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Released in 1970

Momma Miss America

Written by Paul McCartney • Instrumental

Last updated on May 24, 2025

Album This song officially appears on the McCartney LP.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1970

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

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interviews

Other instrumental songs on "McCartney"

“Momma Miss America” is an instrumental track from Paul McCartney’s debut solo album, “McCartney“, released in April 1970. The piece is a combination of two separate recordings that Paul joined together. The first section was originally titled “Rock ’n’ Roll Springtime” before being renamed “Momma,” while the second part began as “12 Bar Instrumental” and eventually became “Miss America.”

In 2007, the song was included in “The McCartney Years” DVD box set, where it appears as background music on the “Chronology” menu of Disc 2.

In 1997, director Cameron Crowe featured “Momma Miss America,” along with “Singalong Junk,” on the soundtrack of his film “Jerry Maguire.”

An instrumental recorded completely at home. Made up as I went along – first a sequence of chords, then a melody on top. Piano, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar. Originally it was two pieces but they ran into each other by accident and became one.

Paul McCartney – From the press release of “McCartney”, April 1970

Putting [the “McCartney” album] together was probably the most fun [of my solo albums]. It was so intimate, it was just me, and, listening to it now, I think that I did stuff that I wouldn’t normally have done. Some of the instrumentals I like a lot. They may not mean much – ‘Momma Miss America’ doesn’t really add up to much – but I like them.

Paul McCartney – From interview in Club Sandwich, Winter 1994

For me now, it’s great memories of a happy period: getting with Linda, earliest days. She helped me, because I’d have a guitar and amp in the house and she’d say, ‘I never knew you played guitar!’ Yeah, I’d play a few blues licks, you know? I’d say I did this and that, did the “Taxman” solos… She was very encouraging, and that led me to ‘Momma Miss America’, ‘Kreen-Akrore’, which were right off the wall. Then a few more normal things crept in, and it became an album.

Paul McCartney – From “Conversations with McCartney” by Paul du Noyer
From the press release of “McCartney”, April 1970

Variations

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Going further

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

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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