"When Winter Comes" is a song by the English musician and former Beatles bassist and vocalist Paul McCartney that appears as the final track on his 2020 album McCartney III.[1]

"When Winter Comes"
Single by Paul McCartney
from the album McCartney III
A-side"Find My Way"
Released17 December 2020
Recorded1996
StudioHog Hill Mill (Icklesham, UK)
GenreRock
Length3:12
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin[2]

Background

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When WInter Comes' origins date back to the 90's, during the sessions for the Flaming Pie album.[3][4][5]

Recording

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In an interview for Music Radar, engineer Steve Orchard stated “It was Long Tailed Winter Bird, I think. Which was a follow-on from the title music from When Winter Comes. It kind of spiralled on from that really. We did a couple of versions of the outro music that sort of morphed into this groove that Paul’s playing - the main acoustic riff in that. That was the beginning of the whole record, it kind of took us off on this route.”[6]

Reception

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Pitchfork reviewer Stuart Berman stated that "McCartney’s genius doesn’t merely lie in his talent for orchestrating side-long suites, but in his seemingly effortless ability to dash off a casual acoustic sing-along about farm animals and make it feel both instantly familiar and mythical."[7] NME's Mark Beaumont stated that it sounded like "pure isolationist empathy"[8] Helen Brown of The Independent explained that it was about an "old pastoral yarn about his farm on which he mulls"[9] In a review of McCartney III for Rolling Stone, critic Rob Sheffield stated that it was about a "hard-bitten tale of farm life"[10]

Music video

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An animated music video was released for the song on 20 December 2020, in which it tells a story of people getting ready for winter.[11][12]

Personnel

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As per the official McCartney III booklet and the McCartney III website:[13][14]

Anderson .Paak and Idris Elba remixes

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Both Anderson .Paak and Idris Elba have both remixed the track, while .Paak's remix is featured on the digital edition of the album, Elba's remix is featured on the physical edition of the album.

Anderson .Paak remix

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"When Winter Come (Anderson .Paak Remix)"
Song by Paul McCartney and Anderson .Paak
from the album McCartney III Imagined
Released16 April 2021
GenreRock
Length2:21
LabelCapitol/Universal

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Thomas (2020-12-23). "Paul McCartney: read the exclusive track-by-track story of 'McCartney III'". NME. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  2. ^ Martoccio, Angie (21 October 2020). "Paul McCartney Announces New Album, 'McCartney III'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Paul McCartney | News | UPDATED: McCartney III - The New Studio Album Out December 18". paulmccartney.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  4. ^ "'It's just me': an exclusive interview with Paul McCartney about McCartney III". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  5. ^ "The song Paul McCartney waited 30 years to release". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  6. ^ updated, Stuart Williams last (2020-12-18). "Exclusive: The making of McCartney III - "Once he's in the vibe, he doesn't want to stop"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  7. ^ Berman, Stuart. "Paul McCartney: McCartney III". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  8. ^ Beaumont, Mark (2020-12-15). "Paul McCartney – 'McCartney III' review: an unpredictable quest of musical evolution". NME. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  9. ^ Brown, Helen (17 December 2020). "Paul McCartney III review: Melodic charm, craftsmanship and open-minded optimism make this solo album a real treat". The Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  10. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2020-12-17). "Paul McCartney Delivers a Playful Gem with 'McCartney III'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  11. ^ "Paul McCartney | News | 'When Winter Comes' – New Animated Film". paulmccartney.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  12. ^ Staff, Rock Cellar Magazine (2020-12-22). "Paul McCartney Shares Animated Video for 'When Winter Comes'". Rock Cellar Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  13. ^ "Lyrics". McCARTNEY III. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  14. ^ "Credits from McCartney III Booklet" Retrieved July 31 2020 – via Twitter.