Album This song officially appears on the McCartney - Archive Collection Official album.
Timeline This song was officially released in 2011
Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1956, when Paul McCartney was 14 years old)
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Get Back sessions - January 26, 1969 - Day 15
Jan 26, 1969
Late December 1969 to Jan 03, 1970
Home recordings (aka "The Piano Tape")
Circa 1974
Recording "One Hand Clapping" - Day 3
Aug 28, 1974
May 03, 2010
Officially appears on McCartney
“Suicide” is one of the earliest songs written by Paul McCartney. It was likely composed in 1956 when he was fourteen. At this stage, it was formed of only one verse and a chorus. On January 26, 1969, Paul performed a 46-second long, single versed, version of the song during the Get Back sessions. From earlybeatlessongs:
Although the song disappears from the radar after Lennon and McCartney met, it popped up with several other oldies during the Get Back sessions, on January 26, 1969. Here we find audio of the song, with McCartney plonking through the track on piano, and Lennon joining in – obviously recognising it (thereby proving that it had been shown to him after the two teamed up). Interestingly there is a full lyric in place, which might have been written at the song’s genesis – it is impossible to be sure. (If it was, “Suicide” was an unusually sombre choice of title for an optimistic 14-year-old, let alone as a potential Sinatra hit.)
Paul McCartney revisited the song at the end of 1969, during the recording of his debut solo album, “McCartney“. A 9-second long fragment of it appears at the end of “Glasses“.
That was a song I’d had forever, since I was about 16. I had my Dad’s old piano at home, that I used to tinker about on when there was no-one in the house. And my feelings were, then, that if you were ever going to be a songwriter, the height of it all was Sinatra. That would be the greatest stuff that you could do, really a little bit before rock ‘n’ roll, so you were thinking of standards and things. So around that time I wrote “When I’m 64” and this other thing. I thought it would be a bit of a Rat Pack, smoochy, with words like “When she tries to, run away, uh-huh…” Boom! And stabs from the band, you know. […]
It was a real early song of mine, and I used to do it as a joke, really. […] I actually once got a request from Sinatra, for a song. And I spoke to him on the phone and told him about it, “Great, Paul, send it along.” “Thank you, Frank”. And I sent it him and he thought I was taking the piss. “Is this guy kidding?” You know, sending Sinatra a song called “Suicide”. He did not get it! But I did think, “Oh God, maybe I should have changed it a bit to send it to him.”
So I never did anything with it but around the time of McCartney, I was just goofing around on piano and at the end of one of the takes there was a little bit of tape left, so I just did it and didn’t think to use it because it was Rat Pack, tongue in cheek. But I used that little fragment at the end of one of the tracks, ‘Glasses’.
Paul McCartney – From “McCartney – Archive Collection“, 2011
Paul then got back to it many times during his career, without cracking it.
Over the years, the song was copyrighted a few times and under different names (“Suicide, “Call It Suicide“, “I Call It Suicide“). It was finally officially released in 2011, when the 1969/1970 version was included on the “McCartney Archive Collection“.
An interesting anecdote related in the Steve Hoffman forums: in 1977, Paul McCartney hired the Marvel illustrator Bob Larkin to do a watercolor painting to be given to Frank Sinatra with the demo tape of the song “Suicide”, backstage at the Royal Albert Hall, early March 1977 (Paul & Linda were there with George & Olivia Harrison).
Singing a song of ruin, I'd
Bet he says nothin' doin'
I'd call it suicide
If when she tries to run away
And he calls her back, she comes
If there's a next time, well, he's okay
Cause she's under both his thumbs
She limp along to his side
Singing a song of ruin, I'd
Now I guess he says nothin' doin'
I'd call it, call it, I'd call it suicide
If when she tries to run away
And he calls her back, she comes
If there's a next time, he's okay
Cause she's under both his thumbs
She limp along to his side
Singing a song of ruin, I'd
Bet he says nothin' doin'
I'd call it suicide
If when she tries to run away
And he calls her back, she comes
If there's a next time, he's okay
Cause she's under both his thumbs
She limp along to his side
Singing a song of ruin, I'd
Bet he says nothin' doin'
I'd call it suicide
Ruin, I'd, ruin, I'd
Suicide, suicide
LP • Released in 1970
0:09 • Studio version • A • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun"
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
McCartney (by DCC Compact Classics)
CD • Released in 1992
0:09 • Studio version • A1992 • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun" - 1992 remaster
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Steve Hoffman : Remastering
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 1993
0:09 • Studio version • A1993 • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun" - 1993 remaster
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Peter Mew : Remastering
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
McCartney - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2011
2:50 • Studio version • A1 • Stereo • Full version recorded in 1969
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: May 03, 2010 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2011
0:09 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun" - 2011 remaster
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Guy Massey : Remastering Steve Rooke : Remastering Simon Gibson : Remastering
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
LP • Released in 2017
0:09 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun"
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Guy Massey : Remastering Steve Rooke : Remastering Simon Gibson : Remastering
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 2020
0:09 • Studio version • A2020 • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun" - 2020 half-speed mastering
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Miles Showell : Mastering
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
McCartney I II III Limited Edition Colour 3LP Box Set
LP • Released in 2022
0:09 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun"
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Guy Massey : Remastering Steve Rooke : Remastering Simon Gibson : Remastering
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 2022
0:09 • Studio version • A2011 • Stereo • Medley with "Glasses", "Hot As Sun"
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer Guy Massey : Remastering Steve Rooke : Remastering Simon Gibson : Remastering
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: Late February 1970 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
A/B Road Complete Get Back Sessions - Jan 26th, 1969 - 1 & 2
Unofficial album • Released in 2004
0:47 • Rehearsal • B • Jan.26 - D2-12 - Suicide 26.28
Session Recording: Jan 26, 1969 • Studio Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Unofficial album • Released in 2014
2:50 • Studio version • A1 • Stereo • Complete version of "Hot As Sun / Glasses / Suicide" medley
Paul McCartney : Mixing engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Session Recording: Late December 1969 • Studio At home, Cavendish Avenue, St. John's Wood, UK
Session Mixing: May 03, 2010 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Unofficial album
0:47 • Rehearsal • B • 1/26/69
Session Recording: Jan 26, 1969 • Studio Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
“Suicide” has been played in 1 concerts and 1 soundchecks.
Dec 03, 1999 • United Kingdom • London • BBC Television Center, Studio 6 • TV show
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oldtownukesrick • 4 years ago
Would have suited the white album
Sergio • 4 years ago
Qué enorme disco podría ser trabajar las viejas canciones inéditas de la época beatle, finalizarlas con el toque de Paul y editarlas. Sería un éxito enorme hasta incluso como disco de The Beatles.