Confidante

Written by Paul McCartney

Album This song officially appears on the Egypt Station Official album.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 2018

Master release


Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions



Related interviews



Interview with Cinra.net

Oct 31, 2018 • From CINRA.NET


Spread the love! If you like what you are seeing, share it on social networks and let others know about The Paul McCartney Project.

Song facts

Confidante” is a track from 2018 album “Egypt Station“. Paul McCartney premiered the song before the release of the album during his July 2018 concert at The Cavern, and introduced it by explaining:

When I was a kid I’d be playing that guitar all the time. But I hadn’t done it for a while. It was there looking a bit forlorn. It used to be my confidante, my under-the-staircase friend. I had other friends!

Paul McCartney

From “Words Between The Tracks” YouTube series:

With the song “Confidante”, I happened to be at home and I was looking in the corner where, propped up, was my old Martin guitar that I normally just have there, so if I feel like playing the guitar, I’ll take it down and play it or try and write a song or whatever you do.

And I thought to myself, I haven’t had time lately to play guitar. And it reminded me that when we first got guitars years and years ago they would be like a friend. It would be like a confidant. You’d go off into a corner, and you’d write a little song, and you would sort-of almost tell your troubles to your guitar.

It’s a love song to the guitar, how the guitar was my confidant, and I told you every little secret thing, and, in fact, unlike my other so-called friends, you stood beside me while I fought. So it became a symbol of the guitar as a mate, as a friend, as a confidant.

Paul McCartney

[Paul McCartney’s] main acoustic is his Martin D28 which he’s had for about 30 years. He’s used that for everything, recording, live. We’ve got a couple, we’ve just got a new-ish one and he’s got an older one, a ’64 D28 that lives at home with him. He wrote a song on his last album called Confidante, and that was written about that guitar.

Keith Smith, Paul’s technical manager – from Music Radar, December 18, 2020
Each track of “Egypt Station” has been given individual artwork that was first published on Twitter on August 14, 2018
From Twitter –  Paul with his ‘Confidante’ 2018. Photo by @maryamccartney

Last updated on December 19, 2020

The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.

"Confidante" is one of the 154 songs covered.

Lyrics

You used to be my confidante
My underneath the staircase friend
But I fell out of love with you
And brought our romance to an end

I played with you throughout the day
And told you every secret thought
Unlike my other so-called friends
You stood beside me as I fought

In your reflected glory I
Could dream of shining far off lands
Where serpents turn to bits of string
And played like kittens in my hand

In our imaginary world
Where butterflies wear army boots
And stomp around the forest chanting
Long lost anthems
Long lost anthems

You used to be my confidante
My underneath the staircase friend
But I fell out of love with you
And brought our romance to an end

I played with you throughout the day
And told you every secret thought
Unlike my other so-called friends
You stood beside me as I fought
You stood beside me as I fought

You used to be my confidante

Variations


A Album version

L1 Live at LIPA

Officially appears on


Egypt Station (Limited Orange & Blue LP)

Official album

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


Egypt Station (Deluxe edition)

Official album • Released in 2018

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


Egypt Station (Limited Red LP)

Official album • Released in 2018

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


Egypt Station (Limited Green Spotify LP)

Official album • Released in 2018

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


Egypt Station (Orange cassette)

Cassette • Released in 2018

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


Egypt Station

Official album • Released in 2018

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


Egypt Station - Explorer's Edition

Official album • Released in 2019

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles


Egypt Station - Explorer's Edition

Official album • Released in 2019

3:16 • LiveL1 • Live at LIPA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Acoustic bass guitar, Background vocals
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Acoustic guitar, Background vocals
Paul Wickens :
Accordion, Background vocals
Brian Ray :
Background vocals, Bass
Giles Martin :
Mixer, Producer, Recording engineer
Paul Boothroyd :
Recording engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixer, Recording engineer
Randy Merrill :
Mastering engineer

Concert From "Paul McCartney in Casual Conversation from LIPA" in Liverpool, United Kingdom on Jul 25, 2018


Egypt Station - Traveller's Edition

Official album • Released in 2019

3:13 • LiveL1 • Live at LIPA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Acoustic bass guitar, Background vocals
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Acoustic guitar, Background vocals
Paul Wickens :
Accordion, Background vocals
Brian Ray :
Background vocals, Bass
Giles Martin :
Mixer, Producer, Recording engineer
Paul Boothroyd :
Recording engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixer, Recording engineer
Randy Merrill :
Mastering engineer

Concert From "Paul McCartney in Casual Conversation from LIPA" in Liverpool, United Kingdom on Jul 25, 2018


Egypt Station - Traveller's Edition

Official album • Released in 2019

3:04 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Acoustic guitar, Bass, Co-producer, Piano, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Engineering assistant
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Engineering
Jamie Kirkham :
Engineering assistant
Mark 'Spike' Stent :
Mixing engineer
Michael Freeman :
Mixing assistant
Alex Pasco :
Engineering
Julian Burg :
Engineering
Derek Stockwell :
Mixing assistant

Session Recording:
2016-2018 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

Session Mixing:
2018 ?
Studio :
Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles

Live performances

“Confidante” has been played in 3 concerts and 1 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where Confidante has been played


Secret gig at The Cavern Club

Jul 26, 2018 • United Kingdom • Liverpool • The Cavern Club


Paul McCartney in Casual Conversation from LIPA

Jul 25, 2018 • United Kingdom • Liverpool • Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts


"Under The Staircase" Spotify show

Jul 23, 2018 • United Kingdom • London • Abbey Road Studios

Contribute!

Have you spotted an error on the page? Do you want to suggest new content? Or do you simply want to leave a comment ? Please use the form below!

Robert 6 years ago

That is a absolute blinder pure mcartney


Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *