New album name revealed as “Kisses On The Bottom”

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On December 19, 2011, Paul McCartney announced a new album of covers of traditional pop music and jazz. At the time, the title and track listing were unknown.

Early January, the official Paul McCartney twitter account publishes a cryptic message “kisses on the bottom“. And confirmation of the album title and track listing came on January 8, 2012.

From For Whom The Bell Tells, December 22, 2012:

In early January, I had to field endless calls from the media assuming Paul’s Twitter account had been hacked when he tweeted just four words – ‘kisses on the bottom’ – with no further explanation. The panic soon subsided when everyone realised this was Paul’s tongue-in-cheek way of announcing his new album title! “I thought that would be fun,” he remembers with a chuckle, “so I tried it out on a few people and it was a really split reaction. Certain people said ‘Ah I love it, that is so cool.’ And some people said, ‘Are you kidding? Are you really going to do that?’ So in the end I thought no, this is what it’s got to be called and people said it was going to be controversial but I said that was okay. I reminded people one of the first times any controversy had ever arisen was when we told them the group was called The Beatles and they said, ‘err creepy crawly things,’ and so that’s what the tweet was about. It was a way to introduce the new album and get people talking.”

From paulmccartney.com, January 8, 2012:

On December 19th 2011 Paul announced that February 2012 would see the release of his brand new studio album. Scores of fans then streamed the new original track ‘My Valentine’, many assuming it would be the new record’s title track. While a few Twitter hints have been dropped and rumours have run rampant, Paul puts an end to speculation today, confirming that the album will indeed be titled ‘Kisses On The Bottom’.

Paul has apparently had some fun with his choice of album title—while causing some confusion amongst those who have historically subjected his every move to microscopic scrutiny (with many fixating on an anatomical interpretation!). The phrase ‘Kisses On The Bottom,’ however, actually comes from the album’s opener ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter’. Originally made a big hit by Fats Waller in 1935, the song opens with the lines ‘I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter and make believe it came from you. I’m gonna write words oh so sweet. They’re gonna knock me off of my feet. A lot of kisses on the bottom , I’ll be glad I got ‘em’.

‘Kisses On The Bottom’ is a collection of standards Paul grew up listening to in his childhood as well as the two new McCartney compositions ‘My Valentine’ and ‘Only Our Hearts’. With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—as well as guest appearances from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder,
McCartney’s new album is a deeply personal journey through classic American compositions that, in some cases, a young Paul first heard his father perform on piano at home. The full tracklisting reveals that Paul has been both reverent and adventurous in his song choices.

Kisses On The Bottom

I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter 02:36

Home (When Shadows Fall) 04:04

It’s Only A Paper Moon 02:35

More I Cannot Wish You 03:04

The Glory Of Love 03:46

We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me) 03:22

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive 02:32

My Valentine 03:14

Always 03:50

My Very Good Friend The Milkman 03:04

Bye Bye Blackbird 04:26

Get Yourself Another Fool 04:42

The Inch Worm 03:43

Only Our Hearts 04:21

Deluxe CD Album will feature two bonus tracks plus access to a download of an exclusive live show (available from Tuesday 14th February via paulmccartney.com), plus longer liner notes and expanded packaging featuring three postcards)

Baby’s Request 03:30

My One And Only Love 03:50

The album will also be available digitally. You will be able to pre-order the album directly from PaulMcCartney.com soon!

The album was recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, New York and London throughout 2011. It also features guest musicians Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, respectively, on the original compositions ‘My Valentine’ and ‘Only Our Hearts’. Eric also appears on the track ‘Get Yourself Another Fool’.

The album artwork concept was conceived by Jonathan Schofield (Visual Director at Stella McCartney) and designed by Matthew Cooper (who has worked with artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand). Paul was photographed by his daughter Mary McCartney for the album sleeve.

Last updated on November 11, 2020