The Mess

Album This song officially appears on the My Love / The Mess 7" Single.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 1973

Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions



Recording "The Mess"

Mar 08, 1972



"James Paul McCartney" sessions

February - March 1973


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Song facts

From The Beatles Rarity:

By March [1972] the tour was finished and the band went to Los Angeles to begin sessions for the follow-up album to the Wings debut LP Wild Life. Paul intended for this to be a double album with the title Red Rose Speedway. The material would include some new songs they had recently tried out live such as “My Love,” “Henry’s Blues” and “The Mess,” along with a few leftovers from the ‘pre-Wings’ Ram album such as “Big Barn Bed,” “Get On The Right Thing” and “Little Lamb Dragonfly.” After a long string of sessions throughout the spring and early summer of 1972 however, the album was not ready, and they decided to hit the road again for a tour of Europe through July and August before finishing it up. The final sessions for the record took place after this tour, at Olympic Studios, London. Between the end of the sessions and the actual April 1973 release, Paul decided to cut it down to a single album omitting many of the tracks originally slated for the set. [The Mess was one of those out-takes]

The original working title of “The Mess” was “The Mess I’m In” and it was to appear as the last song on side 4 of the double Red Rose Speedway album.

The live at the Hague version of “The Mess” is released as a bonus track on the Red Rose Speedway CD but was not included on the original LP.

Last updated on May 29, 2020

Lyrics

You sailed away one night in june
I heard you say you would be back soon
But since that day it's been on long loon

Oh - sweet darling the mess i'm in

I spoke to jimmy with the big tattoo
Said had he seen any sign of you
He looked at me and then laughed at you
See just wait a minute, oh darling what a mess i'm in
When i want ya do i get ya
All i needed your number
Will you give me your number

Oh sweet darling
Oh sweet darling
Oh - sweet darling what a mess i'm in
What a mess i'm in, since you left me
What a mess i'm in, oh yeah
Oh oh - oh oh wo - wo
Oh oh - oh wo,wo wo

When you're near me
Can you hear me
I can't see ya
I can feel ya
When you're near me
Can ya hear me

Officially appears on


My Love / The Mess

7" Single • Released in 1973

4:34 • LiveL1 • Live version, with overdubs, editing & mixing

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar (?), Vocals
Linda McCartney :
Backing vocals, Keyboards
Denny Laine :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Henry McCullough :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Denny Seiwell :
Drums
Alan Parsons :
Recording engineer
Jeremy Gee :
Assistant recording engineer
Graham Fleming :
Assistant recording engineer

Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Red Rose Speedway (1993)

Official album • Released in 1993

4:59 • LiveL1.1993 • Live version, with overdubs, editing & mixing. 1993 remaster

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar (?), Vocals
Linda McCartney :
Backing vocals, Keyboards
Denny Laine :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Henry McCullough :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Denny Seiwell :
Drums
Alan Parsons :
Recording engineer
Peter Mew :
Remastering
Jeremy Gee :
Assistant recording engineer
Graham Fleming :
Assistant recording engineer

Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection

Official album • Released in 2018

4:34 • LiveL1.2018 • Live version, with overdubs, editing & mixing. 2018 remaster

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar (?), Vocals
Linda McCartney :
Backing vocals, Keyboards
Denny Laine :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Henry McCullough :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Denny Seiwell :
Drums
Alan Parsons :
Recording engineer
Alex Wharton :
Remastering
Steve Orchard :
Remastering
Jeremy Gee :
Assistant recording engineer
Graham Fleming :
Assistant recording engineer

Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection

Official album • Released in 2018

4:53 • Studio versionA

Performed by :
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartneyDenny LaineHenry McCulloughDenny Seiwell
Paul McCartney :
Producer
Glyn Johns :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Alex Wharton :
Mastering
Phil Ault :
Recording engineer assistant

Session Recording:
Mar 08, 1972
Studio :
Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK

Session Mixing:
March 1972
Studio :
Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK


Wings Over Europe

Official album • Released in 2018

4:14 • LiveL1.1

Performed by :
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartneyDenny LaineHenry McCulloughDenny Seiwell
Paul McCartney :
Producer
Alan Parsons :
Recording engineer
Alex Wharton :
Mastering
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer
Jeremy Gee :
Recording engineer assistant
Graham Fleming :
Recording engineer assistant

Concert From the concert in Berlin, Germany on Aug 24, 1972


The 7” Singles Box

7" Single • Released in 2022

4:34 • LiveL1.2022 • 2022 remaster

Paul McCartney :
Bass, Electric guitar (?), Vocals
Linda McCartney :
Backing vocals, Keyboards
Denny Laine :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Henry McCullough :
Backing vocals, Electric guitar
Denny Seiwell :
Drums
Alan Parsons :
Recording engineer
Alex Wharton :
Remastering
Jeremy Gee :
Assistant recording engineer
Graham Fleming :
Assistant recording engineer

Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972

Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

Bootlegs


MoMac's Hidden Tracks Vol. 3

Unofficial album

2:12 • Studio version


MoMac's Hidden Tracks Vol. 5

Unofficial album

4:02 • Studio version





Live performances

“The Mess” has been played in 35 concerts and 1 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where The Mess has been played







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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Contribute!

Have you spotted an error on the page? Do you want to suggest new content? Or do you simply want to leave a comment ? Please use the form below!

Michael Olsen 8 years ago

I am confident that a live version of "The Mess" was released as the B-side to "My Love" -- in Canada, at least.


admin 8 years ago

Hi Michael, you're perfectly right ! And it demonstrates how much work is still needed ! :) Thanks for your comment, I have implemented changes accordingly.


David Byrne 5 years ago

Hi there, was there a studio recording of The Mess, and if so, what record was it released on, as opposed to the live at the Hague version which appears on the archive collection.


The PaulMcCartney Project 5 years ago

Hi David,
There was indeed a studio recording of The Mess, available on various bootlegs, but made available officially on the Archive Collection released in 2018 (along with the live at La Hague). Recorded at Olympic Sound Studios, March 8, 1972


Scott San Filippo 3 years ago

The released re-creation of the planned double album of Red Rose Speedway has « The Mess » sequenced as the last track on Side 2 – but you mention Side 4 here. The research they did for the Archive collection seemed pretty exhaustive – is there new information?



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