Daily Song Discussion #203: Only Love Remains

"People ask if I feel an album’s incomplete without a ballad, and I do think that a little bit. I know there are people who like them who will inevitably gravitate towards that particular track… People who’ve heard the album say ‘That’s the McCartney I like’. So I sorta put it on for them, and for myself, because I’m pretty romantic by nature.

It’s not so much the feeling ‘Now we must do the compulsory ballad’, it’s more that I can write them, and I like them. I like the quiet moment, and this song is that reflective moment – and it comes at the end of side one, so if you’re not in that mood, you can always take it off!"-Paul McCartney , Sound On Sound, October 1986

The orchestral score was by Tony Visconti, who had previously fulfilled the same role on Wings’ Band On The Run album.

"In the early summer of 1985 I was pleased to hear Paul McCartney’s voice on the phone. He was enquiring if I’d like to arrange a song for his new album. I drove down to his outrageously beautiful recording studio on the Sussex coast; it’s in a circular, disused old mock windmill. Paul and I went upstairs to a lounge room that had many instruments strewn around. Paul proudly pulled his ageing Höfner violin bass off the wall and showed me a set list taped to the rib of the bass; the once clear adhesive tape was by then old and dark yellow. The set list included ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and most of the songs recorded on the Please Please Me album. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Before we got down to business Paul confronted me: ‘Why did you and Mary [Hopkin] split up?’ I was so taken aback by this and embarrassingly answered, ‘Er, we grew apart.’ Paul could see how choked I was in answering him and didn’t pursue it further. After a little more small talk Paul played me ‘Only Love Remains’, a gorgeous ballad. He said he wanted to record it live with a small orchestra of strings, woodwind instruments and a rhythm section. ‘I want to play piano and sing it live in the same room with the musicians.’

When the day came to record, Paul had the 30 or so musicians taken down to Sussex by coach. The plan was to try and record a rhythm track in the morning, to be safe, and overdub the orchestral instruments in the afternoon. Once that was achieved we had a go recording the entire ensemble with Paul singing and playing live. The musicians from the orchestra spent the morning and lunchtime in the local pub and were well lubricated by the time we sent for them around 2:30 p.m. We managed the overdub, then set up for the live performance. I stood next to him as he played piano and sang, while I conducted the orchestra; it was like having my own private McCartney concert. I would look over to Paul for a cue and he would smile and continue to sing to me. He never made a mistake and each take was a ‘keeper’." -Tony Visconti -Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy

The 2022 box set The 7″ Singles Box contained a unique mix of ‘Only Love Remains’, containing a different saxophone part and more prominent drums.

Album version

1-4: Not good. Regularly skip.

5: It’s okay, but I might have to be in the right mood to listen to it.

6: Slightly better than average. I won’t skip it, but I wouldn’t choose to put it on.

7: This is a good song. I enjoy it quite a bit.

8-9: Really enjoyable songs. I rank them pretty high overall.

10: Masterpiece, magnum opus, or similar terminology.

