Put It There / Mama's Little Girl

Track list

Side 1

1. Put It There

   Written by Paul McCartney

   2:10 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Harmonies, Lead vocal, Orchestra lead, Orchestration, Percussion, Producer Hamish Stuart : Bass, Percussion George Martin : Orchestra lead, Orchestration Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Neil Dorfsman : Additional production Chris Witten : Hi hat, Percussion Peter Henderson : Computer programming, Recording engineer Lance Phillips : Assistant engineer

   Session Recording: Apr 22, 1988 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Session Orchestra overdubs: Nov 28, 1988 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Session Mixing: Jan 20, 1989 • Studio Olympic Sound Studios, London

Side 2

1. Mama's Little Girl

   Written by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney

   3:41 • Studio version • A

   Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals, Bass (?), Drums, Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Producer, Tambourine (?), Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals, Tambourine Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?) Henry McCullough : Electric guitar (?) Denny Seiwell : African percussion Heather McCartney : Backing vocals Chris Thomas : Producer Glyn Johns : Recording engineer Bill Price : Mixing engineer Phil Ault : Assistant recording engineer

   Session Recording: Mar 14, 1972 • Studio Olympic Sound Studios, London

   Session Mixing: August 1987 • Studio AIR Studios, London or Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

From Wikipedia:

This song was released as a 7″ single, a 12″ maxi-single, and a CD single.

7″ single

1. “Put It There”
2. “Mama’s Little Girl”

12″ single

1. “Put It There”
2. “Mama’s Little Girl”
3. “Same Time Next Year”

CD single

1. “Put It There”
2. “Mama’s Little Girl”
3. “Same Time Next Year”

Notes on the sleeve:

It was the Parisians who started it – back in October of ’89. At first you thought “What the hell are THEY doing?” as, down on the floor of the Palais Omnisports, Bercy, the girls were grabbing partners and bopping to ‘Put It ‘There’ .

This was a new one on a bunch of us. Up until Paris, the European fans had kind of swayed their heads, tapped their feet a bit. But not danced.

So they’re thinking, these French, you’re thinking, they’re thinking it’s a disco song. But it ain’t. Is it? Maybe it is; they thought so in Madrid and Milan and Rome. They danced to it there too.

But it had started as a ditty Paul had done about his Dad; just something Mr. McCartney used to say when Paul was a nipper with a troubled brow — “Put it there, son“, he’d say, holding out his hand, “put it there, if it weighs a ton“. Sort of like a problem shared, I guess. Sort of “Help? You’ve got somebody“.

Anyway, I’ve seen the song bopped to now. I’ve seen it choke Paul on stage, as he remembers his dear old dad. I’ve seen grown men in Chicago clasp their young sons to them as Paul sings it, rocking them tenderly. It’s a dance song. It’s a love song. For young boppers. For fathers. And for sons. And it’ll get you. In the end.

GEOFF BAKER