Paul McCartney : Ram (Album) Song by Song Thread

I don't know, thinking the song is about the other Beatles, Drugs and Sex makes me like it more. Thanks to this thread its becoming a favorite now.

 

Both "Smile Away" and "Eat At Home" were performed at many shows during Wings 1972 tour of Europe. Arnie

 

Thanks Arnie

Its surprising that he has never pulled out his first #1 single "Uncle Albert" for a live rendition especially in the last decade. I think Monkberry Moon Delight & Back Seat of My Car would also work great as live tunes...wish he would have done the latter on Wings Over America.

 

...and that ladies and gentlemen is why I love to do these threads.

 

And that's why we're here for you too doctor, helping to keep you sane....it's working I think; so far.

Seriously though, Ram is one of my wifes' favourite albums (I love it too) and when I got hold of the DCC she found it and since we already had a copy of the first CD release, expressed an "annoyed amazement" that I should (again) buy a copy of something that we already had. Being the Alpha Male in this relationship I wisely decided that the "I's gonna whup you to within an inch of your life..." response would not work (she has nails....and teeths...and other bits). So, I then thought that demonstration would be the surest course of action and lo! it did come to be that she did agree that the DCC was lovelee. Loverlee-er than the one we had. This is true, though embellished a bit...she totally got that a good mastering job can make a world of difference to music that we love (or any music for that matter).

We're on 3 Legs aren't we, I don't care how many legs his dog has (though nine would have been funnier) or if it's about his then current preoccupations or not, it's just a fun, great piece of music. The whole album has that vibe, it's inventive, brilliantly arranged and sequenced. You got me listening (to the DCC) again today, still lots of little bits that I hadn't noticed before, or forgot about.

Just remember doctor that we're here for you and not just figments of your imagination, we're real, just "far away".

 

...and of course the other line is "But the kettle's on the boil and we're so easily called away".

 

IMO, everything in moderation. Too much "fun"/"diversion" gets just as tiresome as too much "importance"/seriousness"...

 

Exactly! Songs that are (or, at least, seem to be) about something, no matter how simple/dumb/absurd, are inherently more interesting than complete nonsense that bears no relation to reality (this is why people read things into "3 Legs" in the first place).

The whole point of surrealism was to try and put reality into varying contexts. It wasn't to escape all reality by just going on about absolutely nothing. Fun doesn't mean something has to be completely meaningless. The early Beatles love songs (which is pretty much the only kind of song they wrote in the beginning), even the hack ones they gave away, are (or, at least, feel like they're) more meaningful than a "Smile Away"/etc...

 

"Ram On" Paul McCartney 2:26

Ram on give your heart to somebody
soon right away, right away
Ram on give your heart to somebody
soon right away, right away

Ram on give your heart to somebody
soon right away, right away

 

Paul also claims that the picture of the two insects on the back cover was 'accidental' and meaningless. Really, when he designed the album art at no point did he realize what that picture implies? LOL, whatever you say Paul. I don't believe him when he tries to play dumb, he's much smarter than that. I think "Smile Away" is meaningful in the sense that Paul is doing his own thing and projecting happiness when his friends are criticizing him ("I met a friend of mine and he did say nan I can smell your feet a mile away.")

 

"Ram On" sounds to me like an homage to Brian Wilson. Maybe a little TOO off the cuff, but that's also its charm. Either way, it's an Earworm Royale.

And for the lyrical investigators out there, could it possibly refer to his old stage name of Paul Ramon? Nah...

 

Thoughts on Ram On,

- Anyone have any idea what the grand piano at the start of the song was there for? I love having it there (it's a typically Beatley random musical ingredient, to have an instrument present that only doodles in the intro!), but I've always been curious as to whether there maybe was originally a proper acoustic piano part in the song, which got mixed-out, leaving only the opening notes - I don't suppose there are any alternate mixes of this song doing the rounds, to confirm/deny this theory?

- for me, this song is all about the soaring note Paul hits on "soon" - a classic McCartney melodic leap.

