Heart of the Country
| "Heart of the Country" | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Paul and Linda McCartney | ||||||||||||
| from the album Ram | ||||||||||||
| A-side | "The Back Seat of My Car" | |||||||||||
| Released | 13 August 1971 | |||||||||||
| Format | 7" | |||||||||||
| Recorded | 16 November 1970 | |||||||||||
| Genre | Folk rock, country folk | |||||||||||
| Length | 2:21 | |||||||||||
| Label | Apple | |||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Paul and Linda McCartney | |||||||||||
| Producer(s) | Paul and Linda McCartney | |||||||||||
| Paul and Linda McCartney singles chronology | ||||||||||||
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"Heart of the Country" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney from their album Ram released in 1971.
Origins
The song has simple acoustic tune with a heavy bass chorus, and an unusually mellow sound to the acoustic guitar that was achieved by tuning all of the strings a full step lower than standard pitch. The song is about a man searching for a farm in the middle of nowhere. The song reflects Paul's heading for the Scottish countryside to escape the headaches associated with the Beatles' breakup at the time.[1]
Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the song as "an effortless folk-pop tune that ranks among [McCartney's] very best songs."[2] Erlewine also praises its "imaginative and gorgeous arrangement."[3] In 2013, Rolling Stone Magazine rated "Heart of the Country" to be Paul McCartney's #26 all-time post-Beatles song.[1]
Aftermath
McCartney and Elvis Costello re-recorded the song in 2013 for a commercial featuring his late wife Linda's vegetarian recipe book.
References
- 1 2 "Paul's 40 Greatest Solo Songs". Special Collector's Edition: Paul McCartney. Rolling Stone Magazine. 2013. p. 89.
- ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "Wingspan". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "Ram". Allmusic. Retrieved 2013-12-25.
