That Would Be Something

Last updated
"That Would Be Something"
Song by Paul McCartney
from the album McCartney
Released17 April 1970
RecordedDecember 1969
Studio McCartney's home, London
Genre Folk-pop, [1] blues
Length2:43
Label Apple
Songwriter(s) Paul McCartney
Producer(s) Paul McCartney
McCartney track listing
13 tracks
Side one
  1. "The Lovely Linda"
  2. "That Would Be Something"
  3. "Valentine Day"
  4. "Every Night"
  5. "Hot as Sun/Glasses"
  6. "Junk"
  7. "Man We Was Lonely"
Side two
  1. "Oo You"
  2. "Momma Miss America"
  3. "Teddy Boy"
  4. "Singalong Junk"
  5. "Maybe I'm Amazed"
  6. "Kreen-Akrore"

"That Would Be Something" is a song written by Paul McCartney which was first released on his McCartney album on 17 April 1970. [2]

Contents

Recording

McCartney sings and plays acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, tom tom and a cymbal. [3] This song and "Valentine Day" were mixed at Abbey Road Studios on 22 February 1970. [2] McCartney would also record "Every Night" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" the same day. [2] In the song McCartney also performs vocal percussion to simulate a drum kit.

Release and reception

Shortly after the McCartney album's release, George Harrison described this song and "Maybe I'm Amazed" as "great". [2] [4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the song was "light folk-pop". [1]

In a review for the McCartney album, Langdon Winner of Rolling Stone described "That Would Be Something", along with "The Lovely Linda", as having "virtually no verbal or melodic content whatsoever." [5]

"That Would Be Something" was also released on the 1991 album Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) . The song was first performed live by McCartney, in Barcelona, on 8 May 1991. [6]

Personnel

Cover versions

The Grateful Dead played this song in concert 16 times between 1991 and 1995. [7] The first time they played the song live is available on Dick's Picks Volume 17 .

In 2010, Jack White interpolated a bridge of "That Would Be Something" into his performance of "Mother Nature's Son", another one of McCartney's compositions, during a concert held at the White House during which McCartney was awarded the Gershwin Prize. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Beatles</i> (album) 1968 studio album by the Beatles

The Beatles, also referred to colloquially as the White Album, is the ninth studio album and only double album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. Featuring a plain white sleeve, the cover contains no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed. This was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band's previous LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). The Beatles is recognised for its fragmentary style and diverse range of genres, including folk, country rock, British blues, ska, music hall, proto-metal and the avant-garde. It has since been viewed by some critics as a postmodern work, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back in the U.S.S.R.</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"Back in the U.S.S.R." is a song by the English rock band the Beatles and the first track of the 1968 double album The Beatles. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, the song is a parody of Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A." and the Beach Boys' "California Girls". The lyrics subvert Berry's patriotic sentiments about the United States, as the narrator expresses relief upon returning home to the Soviet Union, formally the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Something (Beatles song)</span> 1969 song by the Beatles

"Something" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Together with his second contribution to Abbey Road, "Here Comes the Sun", it is widely viewed by music historians as having marked Harrison's ascendancy as a composer to the level of the Beatles' principal songwriters, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Two weeks after the album's release, the song was issued on a double A-side single, coupled with "Come Together", making it the first Harrison composition to become a Beatles A-side. The pairing was also the first time in the United Kingdom that the Beatles issued a single containing tracks already available on an album. While the single's commercial performance was lessened by this, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States as well as charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and West Germany, and peaked at number 4 in the UK.

<i>James Taylor</i> (album) 1968 studio album by James Taylor

James Taylor is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released on December 6, 1968, it was the first recording by a non-British artist released by Apple Records, and would also be Taylor's only release on that label. The album was released under the title First Album on the South African market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Many People</span> 1971 song by Paul McCartney

"Too Many People" is a song by Paul McCartney and his wife Linda McCartney, from the 1971 album Ram. The song was issued as the B-side of the "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" single, and was also included on The 7" Singles Box in 2022.

<i>McCartney</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Paul McCartney

McCartney is the debut solo album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 17 April 1970 by Apple Records. McCartney recorded it in secrecy, mostly using basic home-recording equipment at his house in St John's Wood. Mixing and some recording took place at professional London studios. In its loosely arranged performances, McCartney eschewed the polish of the Beatles' past records in favour of a lo-fi style. Apart from occasional contributions by his wife, Linda, McCartney performed the entire album alone by overdubbing on four-track tape.

<i>Long Player</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Faces

Long Player is the second album by the British rock group Faces, released in February 1971. Among the highlights are a live cover version of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed", the ballads "Richmond" and "Sweet Lady Mary", the party tune "Had Me a Real Good Time", and uptempo saloon bar rocker "Bad 'n' Ruin". Two tracks, "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "I Feel So Good", were recorded live at the Fillmore East, New York City, on 10 November 1970.

