Slidin'

Written by Paul McCartney

Album This song officially appears on the McCartney III Official album.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 2020

Master release


Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions


"Egypt Station" sessions

Between 2017 and 2019


Recording "McCartney III"

April - June 2020 ?

Related interviews


You Gave Me The Answer - 'Amoeba Gig'

Jul 17, 2019 • From paulmccartney.com


"McCartney III" Twitter Listening Party

Dec 21, 2020 • From Tim's Twitter Listening Party

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

Slidin’” is a track from 2020 album “McCartney III“.

“Slidin'” was started during the sessions for Paul’s previous studio album “Egypt Station” which entered the Billboard album charts at #1. The song’s riff came about by Paul jamming with his live band. Before playing a gig, Paul will often perform a soundcheck set of an hour or longer. The riff from “Slidin'” came from the soundcheck jam at his Dusseldorf show in May 2016. To achieve the heavy drum sound that opens the track, Paul recorded the tom-toms at double speed. When played back at normal speed, the drums are then an octave lower and the effect creates a deeper tone.

From Spotify Storyline. Storyline is a feature of Spotify that gives behind-the-scenes information from artists about their songs, presented with a carousel of cards featuring a combination of text and images.

Do you and the band still improvise at soundcheck?

Yeah, we do! We’ve got millions of them! And fortunately, there’s a guy in our team called Jamie, who logs them. And he tells me we’ve actually got thousands! Some of them are really good and occasionally I’ll pick one out and work on it. For ‘Egypt Station’, I picked one out, though we didn’t finish it. I picked one out and we’re kind of making a track around this riff from the soundcheck jam. ‘Cause it was like, “That was a good little riff!” But because they’re improvised they’re instant and then they’re gone.

Paul McCartney – Interview for paulmccartney.com, July 17, 2019

Slidin’ came from a soundcheck jam when we were playing in Dusseldorf in Germany. During soundchecks, when I’m checking my guitar, I like to try and make something up and the band will join in and the sound man then gets the sound of my guitar which I’m going to use later in the show. So I started jamming and this riff came out that I liked and so we developed that and I thought ‘I must do something with that’. I really liked it as a riff, it stayed in my brain, so we did and recorded it for ‘Egypt Station’ [his 2018 solo album] with my band but it didn’t work out, so I had it kind of half finished so I changed some things here and there and put lyrics on it and so it became this.

‘Slidin’ for me is… I would listen to the Olympics, the Winter Olympics and hear the announcers saying ‘sliding’, they kept saying the word ‘sliding’, when they meant Snowboarding or Skiing or Tobogganing anything with slides, I just thought that’s a great, nice name for all of those, a group name for all of that so I then started thinking of snowboarders and skiers and that became the song ‘Slidin’.

Paul McCartney, from NME, December 23, 2020

We used our Studer J37 Tape Machine on this track. The drums were recorded at double speed.

Paul McCartney – from the “McCartney III” Tim’s Twitter Listening Party, December 21, 2020

You’re on a bit of McCartney III, right?

Yeah. It was mainly a solo record, but he used an idea from a soundcheck. We learned it and played the riff. We ended up playing that song since that song was recorded during the Egypt Station sessions. It was called “Slidin’.” I think that song came out really cool. It has us playing on it. After we did that session, I think he wrote lyrics to it and fleshed it out into a whole song.

Rusty Anderson – Interview with Rolling Stone – October 11, 2023

The soundcheck jam from the concert in Dusseldorf was released as a bonus track on some editions of “McCartney III“.

In 2021, for the “McCartney III Imagined” project, English guitarist Ed O’Brien (EOB) reimagined “Slidin’“.

From Universal Music – Calling all musicians – McCartney III is almost here! Teasers are popping up in cities across the globe, sharing excerpts of the sheet music from each song.We would love to see your takes on each song. Join in the fun by recording your own version! – In New York
From Twitter – We used our Studer J37 Tape Machine on this track. The drums were recorded at double speed
Screenshot of Spotify Storyline

Last updated on October 20, 2023

Lyrics

I know there must be other ways
Of feeling free
But this is what I wanna do
Who I wanna be

And every time I try
I feel like I can fly
But I know that I can Die trying

CHORUS
I’m slidin’
Gliding through the air
I can see my body through
Windows in my hair
I’m slidin’
Gliding through the air

I know nobody’s dancing here
But us dragonflies
We’re the only ones awake
We own the skies

And every time I try
I feel like I can fly
But I know that I can
Die trying

[Repeat chorus]
[Repeat chorus]

I can feel my body burn
Slidin’ through the air

Variations


A Album version

B "McCartney III Imagined" version

L1 Dusseldorf Jam

Officially appears on


McCartney III (Test pressing)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:23 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Electric guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Pasco :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Between 2017 and 2019

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III

Official album • Released in 2020

3:23 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Electric guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Pasco :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Between 2017 and 2019

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album)

Official album • Released in 2020

4:58 • SoundcheckL1 • Düsseldorf Jam

Paul McCartney :
Engineer, Producer
Performed by :
Paul McCartneyRusty AndersonAbe Laboriel Jr.Paul WickensBrian Ray
Paul Boothroyd :
Recording engineer
Steve Orchard :
Engineer

Concert From the concert in Dusseldorf, Germany on May 28, 2016


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Blue Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:23 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Electric guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Pasco :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Between 2017 and 2019

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Red Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:23 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Electric guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Pasco :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Between 2017 and 2019

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition White Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:23 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Electric guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Pasco :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Between 2017 and 2019

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Yellow Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:23 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Electric guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Pasco :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Between 2017 and 2019

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Blue Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

4:58 • SoundcheckL1 • Dusseldorf Jam

Paul McCartney :
Engineer, Producer
Performed by :
Paul McCartneyRusty AndersonAbe Laboriel Jr.Paul WickensBrian Ray
Paul Boothroyd :
Recording engineer
Steve Orchard :
Engineer

Concert From the concert in Dusseldorf, Germany on May 28, 2016


McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:23 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
Rusty Anderson :
Electric guitar
Abe Laboriel Jr. :
Drums
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Greg Kurstin :
Producer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Pasco :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Between 2017 and 2019

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Japanese edition - Limited release)

Official album • Released in 2020

4:58 • SoundcheckL1 • Düsseldorf Jam

Paul McCartney :
Engineer, Producer
Performed by :
Paul McCartneyRusty AndersonAbe Laboriel Jr.Paul WickensBrian Ray
Paul Boothroyd :
Recording engineer
Steve Orchard :
Engineer

Concert From the concert in Dusseldorf, Germany on May 28, 2016


Films


Slidin'

2021 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Jack McCoy


Slidin' (EOB Remix / Visualizer)

2021 • For Paul McCartney


Slidin' (EOB Remix)

2021 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Jack McCoy


Slidin' (Lyric video)

2021 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Lucy Dyson


Slidin' (Official Trailer)

2021 • For Paul McCartney

Live performances

“Slidin'” has been played in 1 soundchecks.

Contribute!

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John Quinn 4 years ago

Are we sure Rusty and Abe are on the studio version? Or is this an error sneaking in from their playing on the bonus track "Dusseldorf" version?


The PaulMcCartney Project 4 years ago

Hi @john, they are officially credited - see credits at the bottom of https://www.mccartneyiii.com/lyrics/


oj 4 years ago

great rock song by macca.


zeemorg 2 years ago

Isn't this song quoting "Walking Through the Air" from The Snowman?


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