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Released in 1998

Wide Prairie

Written by Linda McCartney

Last updated on November 16, 2019


Album This song officially appears on the Wide Prairie Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1998

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interview

Wide Prairie – A song written by Paul, for Linda to sing. Recorded in November 15, 1973 in the EMI Odeon, in Paris, with a six man horn section, led by Tony Dorsey added during the Nashville sessions, in June 1974. An 11:37 mix as placed on the 1978 Kold Kutz compilation, but when it was officially released as the title track of on Linda McCartney’s posthumous solo album in 1998, this was edited down to less than half the length.

4 versions to exist :

1) The version released on ‘Wide Prairie’ is the shortest of all the available versions, hand has the “Paul” opening verse edited out. Also, Linda re-recorded two lines that refer to “eating jerky”
2) The version from the Oobu Joobu radio series has the missing verse and has all the original lyrics, but is incomplete on both ends as Paul talks over the intro + outro (“…and looking very relaxed, Adolph Hitler on vibes!”)
3) The EPK had the ‘Wide Prairie version’, albeit with foley, and had an extended fade, which gave us more of the fade in comparatively excellent quality.
4) The version from the original Cold Cuts LP was over eleven minutes, but ran fast and was only VG sound quality (as opposed to excellent)

From Wide Prairie liner notes:

I have always thought of this song as Linda’s fantasy. Her passion for horses and riding started as a young girl and remained with her all her life. Her tongue in cheek attitude and what we caller her “twangy” voice combined to make this joyful little rocker. She recorded it during sessions at EMI studios in Paris where years before I had done a vocal for Can’t Buy Me Love. We travelled there shortly after Princess Anne’s first wedding in Westminster Abbey, taking the group van with the other band members who at the time included Jimmy McCullouch and Denny Laine. As you can probably hear we had a ball.

Paul McCartney

Lyrics

I was in Paris

Waiting for a flight

When this guy came up

To me and said

Have you got a light?

When I was born in Arizona

And when I was only three

My mother took me to her saddle

And we rode the wide prairie


Oh, wide prairie, wide prairie

And we rode the wide prairie

My mother took me to her saddle

And we rode the wide prairie

Well I was living in Aspebueller

And when I was only ten

My father took me to his saddle

And we rode the range again


Oh, wide prairie, wide prairie

And we rode the wide prairie

My father took me to his saddle

And we rode the wide prairie

And I ain't going back

No, I ain't going back

Going back no more


Well, now we live in Albuquerque

And we raise the family tree

We spend our days a-feeling perky

And we ride the wide prairie

Oh, wide prairie, wide prairie

And we ride the wide prairie

We spend our days

A-feeling perky


And we ride the wide prairie

I was in Paris

Waiting for a flight

When this guy came up

To me and said

Have you got a light?

And you know what happened

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Wide Prairie

Related film

Videos

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

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