Paul McCartney has had a few artistic hiccups in his career. But he always bounced back with a triumph when he needed it most. Flowers In The Dirt, released in 1989, stands as one of those rallying efforts.
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Many people know that McCartney wrote songs with Elvis Costello for the project. But you might not know these stories behind some of the album’s most memorable songs.
Lean into It
When McCartney and Costello decided to write together, both men knew that connections would be drawn to the Lennon/McCartney partnership of The Beatle days. For that reason, they tried to steer away from songs that would invite such comparisons. But they couldn’t resist on “You Want Her Too”. McCartney initially tried recording the song singing both the main part and the voice contradicting the narrator. But they soon realized that having Costello on board to duet would be the better way to go.
David and David
McCartney wrote most of the material for Flowers In The Dirt, including four songs with Costello, fresh. But he went back a ways for one song on the album. That song was “We Got Married”, a Latin-tinged number about a shotgun wedding. He first recorded the song back in 1984 with a pair of notable collaborators. David Foster, known as one of the 80s top writers-for-hire and producers, did the producing. And David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, who also worked with McCartney on the hit single “No More Lonely Nights”, added lead guitar.
An Old Friend on Keys
For the most part, McCartney used the same musicians on most tracks on the record. That’s because he was planning to tour on top of it and take those players with him out on the road. But there were some guests here and there. Among them, Nicky Hopkins’ name stands out. One of the all-time session keyboardists, Hopkins, who also worked often with The Rolling Stones, once guested on The Beatles’ single version of “Revolution”. Hopkins reunited with Macca to play the mournful piano part on “That Day Is Done”.
Hurry It Up
Even though the album featured a relatively steady backing group, McCartney cycled through several different producers to bring it to fruition. A total of nine names (including McCartney’s) earned production credits on the record. Two of them, Trevor Horn and Steve Lipson, were quite literally on the clock. Horn, in particular, had gained notoriety for his 80s work. But he also had a reputation of taking his time. McCartney insisted that he and Lipson complete their Flowers In The Dirt track, “Rough Ride”, in two days. And they obliged.
Walk It Off
By all accounts, McCartney and Costello got along famously when working together. But Costello mentioned in his autobiography that he did get frustrated at the production choices McCartney was making on “That Day Is Done”, a co-write of theirs that was very personal to Elvis. Frustrated, E.C. took a walk so that emotions didn’t get the better of him. When he returned to the studio, he found McCartney in the process of laying down a beautiful vocal part on “Don’t Be Careless Love”, and he quickly forgot his complaints.
Photo by Neville Marriner/Daily Mail/Shutterstock
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