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Released in 1982

Somebody Who Cares

Written by Paul McCartney

Last updated on May 9, 2020

Album This song officially appears on the Tug Of War Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1982

Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1982, when Paul McCartney was 40 years old)

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interviews

“Somebody Who Cares” is a song from 1982 album “Tug Of War“, written the day (February 8th, 1981) before it was recorded at AIR Studios, Montserrat.

I played the album to my kids and out of all the hooks on this record, my four-year-old boy, James, sings ‘Somebody Who Cares’ and I don’t know why he chose that hook from the whole album. He’s a baby and he now knows ‘Somebody Who Cares’ and so he goes around humming it… We decided we wanted the distinctive Spanish guitar sound on the session. I had written it the day before, out in Montserrat. We used to have the weekends off, because I like to do that, otherwise you just work yourself into the ground. I like a break and then you come back so fresh. On this Sunday afternoon, I sat outside and just got my guitar and went off into a corner. I knew that Steve Gadd and Stanley Clarke were coming in the next day and we were going to do a session. So instead of just doing one of the songs that I had written, I thought that it would be really nice if I wrote something fresh and I’d play it fresh to them and we’ll all be up to the same time on the thing. So I wrote ‘Somebody Who Cares’, took it to the session but I still didn’t have a middle. So I said, ‘Hang on a couple of minutes, I’ve got a bit of a song, it’s gonna be good. Give me about an hour. Go and have a cup of tea.’ So I sat around for an hour, got the middle bit, which I was happy about and went back into the studio. Stanley started ad-libbing a bit on his bass, and I started off on my acoustic.

Paul McCartney, from Badman, Keith. The Beatles: The Dream Is Over – Off The Record 2 (p. 303)

From an interview with Newsweek, May 1982:

Did you have John Lennon in mind [when writing the Tug Of War album]?

No. But halfway through it, John was killed. I can’t believe it to this day, I can’t even say those words…But “Here Today” is the only song specifically about that. Obviously, “Tug of War” ties in…And so does “Somebody Who Cares.” I remember being aware of John’s death while writing it.

From an interview with Club Sandwich, 1982:

Andy Mackay – “Somebody Who Cares” – that beautiful song, I like that.

Paul – I wrote it out one Sunday afternoon. In Montserrat we used to take weekends off just to kinda have some holiday as well as recording, and this Sunday afternoon I was anticipating Steve Gadd’s arrival, and Steven and Stanley Clarke were coming in, and I liked the idea of writing something for them coming, you know, so it would be fresh for everyone.

Andy Mackay – The theme, in as much as I can work out a theme, is the one you have dealt with in quite a lot of songs, isn’t it, sort of resignation and optimism, sort of somewhere mixed up.

Paul – Somewhere there is someone who is going to take care of things, do you mean? I can’t think where I have used it before; I’m sure I have, though.

Andy Mackay – “Let It Be” is the same, that sort of line of thought.

Paul – That’s right, faith I suppose you’d call it.

Paul’s handwritten lyrics for Somebody Who Cares – From the “Tug Of War Archive Collection” @ 2015 MPL Communications Inc

Lyrics

When your body is coming

Apart at the seams

And the whole thing's feeling low

You're convincing yourself

That there's nobody there, I know

I know how you feel

Like somebody has taken

The wheels off your car

When you had somewhere to go

Well it's annoying

Not going to get very far

I know

But somebody cares

There's always someone, somewhere

You should know by now

Always somebody who cares

It's happening day in, day out

Well you know by now

Always somebody who cares

If you don't know it

How will it find you?

How will we know your whereabouts?

But I know how you feel

I know how you feel

Like somebody has taken

The wheels off your car

When you had somewhere to go

Well it's frustrating

Not going to get very far

I know

But somebody cares

There's always someone, somewhere

You should know by now

Always somebody who cares

It's happening day in, day out

Well you know by now

Always somebody who cares

If you don't know it

How will it find you?

How will we know your whereabouts?

But I know how you feel

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Going further

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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Brad • 4 years ago

Beautiful song.

Garrett • 2 years ago

Paul is so underrated as an acoustic player...

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