Alligator

Written by Paul McCartney

Album This song officially appears on the New Official album.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 2013

Master release


Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions





Related interviews


What Makes Paul McCartney Nervous?

Oct 15, 2013 • From NPR Music

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Song facts

Alligator” is a song from 2013 album “NEW“, produced by Mark Ronson, one of the four producers who worked on this album. This is the first song that Paul composed for this album.

I had a few weeks when I settled in a regular system. What I would do is, I’d take my little girl to school, my youngest daughter and then I’d come back, and I’d have some time before I would have to go and pick her up again. So, I’d just come home get myself a cup of green tea and sit with my guitar or piano. On Alligator I wanted to feel Zen. I was messing around and I staffed getting the idea: “I need someone to come home to. I need a place I can rest”. I knew that in about 3 or 4-hours’ time after I started I’d be ringing Nancy, who was in New York, and I knew I’d wake her up. It was about 12 o’clock, it was 7 o’clock for her. So this gave me a motivation to write something and ring her up and say: “Morning, baby. You wanna hear a song?”

Paul McCartney, interview with Zane Lowe, October 2013

From the NEW biography:

Mark’s other contribution, ‘Alligator’, afforded him the opportunity to get his hands on the original four-track recorder from Abbey Road that Paul had used on a lot of his solo recordings made post-The Beatles, up in Scotland. “That was one where we experimented a lot. Because his music is just so all around us now, we forget that Paul, with The Beatles and solo, was always on the cutting edge of technology. So it makes sense that he would want to try out all these new pieces of equipment. We used a TC Helicon for the vocals, which is what Kanye uses a lot on his stuff, so there’s some really interesting things going on with the vocals in the bridges of that song.”

Last updated on June 3, 2019

Lyrics

I want someone to come home to
I need somewhere I can sleep
I need a place where I can rest my weary bones
And have a conversation not too deep

Everybody else is busy doing better than me
And I can see why it is
They got someone setting them free
Someone breaking the chains
Someone letting them be

I want someone who can save me
When I come home from the zoo
I need somebody who’s a sweet communicator
I can give my alligator to

Everybody seems to know what they are talking about
And I can see why it is
They got someone breaking them out
Someone finding the key
Someone setting them free

Could you be that person for me
Would you feel right setting me free
Could you dare to find my key

I want someone who can bail me
When I get up to my tricks
I need somebody used to
Dealing with a sinner
Whenever I get in a fix

Everybody else is busy doing better than me
And I can see why it is
They got someone setting them free
Someone breaking the chains
Someone letting them be

Could you be that person for me
Would you feel right setting me free
Could you dare to find my key

Officially appears on


New (Deluxe Edition)

Official album • Released in 2013

3:27 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Celeste, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Percussion, Play-me-a-song book, Synthesizer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Paul Wickens :
Keyboards
Brian Ray :
Guitar
Mark Ronson :
Producer
Eddie Klein :
Recording engineer (?)
Kevin Mills :
Assistant mixing engineer
Jamie Kirkham :
Recording engineer (?)
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Geoff Swan :
Assistant mixing engineer
Al O'Connell :
Recording engineer (?)
Josh Blair :
Recording engineer (?)
Robert Mallory :
Recording engineer (?)
Tyler Hartman :
Recording engineer (?)

Session Recording:
January 2012
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Overdubs:
July 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Overdubs:
September 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Mixing:
April 2013
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


New (Japan Edition)

Official album • Released in 2013

3:27 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Celeste, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Percussion, Play-me-a-song book, Synthesizer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Paul Wickens :
Keyboards
Brian Ray :
Guitar
Mark Ronson :
Producer
Eddie Klein :
Recording engineer (?)
Kevin Mills :
Assistant mixing engineer
Jamie Kirkham :
Recording engineer (?)
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Geoff Swan :
Assistant mixing engineer
Al O'Connell :
Recording engineer (?)
Josh Blair :
Recording engineer (?)
Robert Mallory :
Recording engineer (?)
Tyler Hartman :
Recording engineer (?)

