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Released in 1989

Put It There

Written by Paul McCartney

Last updated on July 31, 2023

Album This song officially appears on the Flowers In The Dirt Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1989

Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1988, when Paul McCartney was 46 years old)

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Other singles from "Flowers In The Dirt"

Related interviews

Related articles

From Wikipedia:

“Put It There” is a 1990 single from Paul McCartney’s 1989 album, Flowers in the Dirt. The song reached number 32 on the UK singles chart. The lyrics were inspired by an expression of friendship that McCartney learned from his father, “Put it there [handshake] if it weighs a ton.“

Like other songs from Flowers in the Dirt, despite the song’s chart modest chart success, to date it has not been included on any McCartney compilation album.

The 7″ single also included a Wings song, “Mama’s Little Girl“, that had been originally recorded in 1972 but had been remixed and produced in its current version in 1987 by McCartney and Chris Thomas. The 12” single included a second Wings song, “Same Time Next Year“, which had been recorded on 5 and 6 May 1978 at RAK Studios, as a possible theme for the movie of the same name that had also been remixed and produced in 1987 by McCartney and Thomas.

This song was released as a 7″ single, a 12″ maxi-single, and a CD single.

Paul McCartney in "Conversations With McCartney", by Paul Du Noyer:

“Put It There” is what my dad used to say: “Put it there, if it weights a ton”. He had loads of mad expressions, my dad. He was a great guy, and like a lot of these Liverpool guys, you never think about it until years later, when you’re grown up and it’s ‘What did he mean?’

Conversations with McCartney • Paul du Noyer

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Paul McCartney in “Club Sandwich 52, Summer 1989“:

“Put it there’…was an expression my Dad used to say when we were kids. He used to hold his hand out and say, ‘Put it there if it weighs a ton’… My Dad died over ten years ago now, but you remember those things with affec-tion, you know. And so I wrote a song about that, which I think will become one of my favourites.

From paulmccartney.com, February 28, 2017:

“Is the song ‘Put It There’ about your father, brother and you, or is it about your relationship with your children?”

Paul said, “[…] The song was originally inspired by my dad who used the expression regularly. ‘Put it there, if it weighs a ton,’ he would say. Growing up I heard this expression a lot when he was shaking hands with anyone! So I have an affection for the phrase. When we were doing the video I explained this to the filmmakers, and so it really is to do with me and my dad. But then the next generation is me and my kids. So it’s to do with family. It’s to do with parents and kids. Or just anyone who wants to shake hands.”

Paul McCartney, in People Music, March 24, 2017:

McCartney once again laid down the rhythm on the track, but with an unusual twist. 

“There’s a little hand-slappy thing. That’s something we first heard on Buddy Holly’s record, a great old favorite of ours when we were growing up. He does a record called ‘Everyday.’ It’s a cute little song, a great little song, and there’s this tapping on it [demonstrates]. The story was that it was him tapping on his jeans. And if you ever do that and want to get that effect, don’t wear sweatpants or regular trousers. Jeans are what you need, they’ve got the right tone. That’s just a hint for you and your readers, should you ever be called on to a thigh-slapping session.”

Lyrics

Give me your hand I'd like to shake it

I want to show you I'm your friend,

You'll understand if I can make it clear

It's all that matters in the end.

Put it there if it weighs a ton,

That's what a father said to his young son

I don't care if it weighs a ton,

As long as you and I are here, put it there.

Long as you and I are here, put it there.

If there's a fight I'd like to fix it,

I hate to see things go so wrong.

The darkest night and all it's mixed emotions

Is getting lighter sing along.

Put it there if it weighs a ton,

That's what a father said to his young son

I don't care if it weighs a ton,

As long as you and I are here, put it there.

Long as you and I are here, put it there.

Officially appears on

See all official recordings containing “Put It There”

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Put It There”

Related film

  • Put it There

    1990 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Neil Mackenzie Matthews

Live performances

“Put It There” has been played in 104 concerts and 2 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where “Put It There” has been played

See all concerts where “Put It There” has been played

Going further

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

"Put It There" 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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