Old Siam, Sir

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

“Old Siam, Sir” is a hard rock single from Wings’ 1979 album, Back to the Egg. It was the A-side of the UK version of the single, reaching No. 35. The B-side in the UK was also a track from the album, “Spin it On”. “Old Siam, Sir” was also the B-side of the US single “Arrow Through Me“.

Recording

Wings drummer Steve Holley, while playing keyboards during a studio session, developed a chord sequence that was eventually used in the instrumental section of the song. Paul McCartney and guitarist Denny Laine later recorded an instrumental demo for the song called “Super Big Heatwave”.

The exact recording sequence is a bit of a blur, but over the month between June 29 and July 27 we recorded a core group of songs for the album. “Old Siam, Sir” was an early one, and Paul and I doubled up on the guitar riff. It was not unusual to find him wielding his Epiphone Casino, as he did here, with a dark growling tone. I played a Les Paul custom, adding a brighter harmony part.

Laurence Juber, in Guitar With Wings, 2014

In the case of “Old Siam, Sir,” we were jamming one day and Steve Holly was playing keyboards and had this chord sequence. I’m not sure if Paul was playing drums or if it was Linda because we’d trade off in a jamming situation, but what ended up happening was that ended up in the instrumental section of the song. I always felt that Steve should have received some sort of nod for that. Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the process in that you don’t always get full credit for what you contribute as a musician, especially as the song-writing is traditionally words and melody, not chords, licks and grooves.

Laurence Juber, interview with DAYTRIPPIN’ BEATLES MAGAZINE, 2010

Last updated on February 9, 2020

Lyrics