As a founding member of one of the most famous bands in the world, Beatles bassist Paul McCartney spent the latter half of the 20th century touring the world and experiencing countless countries and cultures…with the not-so-small exception of Russia. The “Let It Be” singer wouldn’t visit the massive Eurasian country until decades later as a solo artist in 2003, years after the Beatles and his later band, Wings, took their final curtain call.
Videos by American Songwriter
On that fateful spring day in the early 2000s, McCartney managed to accomplish the “single most important reason” for visiting Russia.
Paul McCartney Fulfills Important Reason For Visiting Russia
Even before the Beatles released “Back in the U.S.S.R.” on their eponymous ‘White Album,’ the Soviet Union lumped the Fab Four in with the wide swath of Western art and culture the U.S.S.R. denounced or outright banned from its citizens. After the Beatles broke up and Paul McCartney went on to form Wings, visiting the country was still out of the question. But in 2003, the Beatles bassist finally got his chance to visit Russia and fulfill “the single most important reason” he had to visit: performing “Back in the U.S.S.R.”
McCartney lived out his dream of performing “Back in the U.S.S.R.” in Russia on May 24, 2003, when he performed for 50,000 people at Moscow’s Red Square. After so many years of fantasizing what the experience might feel like, there was a natural possibility that Macca overestimated the joy it would bring himself (or his audience). But that possibility never came to be. “The reaction to “Back in the U.S.S.R.” was just electric,” McCartney told The Guardian in 2003. “I knew it was going to be good. But nothing could have prepared me for the actual reaction. I should have known, really.”
“Lots of people said to me, ‘This is the only song that anyone ever wrote about Russia’ in the pop genre,” McCartney continued. “Everyone was like, ‘We can’t wait for you to play it!’ We usually play it in the middle of the set, and for most shows it works well there. But when we did it, I just thought it’s in the wrong place. So, I added it to the encore and razzed it up a little bit more.”
Chuck Berry Meets The Beach Boys Meets The Beatles
Paul McCartney blended multiple musical inspirations to create his iconic Beatles track, “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” including some in-person help from a member of one of his favorite contemporary bands, the Beach Boys. As Mike Love recalled in Barry Miles’ Many Years From Now, he’s the one who suggested McCartney use the “California Girls” method of singing about women in a specific geographical area. Instead of using American landmarks, Love suggested McCartney use places like Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia.
McCartney also drew inspiration from Chuck Berry’s “Back in the U.S.A.” “It’s a typical American thing to say when they’re away,” McCartney told Miles. “I miss my doughnuts and my Howard Johnsons and my launderettes, and I miss the convenience of the Hyatt Hilton, and it’s just so much better back home, and the TV’s got more channels. I thought, ‘Great. I’ll do a spoof on that.’ This’ll be someone who hasn’t got a lot, but they’ll still be every bit as proud as an American would be. It’s tongue-in-cheek. It’s a jokey song. But it’s also become a bit of an anthem now.”
“It was a good song, and I liked it a lot,” the Beatle recalled. “I remember trying to sing it in my Jerry Lee Lewis voice. We added Beach Boy-style harmonies. Probably my single most important reason for going to Russia would be to play it.” Not only did McCartney follow through with this reason for visiting Russia. He even performed the song for President Vladimir Putin, who was in attendance at Moscow’s Red Square. Not too shabby for a first visit.
Photo by Dmitry Beliakov/Shutterstock)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.