It was 1981. Paul McCartney was trying to cope with John Lennon’s recent death the only way he knew how: by making another album. Tug of War would be released the following year. As part of the process, McCartney reconnected with all of his Beatles friends in the process – George Harrison (nearly playing on the song Wanderlust), Ringo Starr (drums on several tracks), and producer George Martin who oversaw the making of the whole album. The album was even recorded at Martin’s AIR studios in Montserrat and it was shaping up great. Tug of War would eventually be a huge public and critical success.
Macca wanted yet another connection to his past. Remembering his rock’n’roll roots and the early days with John, he reached out to Carl Perkins, wondering if he would be able to come and stay with them in Montserrat. He wanted Perkins to be involved on the album in some form, and they ended up writing and recorded the track Get It together.
Carl spent eight days with them, enjoying the full hospitality of Paul and Linda, getting to know their entire family and was made to feel like he was one of them. It was a great time between old friends who had shared such a legendary musical past, but also a wonderful time filled with fun, family, and music.
The night before he left, Perkins was sitting on the patio by himself reflecting on how wonderful these days had been. He was full of warm feelings about the visit and wanted to convey them to his hosts. He was however concerned that he might run short of words in telling them how he felt. The solution came by itself, as his thoughts started manifesting themselves as a song.
Carl Perkins recounted the experience in a 1997 video where he summed up his musical career. He said, “As the days went by and time started drawing near, I knew I was going to go home the next morning. I sat out on the patio that night, and I was thinking about how lucky Carl Perkins was. I’m kind of sentimental, and I can’t say certain things out loud, but sometimes I can sing it. And the night before I left, I remember this little song that I wrote.”
Once it had arrived, it left such a solid imprint that it just stuck. He didn’t even write it down, which was very unusual for him – he nearly always wrote his songs down immediately to avoid forgetting parts of them. This one felt different somehow. He knew he would fully remember it, and he wasn’t wrong. The song would be called My Old Friend.
The next morning, the song was as strong and clear in his mind as it had been the night before. He was ready to present it for his hosts. They met for breakfast as usual, and Perkins brought his guitar. He said that he had written something as a thank you, explaining that it was a gift and an appreciation for having had him as a guest. The McCartneys were very excited to hear this.
Halfway through the song, there is a particularly poignant passage, where the lyrics go:
If we never meet again this side of life
In a little while
Over yonder
Where there’s peace and quiet
My old friend
Won’t you think about me every now and then?
At this point, tears streamed down Paul’s face. He stood up and stepped outside. Not knowing what was going on, Perkins stopped, wondering if he had done something wrong.
Linda, however, came towards Perkins. She put her arms around him, thanking him profusely for helping Paul to connect with his grief over John Lennon’s death. Paul had not been able to cry over the loss of his close friend yet at that point.
Perkins was even more confused. What did his song have to do with John Lennon?
Linda explained that the last time Paul had talked to John, he had said that very same line to Paul. “Think of me every now and then, my old friend.” That line had been on Paul’s mind ever since John had been shot and killed. And now, the line had come back to him again in this song.
Parkins had no idea. He was as taken aback as anyone. He was a spiritual person, and started wondering how the song had come to him, and whether there had been an influence from Lennon or some other force to pass on these words as a message to Paul. The feeling he had on the porch when the song had come to him had felt unusually strong, and in hindsight made yet another impression. Was there a reason? The more he thought of it, he couldn’t dismiss it.
If nothing else, it certainly is an incredible coincidence. Whatever you may or may not believe in, that song did provide an important element of healing for Paul vs John’s death. We should keep in mind that this was still very recent. Feelings were still very raw, and the situation was hard to accept and come to grips with for many.
In the end, Paul was incredibly touched by the gesture, but he also thought the song was more than good enough to give it a proper recording. Although Carl felt it was just a statement, Paul persuaded him to go into the studio there and then to put it down.
Perkins’ departure was delayed to give time to record the song, which was done that same day on 25 February 1981, at AIR Studios in Montserrat. Perkins sang and played two guitar parts, alongside which Paul played organ, rhythm guitar, bass, drums, and backing vocals. It was cut within the hour. It was produced by George Martin, who also later created a string arrangement for it.
Having recorded the song, with Perkins now having a further day to spend there, they later went out in a yacht to enjoy the afternoon. Paul McCartney shared this memory in the Tug of War Archive Collection (2015): “Carl got out his guitar while we were on the [Mike Batt’s yacht in Montserrat], and I said, ‘Oh great, yeah, play that. Sing us your new song!’ So he starts. ‘On the isle of Montserrat /Though I never shall forget …” and then, silence. Carl blanks it. He’s forgotten the words. Having said ‘I never shall forget’, then he did! Forget the next line. Totally blanked it! We were rolling on the floor of the boat … Oh Carl! Of course, he recalled it all in due course, but that’s the moment I remember.”
McCartney was so interested in the song that he asked Perkins if he could take it back to England to work on an arrangement. Perkins was thrilled with the results, calling Paul’s treatment a masterpiece which heightens the feelings expressed in the song.
It would still take 15 years for the song to be included on an album. Who knows if the unusual backstory and/or personal nature (it was a gift to two people, after all) led its author to hesitate, but he finally dusted it off, recorded some final overdubs, and included it on the album Go Cat Go! in 1996. As this is an album of collaborations, it was a perfect fit.
The story doesn’t end there. None of the involved told this story publicly, until Carl told the story while being filmed for a documentary/career retrospective in 1997.
Having told the story on camera for the first time, he sat in his studio and sang the refrain when his wife buzzed in on the intercom and said, “Carl, Paul McCartney just called.”
Carl could not believe it. He asked his wife to confirm who had called one more time. He was so stunned at the coincidence he turned to the camera, speechless, and said “you tell me this boy has not got a connection to the spirit world!”
Carl Perkins coincidentally died exactly one year to the day later, after suffering two strokes. If he had not been inspired to do a video in 1997 on his musical career, and recounted this experience, he may never have shared this story.
In the end, the song would represent a pivotal moment in Perkins’ career, who said that My Old Friend meant more to him than any other song he’d ever written – including Blue Suede Shoes. It worked on several levels, containing his personal feelings to McCartney about a very special time, while also managing to hit a more universal note which many people could associate with.
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