Album This song officially appears on the Driving Rain Official album.
Timeline This song was officially released in 2001
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Feb 17, 2001
November 2001 • From paulmccartney.com
“I Do” is a track from Paul McCartney’s 2001 album “Driving Rain“.
Recorded 17th February 2001 onto 16-track analogue tape then loaded into Logic Audio for overdubs. David Leonard mixed this track. Paul played Martin acoustic then overdubbed Hofner bass and the lead vocal. Abe played Paul’s Ludwig drum kit and overdubbed tambourine. Rusty played Gibson SG electric guitar. Gabe played piano. David overdubbed orchestral samples.
From paulmccartney.com
‘I Do’ was the third of the India songs. It was one of those ‘if you only knew’ songs, like just talking to someone; ‘if you only knew, that it’s OK from my side’. It’s like a communicative statement to someone – ‘whatever you think at any given time, remember this – I do’. Like I may be goofing off but essentially I wrote this song to say it’s OK. That was another afternoon in Goa song; my three little Goaers. As I said I started singing it low but then, as a vocal trick to kick the song along in the second verse, I found I could actually easily lift it an octave and a nice little moment happened that I like on this song, when I’m catching my breath in order to go up the octave. It’s a little signature thing that happened which I didn’t mean to happen, but it’s good that there are those little accidents. And then David Kahne put an arrangement on from his trusty bank of sounds; he’s got like 24,000 sounds in his bank – he’s got string sounds that can be the bow going one way or the bow going the other way.
Paul McCartney – From “The Driving Rain interview” published on paulmccartney.com, November 2001
If you only knew
How much it meant to me
You'd understand
And I would feel
Your love was true
This is all I want
This is all I need
This is all I long for, I do
Just remember this
After a time it's through
And evermore
Will there be days
For me and you
This is all I ask
All I ask of you
Please remember darling, I do
Love you
Days go by so quickly
When you're having fun
But life is never easy
Even in the sun
Please remember this
After a time it's through
And evermore
Will there be days
For me and you
This is all I want
This is all I need
Darling please remember, I do
Love you
If you only knew
Official album • Released in 2001
2:56 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums, Tambourine Gabe Dixon : Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Orchestral samples, Producer Mark Dearnley : Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer David Leonard : Mixing engineer
Session Recording: Feb 17, 2001 • Studio Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles
Driving Rain - Ultimate Archive Collection
Unofficial album • Released in 2015
2:56 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Bass, Executive producer, Vocals Rusty Anderson : Electric guitar Abe Laboriel Jr. : Drums, Tambourine Gabe Dixon : Piano David Kahne : Mixing engineer, Orchestral samples, Producer Mark Dearnley : Recording engineer Jaime Sickora : Assistant engineer Kevin Mills : Second assistant engineer David Leonard : Mixing engineer
Session Recording: Feb 17, 2001 • Studio Henson Recording Studio, Los Angeles
Give Us That Knowing Wink - Official Rarities - Ultimate Archive Collection
Unofficial album • Released in 2016
0:56 • Studio version • A1 • Snippet under a minute long, made from the song on “Driving Rain” and released in October 2001 on a US promo CD single ‘From A Lover To A Friend’. For the completist.
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
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