Recording "A Friend Like You"

Paul McCartney contributed to Brian Wilson’s 2004 album, Gettin’ In Over My Head, by playing and singing on the track “A Friend Like You“.

Some reports placed the recording session in September 2003, when Paul McCartney was in Los Angeles for the 3rd Annual Adopt-A-Minefield Gala. But two evidences the session happened in 2004:

• Brian Wilson published two photos of Paul McCartney and him from this session, and the date indicated is May 20, 2004.
• In an interview dated August 2004, Brian Wilson said “I called him about four months ago asking him if he could come out and do — sing a song called “A Friend Like You”

From CNN.com, interview of Brian Wilson by Larry King, August 20, 2004:

LARRY KING: Now how about the meeting with Paul McCartney?

BRIAN WILSON: I talked to Paul McCartney over the years ranging from 1967 to 2004.

LARRY KING: Talked to him in person, you met him and…

BRIAN WILSON: At the landmine show he did “God Only Knows” with me and I did “Let It Be” with him. And then I called him about four months ago asking him if he could come out and do — sing a song called “A Friend Like You,” which I wrote for him, me and my collaborator wrote for him. And he said he’d love to come out. And he came to the studio and that was one of the bigger thrills of my life to tell you the truth, to produce Paul McCartney. And that was a thrill for me. That was a thrill.

LARRY KING: You wrote the song? “A Friend Like You.”

BRIAN WILSON: And the lyrics were written by Steve Kalinich.

LARRY KING: And it was referring to Paul?

BRIAN WILSON: To Paul. Yeah.

LARRY KING: And he sang it?

BRIAN WILSON: Yes he did. He sang some of it. Yes.

LARRY KING: What a thrill that must have been.

BRIAN WILSON: Oh, it was such a thrill!

Session activities

1. A Friend Like You

   Written by Brian Wilson, Steve Kalinich

   Recording

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012

This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.Read our exclusive interview with Luca Perasi

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