My Old Friend

Song facts

“My Old Friend” is a song written by Carl Perkins in 1981, while participating to the recording of Paul McCartney’s album “Tug Of War“. Carl Perkins was invited by Paul to Montserrat, where the recording of the album took place; and participated in Paul’s song, “Get It“. He spent eight days there

 to thank Paul for the invitation to Montserrat. Recorded on February 25, 1981, and released fifteen years later – after some sweetening – on Carl’s album Go Cat Go (October 15, 1996). On this album Carl presents collaboration with all of the Fab Four.

The night before I was supposed to leave, I thought I might run short of words telling Paul how much I appreciated him having me down there, so I wrote down some words and put a little tune to them. I called it ‘My Old Friend’, and sang it to him the next morning. Then I had to stay another day, because he said, ‘This is one we have to record.’ Linda told me, ‘He doesn’t cry a lot, but you touched him with that song.’ I only meant the song to be from me to him, but it turned out that it sounds like John Lennon is talking to him.

Carl Perkins. From Badman, Keith. The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over: Dream Is Over Vol 2 (p. 303)

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From Club Sandwich N°33, 1984:

[…] Paul really liked [My Old Friend] and got Carl to play it again for Linda and George Martin. Although Carl felt it was just a statement, Paul persuaded him to go into the studio there and then to put it down. Carl sang and played two guitar parts, Paul played organ, rhythm guitar, drums and bass, whilst adding backing vocals. It was cut within the hour.

Paul’s interest in the song was so strong that he asked Carl if he could take it back to England to work on an arrangement. Carl feels that Paul’s treatment is a masterpiece, which heightens the feelings expressed in the song. He says that My Old Friend means more to him than any other song he’s ever written, including Blue Suede Shoes, as it’s both his personal feeling to Paul whilst managing to hit a universal note with which many people can associate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RywM8Xy98Ew

From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RywM8Xy98Ew:

The night before he left, a song came to Carl that summed up his warm feelings about the visit, and he couldn’t get it out of his mind. It was so strong that Carl didn’t even write it down, which he said was strange for him. He usually always wrote his songs down immediately.

In the morning, Carl Perkins sang the song, which he named My Old Friend, for Linda and Paul, saying it was his gift for having him as a guest. Half way through the song, after singing “if we never meet again this side of life, in a little while, over yonder, where there’s peace and quiet, my old friend, won’t you think about me every now and then?” tears streamed down Paul’s face and he stood up and stepped outside.

Not knowing what the matter was, Carl stopped, a bit shaken. Didn’t Paul like the song? Linda warmly put her arms around Carl, and thanked him. She said the song was getting Paul to finally connect with his grief over John Lennon’s death.

Linda explained that the last time Paul talked to John, he had said the same line to Paul: “think about me every now and then, my old friend.”

Carl and Linda were now convinced that the song had been channeled from John Lennon’s spirit, as a gift to Paul.

Last updated on May 2, 2020

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