"Mr. Bellamy" is a song by the English musician and former Beatles bassist and vocalist Paul McCartney from his 2007 album Memory Almost Full.
2007 song by Paul McCartney| "Mr. Bellamy" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Paul McCartney | |
| from the album Memory Almost Full | |
| Released | 4 June 2007 |
| Genre | Opera |
| Length | 3:39 |
| Label | Hear Music |
| Songwriter(s) | Paul McCartney |
| Producer(s) | David Kahne |
| Memory Almost Full track listing | |
13 tracks
| |
Background
Paul McCartney tried to get Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke to play on the song. Yorke later revealed why he didn't play on the song, stating "Uhh, 'cause I can't play the piano," he added. "Not like that. I had to explain to him that, I listened to the tune – 'Mr Bellamy' – and I really liked the song, but the piano playing involved two hands doing things separately. 'I don't have that skill available.' I said to him, 'I strum piano, that's it." McCartney later mentioned his daughter wanted him to collab with Yorke, saying " keeps saying to me, 'Ring Thom and just go into the studio and just see what you come out with," According to author Paul Du Noyer in his book Conversations With McCartney, it is a "tale of a would-be suicide".
Reception
BBC Music critic Daryl Easlea stated in a review of the album that Paul McCartney managed to sound like the English rock band 10cc on the song. Pitchfork critic Stuart Berman states that it "rates as a worthy addition to his canon of stodgy-English-folk character studies, colored by baroque flourishes, baritone backing vocals and a coda reminiscent of the eerie, dying moments of "Magical Mystery Tour".
Anagram of "Mills Betray Me" incident
On a Paul McCartney forum, contributors to the forum urged McCartney to release the song as a single, as they believed the name to be an anagram aimed towards his former wife Heather Mills that read "Mills Betray Me". McCartney posted on his website about the Memory Almost Full album, he stated: "Who is Mr Bellamy? Well, I never know who these people are. Who is Chuck and Dave from When I'm 64? Who is Eleanor Rigby? Who is Desmond and Molly from Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da? I don't know, I just make them up." Mr. Bellamy is also an anagram for almost 18,000 thousand other words in the English language.
Personnel
According to the booklet:
- Paul McCartney – all instruments and vocals
References
- Benitez, V.P. (2010). The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years. Praeger. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-313-34969-0.
- "Why Thom Yorke turned down working with Paul McCartney - Far Out Magazine". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2020-12-24. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- "Paul McCartney: 'I'd love to work with Thom Yorke' | News | NME.COM". NME. 2013-10-02. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- Du Noyer, Paul (2016). Conversations with McCartney. Abrams. p. 211. ISBN 978-1468313406.
- Easlea, Daryl. "BBC - Music - Review of Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- Berman, Stuart. "Paul McCartney: Memory Almost Full". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
- "Sir Paul McCartney's Mr Bellamy song is Heather Mills anagram". The Telegraph. 2008-03-24. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- Memory Almost Full (Booklet). Paul McCartney. MPL Communications / Hear Music. 2007. 888072303485.
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