Heart of the Country

Last updated
"Heart of the Country"
Heart of the Country label.jpg
Single by Paul and Linda McCartney
from the album Ram
A-side "The Back Seat of My Car"
Released13 August 1971
Recorded16 November 1970
Genre Folk rock, country folk
Length2:21
Label Apple
Songwriter(s) Paul and Linda McCartney
Producer(s) Paul and Linda McCartney
Paul and Linda McCartney singles chronology
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"
(1971)		"Heart of the Country"
(1971)		"Eat at Home"
(1971)
Music video
"Heart of the Country" on YouTube

"Heart of the Country" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney from their album Ram released in 1971.

Contents

Origins

The song has simple acoustic tune with a heavy bass chorus, and an unusually mellow sound to the acoustic guitar that was achieved by tuning all of the strings a full step lower than standard pitch. The song is about a man searching for a farm in the middle of nowhere. The song reflects Paul's heading for the Scottish countryside to escape the headaches associated with the Beatles' break-up at the time. [1]

Composition

The song is played in the key of D Minor at a tempo of 172.

Personnel

Reception

In a contemporary review for Ram, Jon Landau of Rolling Stone gave "Heart of the Country" a negative review, calling it the album's "lowest point", and the song that "most clearly indicates [Ram's] failures". [2] Landau described the song as "an evenly paced, finger-picking styled tune, with very light jazz overtones, obviously intended as Paul's idea of "mellow."". [2] However, Landau believed McCartney's lyrics about the country "ring false". [2]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the song as "an effortless folk-pop tune that ranks among [McCartney's] very best songs". [3] Erlewine also praises its "imaginative and gorgeous arrangement". [4] In 2013, Rolling Stone rated "Heart of the Country" at number 26 in its list of Paul McCartney's best post-Beatles songs. [1]

Aftermath

McCartney and Elvis Costello re-recorded the song, with Mark Ronson producing, in 2013 for a commercial featuring his late wife Linda's vegetarian recipe book. [5]

It was also included on The 7" Singles Box in 2022. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Paul's 40 Greatest Solo Songs". Special Collector's Edition: Paul McCartney. Rolling Stone. 2013. p. 89.
  2. 1 2 3 Landau, Jon (8 July 1971). "Ram". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "Wingspan". AllMusic . Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  4. ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "Ram". AllMusic . Retrieved 2013-12-25.
  5. ↑ "Paul McCartney tunes up with song for Linda's vegetarian food range". The Guardian. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "'The 7" Singles Box' – Out 2 December 2022". PaulMcCartney.com. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
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