Another Day (1971) 6/23/20

n 1969, while the Beatles were working on their final album, “Let It Be,” Paul McCartney was preparing material for his “Ram”album,.

In fact, he (and wife Linda) had already written and recorded what would turn out to be their first single release.

“Another Day,” however, was held back until the Beatles had gone their separate ways, and was not included on the initial release of “Ram.”

One reason was the litigation that followed after he credited Linda as a songwriter on the song (and “Ram”as a whole). Apparently, it had something to do with a contract that restricted who Paul could credit as a co-writer. Luckily, the issue was eventually resolved and things finally moved forward.

It was all very confusing and just one example of how messy the dissolution of the Beatles turned out to be.

Unfortunately, music critics HATED “Ram” and almost universally panned it. “Another Day” however, benefiting from NOT being on the album, was a different story.

According to Denny Siewell, who played drums on the track, the song felt like a rewrite of “Eleanor Rigby” with lyrics about a lonely woman living in the city.” In any event, people could relate to it.

The proof was on the charts. In 1971, “Another Day” became a Top 10 smash in 14 countries, including #1 in Australia, Ireland and Spain. In the US, it peaked at #4 on Billboard's Easy Listening Chart and #5 on the Hot 100. In Canada, it was #6 and #4 on the matching charts, respectively.

When everything was said and done, it turned out to be the first “Great Song of the '70s” for Paul as a solo act. (And Linda, too!)