<i>Wings over America</i> 1976 live album by Wings

Wings over America is a triple live album by the British–American rock band Wings, released in December 1976. The album was recorded during the American leg of the band's 1975–76 Wings Over the World tour. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and reached number 1 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

<i>Paul Is Live</i> 1993 live album by Paul McCartney

Paul Is Live is a live album by Paul McCartney, released in 1993 during his New World Tour in support of his studio album Off the Ground, released that same year. Paul Is Live contains live recordings of McCartney and his touring band—which at the time included his then-wife Linda and guitarist Robbie McIntosh—performing songs by McCartney's former bands The Beatles and Wings, as well as songs from his solo career. The tracks included on the album were recorded at various concerts during his New World Tour, in several American cities and in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The lyrics contain sayings the Beatles heard from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, with whom they studied Transcendental Meditation in India in early 1968. In his subsequent comments on the song, Lennon said it addressed his bandmates' initial reaction to his relationship with Yoko Ono. Recorded early in the sessions for the White Album, the track typifies Lennon and the Beatles' return to a rock sound in 1968 after their psychedelic period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maybe I'm Amazed</span> 1970 song by Paul McCartney

"Maybe I'm Amazed" is a song written by English musician Paul McCartney that was first released on his 1970 debut solo album McCartney.

<i>Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)</i> 1991 live album by Paul McCartney

Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) is a live unplugged performance by Paul McCartney, recorded and released in 1991. Following the vastness of his world tour recently captured on Tripping the Live Fantastic, McCartney took the opportunity to strip back his songs and appear on the acoustic-only show MTV Unplugged, which had only been on air for over a year at that point. Subsequently, McCartney was the first in a long line of artists to release an album of their performance on the show.

<i>Magic Christian Music</i> 1970 studio album by Badfinger

Magic Christian Music is the second studio album by the British rock band Badfinger, released on 9 January 1970 on Apple Records. It was their first release under the Badfinger name, having previously released the album Maybe Tomorrow in 1969 under the name The Iveys. It includes the band's first international hit, "Come and Get It", written and produced for them by Paul McCartney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Band on the Run (song)</span> 1974 single by Paul McCartney and Wings

"Band on the Run" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released as the title track to their 1973 album Band on the Run. The song was released as a single in April 1974 in the US and in June 1974 in the UK, following the success of "Jet", and became an international chart success. The song topped the charts in the United States, also reaching number 3 in the United Kingdom. The single sold over one million copies in 1974 in America. It has since become one of the band's most famous songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Listen to What the Man Said</span> 1975 single by Wings

"Listen to What the Man Said" is a hit single from Wings' 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song featured new member Joe English on drums, with guest musicians Dave Mason on guitar and Tom Scott on soprano saxophone. It was a number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US the week of July 19, 1975 and reached number 1 in Canada on the RPM National Top Singles Chart. It also reached number 6 in the UK, and reached the top ten in Norway and New Zealand and the top twenty in the Netherlands. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junk (song)</span> 1970 song by Paul McCartney

"Junk" is a song written by English musician Paul McCartney and released on his debut studio album McCartney (1970). He wrote the song in 1968 with the Beatles while the group were studying Transcendental Meditation in India. After the band's return from India, he recorded the song as a demo at Kinfauns, George Harrison's home, before sessions for The Beatles took place. It was ultimately passed over for inclusion on The Beatles and Abbey Road in 1969. After the group's break-up, McCartney recorded the song for inclusion on McCartney. The lyrics describe various items in a junkyard. A slightly longer, instrumental version of the song, titled "Singalong Junk", also appears on the album.

"The Lovely Linda" is a song by English musician Paul McCartney, released as the opening track of his debut solo album, McCartney, in April 1970. McCartney wrote the song to his first wife, Linda McCartney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Carrying</span> 1978 single by Wings

"I'm Carrying" is a song written by Paul McCartney that was first released on Wings' 1978 album London Town. It was also released as the B-side of the "London Town" single. In 2003 it was later released on the soundtrack to the film The In-Laws.

"Something in the Way She Moves" is a song written by James Taylor that appeared on his 1968 debut album for Apple Records, James Taylor. It has also been covered by other artists, including Tom Rush and Harry Belafonte. The opening line inspired George Harrison to write the No. 1 Beatles' song "Something". According to James Taylor's stage banter at The Star in Frisco 31 July 2017, this was the song he played for Paul McCartney and George Harrison as an audition before signing with Apple Records.

<i>4: John Paul George Ringo</i> 2014 EP / Compilation album by George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Wings

4: John Paul George Ringo is a digital extended play compilation released on 23 September 2014, as a free download by the iTunes Store. It features one solo song by each former member of the Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. It is the first official release to bring together their solo material.

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "McCartney - Paul McCartney | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Paul McCartney: That Would Be Something". beatlesbible.com. 7 November 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  3. "McCartney". JPGR. Retrieved 30 October 2006.
  4. "George Harrison Interview, New York City". DM's Beatles Site. 25 April 1970. Retrieved 30 October 2006.
  5. "McCartney". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  6. "Song - Paul McCartney". paulmccartney.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  7. "That Would Be Something at The SetList Program". setlists.net. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  8. Kreps, Daniel (2010-07-21). "Video: Jack White's White House Tribute to Paul McCartney". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-11-27.