Really Love You

Album This song officially appears on the Flaming Pie Official album.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 1997
Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1996 (Paul McCartney was 54 years old)

Master release


Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions


Other songs co-written with Ringo Starr


Angel in Disguise

Unreleased song

Related interviews


McCartney Turns Back the Clock

Apr 12, 1997 • From Billboard


A nostalgic slice of "Pie"

May 27, 1997 • From USA Today


Ringo Starr interview about "Flaming Pie"

Summer 1997 • From Club Sandwich


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Song facts

Really Love You” is a song written by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — their first-ever shared credit — and originally released on McCartney’s 1997 album “Flaming Pie“. From Mark Lewisohn, in Club Sandwich n°82, Summer 1997:

The day after Ringo Starr had joined Paul to record ‘Beautiful Night’ the pair returned to the studio, where the instruments remained set up as before, and began a good old-fashioned jam session, Paul plucking his Hofner Violin bass, Ringo beating the drums and Jeff Lynne playing guitar. Three separate pieces evolved inside half an hour, one being ‘Looking For You‘ (issued on the B-side of first UK single ‘Young Boy’ and first US single ‘The World Tonight’), another ‘Really Love You’. This latter track best charted the desired R&B groove, with Paul adding a live vocal. Forced to invent the lyric on the spot, he duly grabbed the words out of “left-field”. “There’s one verse that doesn’t make any sense,” Paul admits, “which goes ‘I need your heart hopping on a plate’. I remember thinking, ‘ What did I just say?’ But I just had to keep going.” Credited to McCartney/Starkey – even after all this time this is still a first-ever credit for a released tune – the jam was completed by some guitar overdubs and mixed after Ringo had returned home. Played to him over the telephone by Paul, his response – “It’s relentless!” – remains the best description of the finished result.

Doing Beautiful Night with Ringo wasn’t enough. I wanted more fun. So we jammed. The actor’s worst dream is being on stage not knowing what plays he’s in – doing this vocal was like that, you can go anywhere. You’ve got to clear your mind – and play bass – let your head to and ad-lib it all.

Paul McCartney, from the liner notes of “Flaming Pie”
Paul McCartney, in Club Sandwich n°82, Summer 1997:

Ringo was at my studio to record ‘Beautiful Night’ and we were getting a great sound from the instruments. The next session we did three jams in half an hour, including this one. I got on the Hofner bass, Ringo started drumming, Jeff Lynne was on guitar and the three of us got an R&B riff going. I had to fulfil the actor’s worst dream, of being on stage but not knowing what play he’s in – my version of this is that I have to sing words to a song that is being made up on the spot. This is why there’s one verse that doesn’t make any sense, which is well surreal, but that’s OK.

“Really Love You” started as a jam. He came over here and we had played around a couple of days. And then let’s have a jam, we’ve done the main track [Beautiful Night], let’s have a goof around and see if we come up with anything. So we just played for about half an hour, and Ringo just started off, and goes to the dum dum dum, that kind of tempo so I just sort of dum dum dum dum on the bass which I’ll show you next. And we made up this jam called “Really Love You”. The thing is, when you’re jamming like that, it’s like… If you talk to actors about the worst nightmare, I mean in the dream, they say “I go onstage and I suddenly realize I don’t know what play we’re in. Is it Hamlet of King Lear?”. You can really imagine the scariness… I have a similar dream but it’s the whole audience who is leaving in my dream. it’s always been like a big show, they are always leaving. So I always go to Yesterday, Yesterday, quick, quick. And we tried Yesterday but they are still leaving. Long Tall Sally, that would go. Because in the nightmare they all just leave until you wake up in a cold sweat.

When Ringo started I just did dum dum dum on the bass. Then I just think of something to say, you know, okay that’s this is fair enough now what’s the song, you know, what’s the song we do and it does look. “I LOVE YOU, Like a bear needs a break”. A bear needs a break? What are you talking about? Your mind is racing in a… “I want your heart, baby, hopping on a plate”.. Hopping on a plate ? Wait a minute… It’s all going all over pretty wrong but you’ve got to keep going because it’s a jam. So this track “Really love you” is based on that.

Paul McCartney, in “Flaming Pie Radio Special”

When I played it back to Ringo, he said, ‘It’s relentless, it’s relentless.’ He’s a one with words.

Paul McCartney, from Badman, Keith. The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over

Ringo Starr, in Club Sandwich N°83, Autumn 1997:

[Paul] invited me to play on ‘Beautiful Night’ and I said “Sure”. I think it’s a beautiful track, and while we did that we started jamming. He had a few ideas for a jam, playing his bass. I love to play drums when Paul’s playing bass – he’s such a fine player, still the most melodic. We were just jamming and he was shouting these words, and it turned into a song. Jeff Lynne was playing a little plunky guitar too – it was just the three of us and it turned out fine, just finding a pattern and playing it – it’s organic, it grows. It was a fun day and I like to hang out with Paul and Linda.

‘Really Love You’ is the first time you and Paul have been credited as writing together, just the two of you.

Well, I was surprised when I spoke to Paul, because we did just make it up as we went along. He called me and said I was sharing the credit and I said, “Thank you very much”. I wasn’t expecting anything. It’s like, “you play on my albums through the years, and I’ll play on yours”. I don’t get union rate! You know, we usually have dinner and send each other flowers and that’s it.

Ringo Starr, in Club Sandwich N°83, Autumn 1997

In 2005, a remixed version was released on the album Twin Freaks, and as a limited edition 12″ vinyl.

