Album: New (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • This psychedelic track was one of three songs produced by Adele collaborator Paul Epworth for New. The producer's approach echoed the three experimental, improvised Fireman albums McCartney has made with former member of Killing Joke, Martin "Youth" Glover. McCartney told The Sun the song's back story. "It comes from a story in my mind," he said. "I had this thought, almost like an old black and white movie, about a holocaust kind of thing."

    "To begin with, I didn't have any words. So what I would do in that Fireman/Epworth process, is to block out the words by singing nonsense."

    "And I'd hear myself say," added McCartney, "'The night!' OK, so that's good, I've got a word. Then you gradually block in all the words."
  • The lyrics include one thing that McCartney misheard as he blocked in the words. He recalled: "I got the line," It's just a metaphor' and I thought, 'ooh, that's nice.' That idea of mishearing things or misreading things always excites me."

    "It reminds me of a story about Naked Lunch by William Burroughs," he continued. "I'm not sure if it's true but I'd heard it was actually called Naked Lust and I think someone like (the beat poet) Allen Ginsberg had misread it and went, 'Oh Naked Lunch, wow!' and Burroughs was like, 'OK, that's so much better.' I love happy accidents."

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