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Released in 2018

Naked

Written by Paul McCartney

Last updated on December 22, 2019

Album This song officially appears on the Egypt Station Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 2018

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related songs

“Naked” is a part of a medley of three tracks (the other two are “Hunt You Down” and “C-Link“) which forms the last track of 2018 album “Egypt Station“.  From “Words Between The Tracks” YouTube series:

That’s a three-part song, which goes from this sort of rocker, Hunt You Down, and the words are: “I can’t find my love, no matter how hard I try,” you know, “She’s giving me the run-around,” just kind of like blues complaining lyrics. “Yeah, my woman done hurt me, I can’t find my love…” you know, it’s that kind of thing. So I’m having fun with that, and doing this rock ‘n’ roll piece, and that became Hunt You Down.

And then it goes through, into another song called Naked. And again it links through, ’cause there’s like a tempo change at the end of Hunt You Down. It goes from 4/4 into 3/4, and goes into this other song, which is a very simple song that I’d recorded pretty much on my own.

It’s a simple song about ‘I’ve been naked since I was born.’ And, you know, this thing we go through that’s life, that everyone goes through it, and in a way there are many situations that you find yourself where you’re kind of naked, socially. You can sort of feel naked: “I don’t know how to deal with this,” you know.

So that was a song about, that’s my take on that. As I say I played it myself, and sang it myself in the studio.

And then that links on to another thing we called C-Link in the end, which it just me totally indulging myself in wanting to play guitar. And the original take on it is about 11 minutes, I think. But it’s just me really enjoying playing electric guitar. ‘Cause I always say to people, people often say, ‘Why do you still do it?’ I say: “‘Cause I love it. I love this thing.”

And I’m still thrilled with having the privilege of being able to go up to an amp, turn it on, get my guitar, plug it in and play it very loud. It’s a thrill, and it’s never stopped being a thrill, that.

And then there were certain little phrases that were kind of more melodic than others. A lot of it’s just bluesy phrases, there were one or two in there that suggested something else. So we orchestrated a few of the phrases, and made it a little more of a composition.

It was an idea that I fancied doing. I fancied doing it for a long time, of just getting someone – it turned out to be me – I was just going to get someone to play blues guitar against an orchestra holding a chord. In this case it was C, and then C minor, just the orchestra hold this chord for ever and ever and ever, and then this guitar playing over the top of it. And actually I was always gonna ask Eric Clapton to do the blues guitar – so Eric, if you’re listening… But this time it turned out to be me – you know, D.I.N. – I’d better go round to it. And so, I did. And that finishes the album. Right at the end of that session… you just hear a little ‘Whoo!’ and that’s it. Egypt Station.

Paul McCartney

Each track of “Egypt Station” has been given individual artwork that was first published on Twitter on August 14, 2018

Lyrics

I’ve been taken for my younger brother

Life’s a basket but I have no other

I keep waking up

When I’m trying to sleep

I’ve been naked since I was born

Born to follow you wherever you go

But my problem is I never do know

Where you’re taking me

I don’t have a clue

I’ve been naked since I was born

Save my soul and set it free

Free to fly home

There’s a place I’m meant to be

Back, back home

I’ve been broken in so many places

Put together by a sea of faces

What to make of them

I don’t hardly know

I’ve been naked for so long, so long

I’ve been taken for my younger brother

Life’s a basket but I have no other

I keep waking up

When I’m trying to sleep

I’ve been naked for so long

I’ve been naked for so long

So long

Variations

  • A Album version. Medley with "Hunt You Down", "C-Link"

Officially appears on

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Paul McCartney writing

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