Session Recording:
January 2012
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Overdubs:
July 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Overdubs:
September 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Mixing:
April 2013
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


New

Official album • Released in 2013

3:27 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Celeste, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Percussion, Play-me-a-song book, Synthesizer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Paul Wickens :
Keyboards
Brian Ray :
Guitar
Mark Ronson :
Producer
Eddie Klein :
Recording engineer (?)
Kevin Mills :
Assistant mixing engineer
Jamie Kirkham :
Recording engineer (?)
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Geoff Swan :
Assistant mixing engineer
Al O'Connell :
Recording engineer (?)
Josh Blair :
Recording engineer (?)
Robert Mallory :
Recording engineer (?)
Tyler Hartman :
Recording engineer (?)

Session Recording:
January 2012
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Overdubs:
July 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Overdubs:
September 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Mixing:
April 2013
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


New (2014 Japan Tour Edition)

Official album • Released in 2014

3:27 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Celeste, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Percussion, Play-me-a-song book, Synthesizer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Paul Wickens :
Keyboards
Brian Ray :
Guitar
Mark Ronson :
Producer
Eddie Klein :
Recording engineer (?)
Kevin Mills :
Assistant mixing engineer
Jamie Kirkham :
Recording engineer (?)
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Geoff Swan :
Assistant mixing engineer
Al O'Connell :
Recording engineer (?)
Josh Blair :
Recording engineer (?)
Robert Mallory :
Recording engineer (?)
Tyler Hartman :
Recording engineer (?)

Session Recording:
January 2012
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Overdubs:
July 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Overdubs:
September 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Mixing:
April 2013
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


New (Collector's Edition)

Official album • Released in 2014

3:27 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Celeste, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Percussion, Play-me-a-song book, Synthesizer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Paul Wickens :
Keyboards
Brian Ray :
Guitar
Mark Ronson :
Producer
Eddie Klein :
Recording engineer (?)
Kevin Mills :
Assistant mixing engineer
Jamie Kirkham :
Recording engineer (?)
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Geoff Swan :
Assistant mixing engineer
Al O'Connell :
Recording engineer (?)
Josh Blair :
Recording engineer (?)
Robert Mallory :
Recording engineer (?)
Tyler Hartman :
Recording engineer (?)

Session Recording:
January 2012
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Overdubs:
July 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Overdubs:
September 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Mixing:
April 2013
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


NEW (Limited Edition - Pink LP)

Official album • Released in 2018

3:27 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Celeste, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Percussion, Play-me-a-song book, Synthesizer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Paul Wickens :
Keyboards
Brian Ray :
Guitar
Mark Ronson :
Producer
Eddie Klein :
Recording engineer (?)
Kevin Mills :
Assistant mixing engineer
Jamie Kirkham :
Recording engineer (?)
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Geoff Swan :
Assistant mixing engineer
Al O'Connell :
Recording engineer (?)
Josh Blair :
Recording engineer (?)
Robert Mallory :
Recording engineer (?)
Tyler Hartman :
Recording engineer (?)

Session Recording:
January 2012
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Overdubs:
July 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Overdubs:
September 2012
Studio :
Avatar Studios, New York, USA

Session Mixing:
April 2013
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles

Bootlegs


Alone Together Vol.2

Unofficial album • Released in 2014

3:36 • Alternate takeB • Alternate studio version, extended intro, different end


Out There Japan Tour 2013

Unofficial live

3:58 • Soundcheck

Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Nov 19, 2013


Out There Japan Tour 2013

Unofficial live

3:28 • Soundcheck

Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Nov 21, 2013


Out There TOKYO 3rd Nov. 21, 2013

Unofficial live • Released in 2013

3:27 • Soundcheck

Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Nov 21, 2013


Out There TOKYO 2nd Nov. 19, 2013

Unofficial live • Released in 2013

3:40 • Soundcheck

Concert From the concert in Tokyo, Japan on Nov 19, 2013


Live performances

“Alligator” has been played in 23 soundchecks.

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