Last updated on September 25, 2020

Lyrics

Well I need you
Through the night
When morning comes
I love the light
But in the night-time
That dark is black
Come on baby
You got to help me get back

I love you, oh yeah
I really love you, oh yeah

Do one thing
Do one thing for me
If you've got love
Then let me see

If you feel it in your heart
Then show it right now
You know I love you baby
I gotta get to you, get to you somehow

Oh yeah, I really love you
Oh yeah, I really love you
You know it's true

I really love you
Day and night
Yeah, I really love you
In the morning light
I really love you
Sure be right
Come on little baby
Gotta find out find out somehow

Yeah, yeah, really love you
Oh yeah, really love you

I love the things
You say and do
I can't get over
How much I love you

You know you do something
Special to me
And that's the way
I want it always to be, yeah

Oh yeah, really love you
Oh yeah, I really love you

I need your love
Like a bear needs a break
I need your heart, baby
Hopping on a plate
I need the sunshine
Of your smile
Help me walk
Help me walk that extra mile

Little baby, I love you
Oh yeah, you know I really love you
Oh yeah, you know it's true
Oh yeah, I love you

I love you

Variations


A Album version

A2020 2020 remaster

B "Twin Freaks" version

B1 "Twin Freaks" instrumental version, coming from a Mark Haefeli production acetate.

B2 "Twin Freaks" version - Radio Edit

Officially appears on


Flaming Pies

Official album • Released in 1997

5.14 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocal, Bass guitar, Electric guitar, Lead vocal, Producer, Wurlitzer piano
Ringo Starr :
Drums
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocal, Electric guitar, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer

Session Recording:
May 14, 1996
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Flaming Pie (White-Label Promo LP)

Official album • Released in 1997

5.14 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocal, Bass guitar, Electric guitar, Lead vocal, Producer, Wurlitzer piano
Ringo Starr :
Drums
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocal, Electric guitar, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer

Session Recording:
May 14, 1996
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Flaming Pie

Official album • Released in 1997

5.14 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocal, Bass guitar, Electric guitar, Lead vocal, Producer, Wurlitzer piano
Ringo Starr :
Drums
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocal, Electric guitar, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer

Session Recording:
May 14, 1996
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


The World Tonight #2

EP • Released in 1997

5:14 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocal, Bass guitar, Electric guitar, Lead vocal, Producer, Wurlitzer piano
Ringo Starr :
Drums
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocal, Electric guitar, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer

Session Recording:
May 14, 1996
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Really Love You (Promo)

12" Single • Released in 2005

5:42 • Studio versionB

Paul McCartney :
Executive producer
Clive Goddard :
Mixing engineer
Freelance Hellraiser :
Producer

Session Recording:
Circa 2004
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Really Love You / Lalula

12" Single • Released in 2005

5:42 • Studio versionB

Paul McCartney :
Executive producer
Clive Goddard :
Mixing engineer
Freelance Hellraiser :
Producer

Session Recording:
Circa 2004
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Really Love You / Lalula (Promo)

CD Single • Released in 2005

5:42 • Studio versionB2 • Radio Edit

Paul McCartney :
Executive producer
Clive Goddard :
Mixing engineer
Freelance Hellraiser :
Producer

Session Recording:
Circa 2004
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Twin Freaks

Official album • Released in 2005

5:42 • Studio versionB

Paul McCartney :
Executive producer
Clive Goddard :
Mixing engineer
Freelance Hellraiser :
Producer

Session Recording:
Circa 2004
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Flaming Pie - Archive Collection

Official album • Released in 2020

5:18 • Studio versionA2020 • 2020 remaster

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocal, Bass guitar, Electric guitar, Lead vocal, Producer, Wurlitzer piano
Ringo Starr :
Drums
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocal, Electric guitar, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Alex Wharton :
Remastering

Session Recording:
May 14, 1996
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Flaming Pie (2020 LP)

Official album • Released in 2020

5.14 • Studio versionA2020.1 • 2020 half-speed remaster

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocal, Bass guitar, Electric guitar, Lead vocal, Producer, Wurlitzer piano
Ringo Starr :
Drums
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocal, Electric guitar, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Miles Showell :
Mastering

Session Recording:
May 14, 1996
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Bootlegs


Flaming Pie Sessions

Unofficial album • Released in 2016

0:23 • Outtake • Drum & Bass Improvisations - Extract from the "Flaming Pie Radio Special"


Twin Freaks - Ultimate Archive Collection

Unofficial album • Released in 2015

3:39 • Studio versionB2 • Radio Edit

Paul McCartney :
Executive producer
Clive Goddard :
Mixing engineer
Freelance Hellraiser :
Producer

Session Recording:
Circa 2004
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Wings Multi Tracks

Unofficial album

5:31 • Studio versionB1 • "Twin Freaks" instrumental version, coming from a Mark Haefeli production acetate.

Paul McCartney :
Executive producer
Clive Goddard :
Mixing engineer
Freelance Hellraiser :
Producer

Session Recording:
Circa 2004
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


UK Singles Collection - Volume 06

Unofficial album • Released in 2007

5:18 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Backing vocal, Bass guitar, Electric guitar, Lead vocal, Producer, Wurlitzer piano
Ringo Starr :
Drums
Jeff Lynne :
Backing vocal, Electric guitar, Producer
Geoff Emerick :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Jon Jacobs :
Recording engineer
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer

Session Recording:
May 14, 1996
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


UK Singles Collection - Volume 07

Unofficial album • Released in 2007

5:52 • Studio versionB

Paul McCartney :
Executive producer
Clive Goddard :
Mixing engineer
Freelance Hellraiser :
Producer

Session Recording:
Circa 2004
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

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