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Released in 1971

Another Day

Written by Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney

Last updated on May 30, 2020

Album This song officially appears on the Another Day / Oh Woman Oh Why 7" Single.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1971

Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1969, when Paul McCartney was 27 years old)

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interview

Related articles

I’d been working in New York with Phil Ramone. Linda and I were having a great time, working pretty hard, and one of the songs we had that was sounding good was called ‘Another Day’. It just felt like the first one that I thought ‘That could be a single’. It was as simple as that, really.

Paul McCartney, from Club Sandwich N°47/48, Spring 1988

From Wikipedia:

“Another Day” is a song recorded by Paul McCartney in New York in 1970, during the sessions for his album Ram. Although it was the first single of McCartney’s solo career, “Another Day” was actually written and previewed during The Beatles’ Let It Be Sessions in 1969. It was officially released on 19 February 1971 in the UK, with “Oh Woman, Oh Why” as the B-side. Neither song was included on the original pressings of Ram.

History

“Another Day” is written in an observational style reminiscent of “Eleanor Rigby“; Denny Seiwell, the drummer from the Ram Sessions, called it “‘Eleanor Rigby’ in New York City.” The lyrics describe the drudgery and sadness of an unnamed woman’s life at work and at home.

Paul’s wife, Linda McCartney, provided vocal harmonies on “Another Day“. Describing his and Linda’s distinctive harmonies, McCartney said “I wanted ‘our’ sound.” Paul was deliberately attempting to create a unique McCartney style, a musical identity outside of The Beatles. McCartney had decided to list Linda as co-writer of more than half the songs on Ram, and this decision extended to “Another Day.” Despite her lack of a musical pedigree, he insisted that Linda had been an active collaborator, making valuable suggestions about lyrics and melodies. Linda’s credits as co-writer were later regarded as business manoeuvres in the post-Beatles legal matters.

Matching the lyrical sense of isolation and social alienation was the unique sound of “Another Day.” Studio Assistant Engineer of the Ram sessions Dixon Van Winkle said that Paul asked him to pick the single. With McCartney’s blessing, Winkle mixed the song and pressed 100 copies for radio stations. “The next day I heard it on the air, I realized…we got carried away with the bass part…it pumped like crazy. But we never remixed the song, and Paul never said anything.“

McCartney has played the song live several times over the years first on his 1993 World Tour and then for the first time in 20 years on his 2013 Out There Tour.

Recording

According to drummer Denny Seiwell, the song was the first one taped during the RAM sessions in New York City at Columbia Studios. Basic track consisted of McCartney on acoustic guitar, Dave Spinozza on electric and Denny Seiwell on drums, with many overdubs added in subsequent sessions (bass, percussion, lots of other guitar parts).

Later release

Although “Another Day” and “Oh Woman, Oh Why” were not originally included on Ram, some CD re-releases of Ram have one or both songs as bonus tracks. “Another Day” has also appeared on several of McCartney’s greatest hits albums, including All the Best!. It also appeared on the Wings greatest hits compilations Wings Greatest and Wingspan: Hits and History even though the song was not credited to Wings and predates the band’s formation. The single was re-released as part of Record Store Day 2012. It was included on the Special and Deluxe editions of the 2012 remaster of Ram.

The song was included on an EP (along with “Oh Woman, Oh Why“, “Junk” and “Valentine Day“) released only in Mexico.

In popular culture

This song is referenced in John Lennon‘s “How Do You Sleep?” in the line “The only thing you done was Yesterday, and since you’ve gone you’re just Another Day“. It was featured prominently in a 2009 episode of The Simpsons titled “Bart Gets a ‘Z'”, and has also been included in several films such as 50 First Dates (2004) and The Lovely Bones (2009).

Paul McCartney in "Wingspan: Paul McCartney's Band on the Run":

I like the idea of writing songs about ordinary people and day-to-day lives, and Another Day is one of them. We all get up in the morning and do our usual stuff, yet somehow – even through it all – there are often magic moments. We recorded it in New York with the help of Phil Ramone and it was a hit which, at that time, was especially pleasing.

Wingspan: Paul McCartney's Band on the Run

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We were sitting in Studio A2 one day listening to the takes and Paul asked me to pick the single. I had definite feelings about the record and was in love with ‘Another Day.’ Paul said, ‘Okay. “Another Day” it is.’ I mixed the track and David Crawford cut about 100 copies of it in a back room at A&R for the radio stations. The next day when I heard it on the air, I realized it was a disaster! We got carried away with the bass part, and when it hit the radio station’s compressor, it pumped like crazy! I learned that lesson real quick! But we never remixed the song, and Paul never said anything about it.

Dixon Van Winkle, from MixOnline, August 1, 2004

Lyrics

Ev'ry day she takes a morning bath she wets her hair,

Wraps a towel around her as she's heading for the bedroom chair

It's just another day

Slipping into stockings, stepping into shoes

Dipping in the pocket of her raincoat

It's just another day

At the office where the papers grow she takes a break

Drinks another coffee and she finds it hard to stay awake

It's just another day

Du du du du du du, it's just another day

Du du du du du du, it's just another day

CHORUS

So sad, so sad,

Sometimes she feels so sad

Alone in her apartment she'd dwell

Till the man of her dreams comes to break the spell

Ah, stay, don't stand her up

And he comes and he stays

but he leaves the next day, so sad

Sometimes she feels so sad

As she posts another letter to the sound of five,

People gather 'round her and she finds it hard to stay alive.

It's just another day

Du du du du du du, it's just another day

Du du du du du du, it's just another day

CHORUS

Ev'ry day she takes a morning bath she wets her hair,

Wraps a towel around her as she's heading for the bedroom chair

It's just another day

Slipping into stockings, stepping into shoes

Dipping in the pockets of her raincoat

Ah, it's just another day

Du du du du du du, it's just another day

Du du du du du du, it's just another day

Officially appears on

See all official recordings containing “Another Day”

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Another Day”

Videos

Concert May 09, 2013 in Fortaleza

Live performances

“Another Day” has been played in 133 concerts and 14 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where “Another Day” has been played

See all concerts where “Another Day” has been played

Going further

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

"Another Day" is one of the songs featured in the book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present," published in 2021. The book explores Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career. It pairs the lyrics of 154 of his songs with his first-person commentary on the circumstances of their creation, the inspirations behind them, and his current thoughts on them.

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Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989

With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.

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Paul McCartney writing

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