Songs: Was This What You Wanted

notes / gigs / releases

Published by Wipe Out Music Publishing

This is a collaboration with Paul McCartney.

All right, not the REAL Paul McCartney, but one who was in a DREAM I had where he and I were writing a song together, which was basically the first four lines of this. I woke up and thought "Well, Macca said he wrote 'Yesterday' in a dream, so if he's going to come round here co-writing songs in MY dreams I should probably take note".

THUS I recorded that first bit, and then sort of left it lying around for ages. Occasionally I'd come back to it but it wasn't until the 2024/2025 SONG SPLURGE that I had a proper go at it, with this the result. I wasn't sure what it was going to be about as I went along, and I wasn't entirely sure - in WORDS anywhere - what it was when it was finished, but I knew it was definitely something!

There's bits in this I really really like - especially the "big red dot" line, which makes me think of the 3D "You Are Here" marker on the old tactile map of Peterborough train station - but I wasn't sure if it was any good or not.

Later in 2025 I sent it to someone (NB not Macca!) as part of a Collaborative Project I was (AM, at time of writing) doing with them. In May of that year we got together to try out some of the songs I'd sent, and when we did this one I thought "Hang on, maybe this IS good?" I was filled with NERVES and trepidation and so, when we got to the end for the first time, I was UTTERLY DELIGHTED when they said "What a great song". Friends, I nearly BURST INTO TEARS, such was my relief and gratitude!