Album This song officially appears on the Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Official album.
Timeline This song was officially released in 2005
Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 2005, when Paul McCartney was 63 years old)
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
July 2005 • From EMI
October 2005 • From Bass Player
“How Kind Of You” is a track from Paul McCartney’s 2005 album “Chaos And Creation In The Backyard“. From an interview of Paul McCartney by Gary Crowley:
Track 2 is How Kind of You. Interesting choice of words….
It’s something I’ve done for a long time but recently I’ve started to notice more perhaps, like how some people talk, what phrases they use and I’ve got a couple of sort of older posh English friends who instead of saying, ‘That’s very nice of you,’ or ‘Thanks a lot,’ where I come from – they might say, ‘How kind of you,’ and, you know, so I just started with that phrase and this whole idea, ‘How kind of you to think of me when I was out of sorts,’ instead of, ‘Thanks very much for thinking of me when I wasn’t feeling too good,’ which is just an ordinary way of saying it. I just liked this slight sort of elegant language; so I was just imagining it from the point of view of somebody like that, writing a thank you letter, ‘How kind of you to think of me. It was very nice…’ and so and so, and so and so. It wasn’t particularly about anything, just playing with that language thing and then trying to put the tune a bit more rock and roll, pop, to set it against it, so it kind of wrote itself that one, coming off the phrase, ‘How kind of you.’
Was How Kind of You fully ready when you started recording or did it develop in the studio?
It did develop in the studio. That was one that I brought in as a kind of, I can’t remember what key it’s in, (sings) ‘How kind of you to think of me, when I was out of sorts,’ but then what we did it was just like a drone and a sort of harmonium thing (sings) ‘how kind of you to think of me.’ Just put it in a kind of limbo land, like an Indian piece, (sings) ‘When I was out of sorts,’ so that changed its nature putting like a harmonium thing in there with it so it became like an Indian continent and then this pop song sitting on the top of it and then brought in some drums about halfway and bass on a kind of Sixties kind of vibe, almost reminds me of The Doors or somebody this funny little, kind of two-beat funny little thing on the drums, but, yeah, that changed quite a bit in the studio.
Paul McCartney – from 2005 UK promotional-only interview CD, recorded July 2005 at Air Studios in London
How kind of you to think of me
When I was out of sorts
It really meant a lot to be
In someone else's thoughts
Someone else's mind
Someone else as kind, as you
The thoughtfulness you showed has made
A difference in my life
I won't forget how unafraid
You were that long dark night
I thought that all was lost
I thought I'd never find
A someone quite as kind, as you
I thought my faith had gone
I thought there couldn't be
A someone who was there, for me
How kind of you to stick by me
During the final bout
And listen to the referee
As I was counted out
I thought my time was up
I thought I'd never find
A someone quite as kind, as you
I thought my faith had gone
I thought there couldn't be
A someone who was there, for me
How kind of you to think of me
How kind of you
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (Special Edition)
Official album
4:47 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Bosendorfer grand piano, Cuerrero, Epiphone casino electric guitar, Flugelhorn, Hofner bass, Ludwig drums, Martin d28 acoustic guitar, Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Shaker, Vocals Nigel Godrich : Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Producer Darrell Thorp : Engineer Dan Grech-Marguerat : Production assistant
Session Recording: April 2005 • Studio AIR Studios Lyndhurst, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Japanese edition)
Official album • Released in 2005
4:47 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Bosendorfer grand piano, Cuerrero, Epiphone casino electric guitar, Flugelhorn, Hofner bass, Ludwig drums, Martin d28 acoustic guitar, Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Shaker, Vocals Nigel Godrich : Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Producer Darrell Thorp : Engineer Dan Grech-Marguerat : Production assistant
Session Recording: April 2005 • Studio AIR Studios Lyndhurst, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Official album • Released in 2005
4:47 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Bosendorfer grand piano, Cuerrero, Epiphone casino electric guitar, Flugelhorn, Hofner bass, Ludwig drums, Martin d28 acoustic guitar, Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Shaker, Vocals Nigel Godrich : Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Producer Darrell Thorp : Engineer Dan Grech-Marguerat : Production assistant
Session Recording: April 2005 • Studio AIR Studios Lyndhurst, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Limited Edition - Gold LP)
Official album • Released in 2018
4:47 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Bosendorfer grand piano, Cuerrero, Epiphone casino electric guitar, Flugelhorn, Hofner bass, Ludwig drums, Martin d28 acoustic guitar, Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Shaker, Vocals Nigel Godrich : Piano and epiphone acoustic guitar loops, Producer Darrell Thorp : Engineer Dan Grech-Marguerat : Production assistant
Session Recording: April 2005 • Studio AIR Studios Lyndhurst, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • From the books "Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs" • Buy Volume 1 (1970-1989) and Volume 2 (1990-2012) on Amazon
Chronicles in the Backyard Disc 2
Unofficial album • Released in 2006
29:19 • Live
Concert From "Front Row, BBC Radio 4" in , United Kingdom on Aug 29, 2005
Chronicles in the Backyard Disc 3
Unofficial album • Released in 2006
5:04 • Radio show
Recording : Jul 28, 2005 • Studio Abbey Road Studio 2
“How Kind of You” has been played in 3 concerts and 1 soundchecks.
Aug 29, 2005 • United Kingdom • Radio show
Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road
Jul 28, 2005 • United Kingdom • London • Abbey Road Studios, Studio 2
Jul 27, 2005 • United Kingdom • London • Abbey Road Studios • Radio show
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012
This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.
The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.
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Udon T. Nomee • 2 years ago
Lyrics are quite nice along the lines of English Tea
