found love and now wants the rest of the world have it too. And it proves that McCartney is still having lots of fun in the studio – no more so than on “Back in Brazil,” the album’s weirdest and freshest track. McCartney plays nine instruments on the recording (he even recorded the birds chirping at the beginning); over a lounge beat, he tells the story of a couple dealing with the changing tide of a relationship. It seems corny at first, but then intensifies as McCartney’s harmonium, Wurlitzer, congas (and triangle!) create a psychedelic haze. There is no chorus, except Paul shouting “Ichiban,” which, confusingly, is a Japanese word asked to explain during a recent Twitter Q&A, McCartney said it has a “long answer” which he’ll give us by the end of the month. During the same Q&A, McCartney said he would consider teaming up with EDM artists. This song proves it might actually not be a bad idea.
According to producer Greg Kurstin, “Back in Brazil” was one of the songs that McCartney labored over most in the studio. “It was one of the trickier ones to get the feel of, to get the drum groove and all that stuff,” he said. “It started out as something very different than what it became. It started out with electric piano and drums and the whole band, and then we stripped it all down and built it all up with orchestra instruments. It started out as something very different than what it became. But I’m really happy with it. It has the clarinets playing the electric-piano part. It started out with electric piano and drums and the whole band, and then we stripped it all down and built it all up with orchestra instruments. When it really came to life for me was when we brought in [composer] Alan Broadbent and he helped with the arrangement. He did the strings and the clarinets and the flute and stuff like that. I like the arrangements he did on that.
The third single from Paul McCartney’s forthcoming album, Egypt Station (due out September. 7th on CapitolRecords), is here. It’s called—ahem—“Fuh You,” and it appears the 76-year-old legend is no less spry today than he was in 1969 when The Beatles recorded “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” which echoes a similar lyrical sentiment. The song’s sonic elements, however, couldn’t be more different from an Abbey Road track’s—poppy keys, a chorus of back-up voices and an autotune playback suggest plenty of modern influences. The snappy, feel-good track arrives with an equally pleasing lyric video, which you can watch below.
McCartney explained the idea behind this cheeky new single:
With this one I was in the studio with Ryan Tedder whereas the rest of the album has been made with GregKurstin … We were just thinking of ideas and little pieces of melody and chords and the song just came together bit by bit. And then I would try and make some kind of sense of the story. So it was like “Come on baby now. Talk about yourself. Tell the truth, let me get to know you,” and basically I wanna know how you feel, you make me wanna go out and steal. I just want it for you. So that was the basic idea and it developed from there … sort of a love song, but a raunchy love song. There you go—fuh you.
The Egypt Station album announcement arrived in June, along with the first two singles: the suggestive, upbeat rock track “Come On To Me” and the more mellow piano ballad “I Don’t Know.”
Earlier this summer, McCartney joined James Corden for a memorable episode of Carpool Karaoke, during which the two Brits toured the former Beatle’s childhood home in Liverpool. The response to the segment was so far-reaching that the folks behind Corden’sThe Late Late Show are extending it into an hour-long special. Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool airs August. 20th on CBS.
Sharing a title with one of Paul’s own paintings, Egypt Station is the first full album of all-new McCartney music since 2013’s international chart-topping NEW. Preceded by two of its tracks just released as double A-sides – plaintive ballad ‘I Don’t Know‘ and raucous stomper ‘Come On To Me‘ – Egypt Station was recorded between Los Angeles, London and Sussex, and produced (with the exception of one Ryan Tedder track) by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck, Foo Fighters).
Of the forthcoming album’s enigmatic title, Paul says, “I liked the words ‘Egypt Station.’ It reminded me of the ‘album’ albums we used to make… ‘Egypt Station’ starts off at the station on the first song and then each song is like a different station. So it gave us some idea to base all the songs around that. I think of it as a dream location that the music emanates from.”
True to the inspiration behind its title, Egypt Station ’s 14 songs combine to convey a unique travelogue vibe. Between the opening and closing instrumentals ‘Station I’ and ‘Station II’, each song finds Paul capturing a place or moment before transporting the listener seamlessly to the next destination. Stops along the way include an acoustic meditation on present day contentedness (‘Happy With You’), a timeless anthem that would fit on virtually any album of any McCartney era (‘People Want Peace’), and an epic multi-movement closer clocking in at seven minutes with a song suite structure harkening back to the days of Paul’s previous combos (‘Despite Repeated Warnings‘). The result is a kaleidoscopic journey through myriad musical locales and eras, yet firmly rooted in the here and now – with Paul’s singular unmistakeable melodic and lyrical sensibility serving as a guide.
The Fat Angel Sings 