It’s one of the wildest songs he has ever put to tape. And the meaning of “Monkberry Moon Delight” by Paul McCartney has wowed fans with the intensity of its music and performance since its release. It’s also confused them with its lyrics.
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Nonetheless, it’s one of the centerpieces on McCartney’s 1971 album Ram, which was somewhat polarizing itself upon release. But these days most regard it as one of the finest moments of his post-Beatles career.
What the heck was going on with the lyrics to this wacky number? Who was McCartney aping with his strangulated vocals? And what about the album that contained the song? It’s time to find out all about the meaning of “Monkberry Moon Delight” by Paul McCartney. As the song says, Catch up, cats and kittens.
Ram On
By 1971, it was clear to most that The Beatles breakup was indeed not a whim, even as the dust was still settling around the four members’ solo careers. Paul McCartney’s first solo album, McCartney (1970), had been a completely homemade, DIY effort, one which baffled some Fab Four fans expecting a full-out rock album.
Ram wasn’t exactly a rocker either, as the subject matter still hewed to themes of home and hearth, and the musical focus was more on melody than might. It was more filled-out and polished, however. McCartney enlisted musicians like drummer Denny Seiwell (who would later join Wings) and guitarist Hugh McCracken. The recording was also done at professional studios (much of McCartney had been done at Paul’s farm).
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney & Wings]
One of the standout tracks on the album was “Monkberry Moon Delight.” McCartney had gone to shrieking territory in previous songs (think “Oh! Darling” and “I’ve Got a Feeling”). But never before had he pushed his vocals into the red with such gleeful abandon as on this track, in what he admitted later was an homage to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Let’s not forget the backing vocals by Linda McCartney, who co-wrote the song with her husband. Her deadpan delivery plays beautifully off Paul’s unhinged yelps.
The Meaning of “Monkberry Moon Delight” by Paul McCartney
The Beatles are responsible for a lot. And depending on your point of view, you can either thank them or blame them for the rise of rock music criticism. Because they were so popular, and because they consistently pushed the envelope in terms of the depth of their lyrics and the complexity of their music, (and because so many others followed in their ambitious path), rock became something that was profound enough to withstand the scrutiny of critics poring over every note and word.
Of course, that also brought on a swath of folks who looked for stuff in the music that wasn’t really there, especially when it came to the music of the Fan Four. Hence, towards the end of their magical ‘60s run, they would occasionally write songs to deliberately send the meaning-chasers in scattershot directions. John Lennon was especially adept at this. Songs like “I Am the Walrus” and “Glass Onion” were utterly compelling pieces of gobbledygook.
McCartney clearly took up that mantle for “Monkberry Moon Delight.” The words sound fantastic, in part because his imagination in choosing them was so heightened, and in part because of how he makes sure the adherence to the meter is unwavering. But there’s no real deeper meaning behind them. Take, for example, the title, which he explained when answering questions sent in by fans in a 1994 interview:
“When my kids were young they used to call milk ‘monk,’ for whatever reason that kids do—I think it’s magical the way that kids can develop better names for things than the real ones. In fact, as a joke, Linda and I still occasionally refer to an object by that child-language name. So, monk was always milk, and monkberry moon delight was a fantasy drink, rather like ‘Love Potion No. 9,’ hence the line in the song ‘sipping monkberry moon delight.’ It was a fantasy milkshake. Being an American, Linda has always been very good at making milkshakes and our family is quite into them.”
Really Good Bad Lyrics…or Really Bad Good Lyrics?
The mistake in looking at a song like this is to assume that the lyrics are both meaningless and bad. On the contrary, the lyrics in “Monkberry Moon Delight” are absolutely inspired, with evocative words that stay with you, right from the piano up my nose, which immediately follows the internal rhyme and sibilance of So I sat in my attic.
McCartney drops in a straightforward line every now and again, such as And I don’t get the gist of your letter, perhaps as misdirection. Most of the time, he’s just hitting us with one comical image after another (the crack of an enemy’s hose, or my banana is older than the rest), that is when he’s not dropping lines that are almost eerie in their ability to stir the senses (the wind played a dreadful cantata, or When a rattle of rats had awoken/The sinews, the nerves, and the veins).
His wordplay is so inspired that you hardly notice when Ketchup becomes catch up as the song progresses. Just think of the near-insanity of his vocals combined with the brazen but fantastic gibberish of the lyrics. You end up with one of the most distinctive songs in the Paul McCartney catalog. Nah, there’s no meaning in “Monkberry Moon Delight.” But, boy, will you have a fun time listening if you decide to look for it anyway.
Photo by Reg Lancaster/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
