The last real rock n’ roller produced by The Beatles, Back in the USSR ultimately is a gorgeous one with clever lyrics, jet-engines and faster than ever pace and still a favourite of Paul’s in his current tours. But it didn’t start out that way: a period of distinct tension had caused Ringo to leave the group for a while leaving Paul to do the basic drum work and the remaining three Beatles to ‘get it together’. Originally based on the British ‘I’m Backing Britain’ campaign of 1968 the title evolved from ‘I’m backing the UK’ through ‘I’m backing the USSR’ through Chuck Berry’s ‘Back in the USA’ until its ultimate title.
"I
wrote that as a kind of Beach Boys parody. And 'Back in the USA' was a Chuck
Berry song, so it kinda took off from there. I just liked the idea of Georgia
girls and talking about places like the Ukraine as if they were California, you
know? It was also hands across the water, which I'm still conscious of. 'Cuz
they like us out there, even though the bosses in the Kremlin may not. The kids
do. And that to me is very important for the future of the race." Paul McCartney
1984 Playboy interview.
Clearly a favourite among
Russian fans, Paul has had a great deal
of fun recently playing it in Red Square.
But most of all Back in
the USSR opened The White Album, an opulent collection of solo works which once
again would take us to a new level of what was possible with popular music.
That’s another reason we love the Beatles.
Bonus: The Fireman is out and we love it.
