Album This song officially appears on the Wild Life LP.
Timeline This song was officially released in 1971
Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1971, when Paul McCartney was 29 years old)
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Paul McCartney: The Rolling Stone Interview
Jan 31, 1974 • From RollingStone
Winter 1994 • From Club Sandwich
Paul McCartney On His Not-So-Silly Love Songs
Mar 16, 2001 • From Billboard
In and Out of Wings: Denny Seiwell On His Friendship with Paul McCartney and Wings’ Underr
Feb 12, 2019 • From Rock Cellar
Paul and Linda McCartney go and live in Scotland for a few months
April 10 to August 1970
“Tomorrow” is a song from Wings’ debut album, “Wild Life“, released in 1971. If “Wild Life” has often been considered as a low-point in Paul McCartney’s career, “Tomorrow” is usually recognized as one of the best tracks of the album (the other one being “Dear Friend“), even by Paul himself!
From Rolling Stone, January 31, 1974:
Does that mean, then, that you didn’t think too much in retrospect of ‘Wild Life’? Because of all your albums…
No, ah, I quite liked it. I must say you have to like me to like the record. I mean, if it’s just taken cold, I think it wasn’t that brilliant as a recording. We did it in about two weeks, the whole thing. And it had been done on that kind of a buzz we’d been hearing about how Dylan had come in and done everything in one take. I think in fact often we never gave the engineer a chance to even set up a balance. There’s a couple of real big songs on there, that only freaks or connoisseurs know.
Well, “Tomorrow.”
Yeah, “Tomorrow” is one of them. It’s like, when I’m talking to people about Picasso or something and they say, well, his blue period was his only one that was any good. But for me, if the guy does some great things then even his downer moments are interesting. His lesser moments, rather, because they make up the final picture. Some moments seem less, he was going through kind of a pressure period. You know, you can’t live your life without pressure periods. No one I know has.
Paul McCartney
In a Q&A with Paul McCartney, published in Club Sandwich 72:
Any chance of you re-recording the song ‘Tomorrow’ from the Wild Life LP? It’s such a great song and yet it’s been buried. From Amy Benbow, Stroud, England
Another good question. Linda’s Dad, who is no longer alive, was a great fan of this song, and he was always saying to me “You should do it again. You’ve thrown it away and it deserves re-making.” I asked him how he thought I should do it and he said “Slow, really slow”. It got to be a joke in the end, how slow he thought it ought to be. I haven’t yet got around to doing it, though.
Paul McCartney
In September 1974, Paul McCartney and Wings, under the pseudonym “The Whippets”, recorded an instrumental version of “Tomorrow“, in the reggae style, with synth and horns in place of Paul’s vocal line. Some acetates were made, and the track ended up being bootlegged. Also recorded during the same session was “Proud Mum“, an instrumental that Paul recorded as an intended advertising jingle for Mother’s Pride bread.
Some sources claimed that McCartney recorded a new version of “Tomorrow” in 2011 with Diana Krall.
Oh! Baby, don't you let me down tomorrow
Holding hands we both abandon sorrow
Oh, for a chance to get away tomorrow
Hey, baby's got a lazy day on Sunday,
Here's a pound we hang around till Monday
Oh, baby don't you let me down on Sunday
Bring a bag of bread and cheese
And find a shady spot beneath the trees
Catch a breath of country air
And run your pretty fingers thro' my hair
Tomorrow, when we both abandon sorrow
Oh, baby, don't you let me down tomorrow,
Thro' the week we beg and steal and borrow
Oh, for a chance to get away tomorrow
Honey, pray for sunny skies,
So I can speak to rainbows in your eyes
Let's just hope the weather man
Is feeling fine and doesn't spoil our plan.
Tomorrow when we both abandon sorrow
Oh, baby, don't you let me down tomorrow
Holding hands we both abandon sorrow
Oh, baby, don't you let me down tomorrow.
Oh, for a chance to get away tomorrow
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow
Baby, don't let me down tomorrow.
LP • Released in 1971
3:28 • Studio version • A • Stereo
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Oct 08, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1993
3:28 • Studio version • A1993 • Stereo • 1993 remaster
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Peter Mew : Remastering
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Oct 08, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
Wingspan Hits And History (US version)
Official album • Released in 2001
3:27 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Geoff Emerick : Remastering Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Peter Mew : Remastering
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Oct 08, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
Wingspan Hits And History (Japanese version)
Official album • Released in 2001
3:27 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Geoff Emerick : Remastering Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Peter Mew : Remastering
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Oct 08, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
Official album • Released in 2001
3:27 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Geoff Emerick : Remastering Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Peter Mew : Remastering
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Oct 08, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
Wild Life - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2018
3:24 • Studio version • A2018 • 2018 Remaster
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Alex Wharton : Remastering Steve Orchard : Remastering
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Oct 08, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
Wild Life - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2018
3:31 • Rough mix • B
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Alex Wharton : Mastering
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Aug 06, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
LP • Released in 2022
3:28 • Studio version • A2022 • Stereo • 2022 half-speed mastering
Paul McCartney : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar, Piano, Producer, Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar Denny Seiwell : Drums Tony Clark : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Alan Parsons : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Miles Showell : Mastering
Session Recording: Jul 26, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Oct 08, 1971 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon
One Hand Clapping (2 LP and 7”)
LP • Released in 2024
2:12 • Studio version • D • Exclusive to this set. Another delightful solo recording taken from Paul's session at EMI Studios on August 28, 1974.
Paul McCartney : Piano, Producer, Vocals Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Mark Vigars : Assistant recording engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer
Session Recording: Aug 28, 1974 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Early 2024 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
One Hand Clapping (Dolby Atmos)
Streaming • Released in 2024
2:12 • Studio version • E • 2024 Dolby Atmos mix
Paul McCartney : Piano, Producer, Vocals Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Giles Martin : Mixing engineer Mark Vigars : Assistant recording engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer
Session Recording: Aug 28, 1974 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Early 2024 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Unofficial album
3:37 • Studio version • C • Reggae version - from late 1974
Session Recording: Sep 22, 1974 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
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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