Rating Results

McCartney 1 7.20/10

1. The Lovely Linda: 6.77/10

2.That Would Be Something: 8.21/10

1. Valentine Day: 5.25/10

2. Every Night: 9.48/10

3. Hot as Sun/Glasses: 6.61/10

4. Junk: 9.35/10

5. Man We Was Lonely: 7.18/10

6. Oo You: 7.22/10

7. Momma Miss America: 5.71/10

8. Teddy Boy: 6.53/10

9. Singalong Junk: 7.16/10

10. Maybe I'm Amazed: 9.63/10

11. Kreen-Akrore: 4.53/10

Suicide: 5.48/10

Women Kind: 3.54/10

RAM 8.42/10

1. Too Many People: 8.78/10

2. 3 Legs: 7.20/10

3. Ram On: 8.52/10

4. Dear Boy: 8.79/10

5. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey; 9.32/10

6. Smile Away: 7.70/10

7. Heart Of The Country: 7.96/10

8. Monkberry Moon Delight: 9.14/10

9. Eat At Home: 7.89/10

10. Long Haired Lady: 8.26/10

11. Ram On reprise: 7.10/10

12. Back Seat of My Car: 9.71/10

Another Day: 9.10/10

Oh Woman Oh Why: 7.95/10

WILD LIFE 6.68/10

1. Mumbo: 6.08/10

2. Bip Bop: 5.48/10

3. Love Is Strange: 7.01/10

4. Wild Life: 6.43/10

5. Some People Never Know: 7.13/10

6. I Am Your Singer: 6.30/10

7. Tomorrow: 8.00/10

8. Dear Friend: 7.04/10

9. Give Ireland Back To The Irish: 5.74/10

   Mary Had A Little Lamb: 6.50/10

When The Wind Is Blowing: 6.92/10

African Yeah Yeah: 2.56/10

Indeed I Do: 5.11/10

RED ROSE SPEEDWAY  7.87/10

1. Big Barn Bed: 7.82/10

2. My Love: 8.5/10

3. Get On The Right Thing: 7.94/10

4. One More Kiss: 7.59/10

5. Little Lamb Dragonfly: 8.97/10

6. Single Pigeon: 8.72/10

7. When The Night: 7.56/10

8. Loup (1st Indian On The Moon): 5.85/10

9. Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands Of Love/Power Cut: 7.88/10

