"That Would Be Something"
Song by Paul McCartney
from the album McCartney
Released17 April 1970
RecordedDecember 1969
StudioMcCartney's home, London
GenreFolk-pop,[1] blues
Length2:43
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney
Producer(s)Paul McCartney
McCartney track listing
13 tracks
Side one
  1. "The Lovely Linda"
  2. "That Would Be Something"
  3. "Valentine Day"
  4. "Every Night"
  5. "Hot as Sun/Glasses"
  6. "Junk"
  7. "Man We Was Lonely"
Side two
  2. "Oo You"
  3. "Momma Miss America"
  4. "Teddy Boy"
  5. "Singalong Junk"
  6. "Maybe I'm Amazed"
  7. "Kreen-Akrore"

"That Would Be Something" is a song written by Paul McCartney which was first released on his McCartney album on 17 April 1970.[2]

Recording

McCartney sings and plays acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, tom tom and a cymbal.[3] This song and "Valentine Day" were mixed at Abbey Road Studios on 22 February 1970.[2] McCartney would also record "Every Night" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" the same day.[2] In the song McCartney also performs vocal percussion to simulate a drum kit.

Release and reception

Shortly after the McCartney album's release, George Harrison described this song and "Maybe I'm Amazed" as "great".[2][4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the song was "light folk-pop".[1]

In a review for the McCartney album, Langdon Winner of Rolling Stone described "That Would Be Something", along with "The Lovely Linda", as having "virtually no verbal or melodic content whatsoever."[5]

"That Would Be Something" was also released on the 1991 album Unplugged (The Official Bootleg). The song was first performed live by McCartney, in Barcelona, on 8 May 1991.[6]

Personnel

Cover versions

The Grateful Dead played this song in concert 16 times between 1991 and 1995.[7] The first time they played the song live is available on Dick's Picks Volume 17.

In 2010, Jack White interpolated a bridge of "That Would Be Something" into his performance of "Mother Nature's Son", another one of McCartney's compositions, during a concert held at the White House during which McCartney was awarded the Gershwin Prize.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "McCartney - Paul McCartney | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Paul McCartney: That Would Be Something". beatlesbible.com. 7 November 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  3. ^ "McCartney". JPGR. Retrieved 30 October 2006.
  4. ^ "George Harrison Interview, New York City". DM's Beatles Site. 25 April 1970. Retrieved 30 October 2006.
  5. ^ "McCartney". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Song - Paul McCartney". paulmccartney.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  7. ^ "That Would Be Something at The SetList Program". setlists.net. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  8. ^ Kreps, Daniel (2010-07-21). "Video: Jack White's White House Tribute to Paul McCartney". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-11-27.


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