- is this Paul's first recorded performance on ukelele?

 

I think "Ram On" is magical. Something about the atmosphere established in the first 30 seconds is so arresting. Such an intimate, uplifting moment. Not many of Paul's solo songs can match the heartfelt performance here. The lyric "give your heart to somebody soon, right away" moves me deeply. I love how he is singing this song to himself. Kind of the flip side of the "Maybe, I'm Amazed" coin. No doubt the is love emanated from those Ram On grooves is real. I just wish Paul did more stuff like this throughout the 70's.

 

Great observation.

I think it's quite deliberately arranged (or at least mixed) to make us feel that way, too - the way the track moves from the echoey grand piano runs, then leaping sharply into Paul's quiet and upfront "ok" and finally the dry and intimate ukelele, to start the song proper. That space then gets turned around later on, of course, when the reverbed and echoed electric piano and backing vocals enter, allowing the song to soar.

It's using the sound of the studio and studio technology, moving the size of the recorded space in our ears (and, therefore, our physical relationship and proximity to the players) in a very subtle and involving way. It goes without saying for the most part, but Paul's a clever man.

 

Nothing brilliant to add I just want to say thanks to you two - love reading thoughts like these. Going to listen to Ram On later. Will probably end up playing the whole thing.

 

The intro was one of the best gags on the album IMHO; tuning, piano runs, 'mission control' producer voice. One anticipated a massive wall of sound/orchestra to crank up any moment...then the uke starts.

As pointed out up thread, Ram On (as in Power Forward) was also a pun; Paul Ramon (Ramone which alledgedly inspired the punk band!) was a Paul pre-Beatle stage name, and alias on the Steve Miller lp for contractual purposes. If one wanted to read 'Beatle' statement/messages into it, he's singing a song aimed at himself, ever forward...and an appropriate album title to boot.

'Brian Wilson' harmonies (as mentioned above) appear throughout the lp (like the end of Dear Boy)

 

And let's not forget that Phil Ramone was also involved in the making of "Ram"!
(some of the pictures in the US version of the "Ram" songbook are credited to his wife).

 

I made myself a "complete" version of Ram On by joining the two parts together. Very nice song. One of my favourites on the album.

 

I did exactly that too... and I used the ending of the mono mix of the reprise, which is a tad longer.
A recording is said to exist (but does not circulate... yet ?) of the track going on when Paul starts the "Big Barn Bed" part.

 

Mixed my McCartney metaphors, didn't I? You'd think that by now I'd know this stuff off by heart and get it right even when I'm at work on lunch

I've read some really good posts regarding McCartney's lyrics and, quite frankly, I tend to agree with most of them. I'm a McCartney fan: I either like his stuff or (where it does grate) just accept it but my line of argument is more from the perspective of a non-fan: I'd find some of this stuff hard to explain to those who don't instinctively "get it".

Put simply: any joke (lyric) you have to explain, is a bad one.

 

Wonderful observations, both. You remind me a) why I love this place, and b) why I love McCartney. Even his more "throw away" moments are borderline genius in their own way. The writing in these two paragraphs makes me yearn to hear a song that I barely ever give a second thought to. Thank you.

 

Yes, very good point. It's a production song as much as it is anything, and really works in that way, microscoping us into Paul's own private world the same way "Hey Jude" telescopes us into something vaster than ourselves. "Ram On" sets the goalposts for the album nicely.

Wonder if Paul should have made it track 1?

 

We probably should reference this old post while discussing Ram done by board member Claudio:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=2597490&postcount=1

 

Same here. You'll notice when part 1 fades on Side 1 he switches up the instrument placement of the electric piano and vocals in the stereo field and then when part 2 fades in on Side 2 it switches back to their original placement in the mix.

I always found little mix variants like that interesting. Like why does the tremolo Rhodes on "She's My Baby" go from being in stereo to mono for roughly 15 seconds during the instrumental 3rd verse?

It's just the music nerd in me.