Hi, Hi, Hi: 8.20/10

C Moon: 7.32/10

The Mess (Live At The Hague) 6.86/10

I Would Only Smile: 6.83/10

BAND ON THE RUN 8.72/10

1. Band On The Run: 9.90/10

2. Jet: 9.34/10

3. Bluebird: 8.62/10

4. Mrs. Vandebilt: 8.56/10

5. Let Me Roll It: 8.89/10

6. Mamunia: 8.18/10

7. No Words: 8.05/10

8. Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me): 7.39/10

9. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five: 9.56/10

Live And Let Die: 9.39/10

Helen Wheels 8.16/10

Country Dreamer 7.62/10

Junior’s Farm: 8.13/10

Sally G: 7.16/10

I Lie Around: 6.84/10

Venus and Mars 8.05/10

1. Venus and Mars: 8.63/10

2. Rock Show: 9.03/10

3. Love In Song: 8.15/10

4. You Gave Me The Answer: 7.69/10

5. Magneto And Titanium Man: 8.85/10

6. Letting Go: 8.71/10

7. Venus and Mars (reprise): 8.43/10

8. Spirits of Ancient Egypt: 6.49/10

9. Medicine Jar: 8.10/10

10. Call Me Back Again: 8.58/10

11. Listen To What The Man Said: 9.33/10

12. Treat Her Gently-Lonely Old People: 8.15/10

13. Crossroads: 5.37/10

4th of July: 6.28/10

Walking In The Park With Eloise: 5.87/10

SPEED OF SOUND 7.08/10

1. Let Em In: 7.84/10

2. The Note You Never Wrote: 5.72/10

3. She's My Baby: 7.06/10

4. Beware My Love: 8.51/10

5. Wino Junko: 6.12/10

6. Silly Love Songs: 9.59/10

7. Cook Of The House: 4.06/10

8. Time To Hide: 7.33/10

9. Must Do Something About It:6.88/10

10. San Ferry Anne: 7.63/10

11. Warm And Beautiful: 7.17/10

Mull Of Kintyre: 8.69/10

Girls School: 7.34/10

London Town 7.30/10

1. London Town: 8.14/10

2. Café On The Left Bank: 7.33/10

3. Im Carrying: 8.12/10

4. Backwards Traveller: 7.16/10

5. Cuff Link: 6.62/10

6. Children Children: 5.71/10

7. Girlfriend: 6.38/10

8. I've Had Enough: 6.88/10

9. With a Little Luck 8.72/10

10. Famous Groupies: 6.64/10

11. Deliver Your Children: 7.89/10

12. Name And Address: 6.32/10

13. Don't Let It Bring You Down: 8.54/10

14. Morse Moose And The Grey Goose: 7.76/10

    Goodnight Tonight: 8.99/10

    Daytime Nighttime Suffering: 9.22/10

BACK TO THE EGG 7.69/10

1. Reception: 6.85/10

2. Getting Closer: 9.39/10

3. We're Open Tonight: 6.89/10

4. Spin It On: 7.66/10

5. Again And Again And Again: 7.28/10

6. Old Siam, Sir: 8.45/10

7. Arrow Through Me: 9.45/10

8. Rockestra Theme; 7.00/10

9. To You: 7.29/10

10. After The Ball/Million Miles: 7.45/10

11. Winter Rose/Love Awake: 7.90/10

12. The Broadcast: 5.92/10

13. So Glad To See You Here: 8.02/10

14. Baby's Request: 8.15/10

Cage: 7.24/10

Robber's Ball: 6.82/10

Waterspout: 8.41

Did We Meet Somewhere Before?: 7.15/10

McCARTNEY II 7.23/10

1. Coming Up: 9.22/10

2. Temporary Secretary: 8.11/10

3. On The Way: 7.45/10

4. Waterfalls: 8.33/10

5. Nobody Knows: 6.23/10

6. Front Parlour: 6.06/10

7. Summer's Day Song: 7.42/10

8. Frozen Jap: 6.72/10

9. Bogey Music: 5.04/10

10. Darkroom: 6.71/10

11. One Of These Days: 8.29/10

Blue Sway: 7.19/10

Check My Machine: 6.60/10

Secret Friend: 7.21/10

Mr. H Atom/You Know I'll Get You Baby: 4.22/10

All You Horse Riders/Blue Sway: 5.5/10

Wonderful Christmastime: 8.90/10

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reggae: 3.06/10

TUG OF WAR 8.05/10

1. Tug of War: 8.88/10

2. Take It Away: 9.35/10

3. Somebody Who Cares: 8.44/10

4. What's That You're Doing?: 7.68/10

5. Here Today: 9.29/10

6. Ballroom Dancing: 8.58/10

7. The Pound Is Sinking: 8.25/10

   1. Wanderlust: 9.19/10

8. Get It: 6.61/10

9. Be What You See: 5.90/10

10. Dress Me Up As A Robber: 7.75/10

11. Ebony and Ivory: 6.74/10

Rainclouds: 6.76/10

I'll Give You A Ring: 7.57/10

The Girl Is Mine: 6.72/10

PIPES OF PEACE 7.05/10

1. Pipes Of Peace: 8.61/10

2. Say Say Say: 8.72/10

3. The Other Me: 6.89/10

4. Keep Under Cover: 7.53/10

5. So Bad: 8.09/10

6. The Man: 6.43/10

7. Sweetest Little Show: 6.75/10

8. Average Person: 7.00/10

   1. Hey Hey: 5.31/10

9. Tug of Peace: 4.02/10

   1. Through Our Love: 8.30/10

   Ode To A Koala Bear: 7.94/10

   Twice In A Lifetime: 6.97/10

Christian Bop: 4.95/10

GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADSTREET 7.72/10

1. No More Lonely Nights: 9.46/10

2. Good Day Sunshine/Corridor Music: 6.57/10

3. Yesterday: 8.31/10

4. Here There and Everywhere: 7.72/10

5. Wanderlust: 9.05/10

6. Ballroom Dancing: 8.20/10

7. Silly Love Songs/Silly Love Songs (reprise): 7.48/10

8. Not Such A Bad Boy: 7.12/10

9. So Bad: 8.52/10

10. No Values: 6.91/10

11. For No One: 9.06/10

12. Eleanor Rigby/Eleanor's Dream: 6.70/10

13. The Long And Winding Road: 7.28/10

14. No More Lonely Nights (play out version): 6.87/10

15. Goodnight Princess: 6.64/10

We All Stand Together: 8..17/10

Spies Like Us: 5.34/10

My Carnival: 6.60/10

PRESS TO PLAY

1. Stranglehold: 7.83/10

2. Good Times Coming/Feel The Sun: 7.86/10

3. Talk More Talk: 6.48/10

4. Footprints: 8.64/10