Album This song officially appears on the Penina / North 7" Single.
Timeline This song was officially released in 1969
Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1969, when Paul McCartney was 27 years old)
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Get Back sessions - January 9, 1969 - Day 6
Jan 09, 1969
Winter 1994 • From Club Sandwich
Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman on holiday in Portugal
December 11 - Before Christmas 1968
“Penina” is a song written by Paul McCartney in December 1968 while on holiday in Portugal, and given away to a local band, Jotta Herre.
What’s the story behind a song called “Penina” which I believe you wrote for a Portugese band leader in 1968? Might you ever record it yourself?
I went to Portugal on holiday and returned to the hotel one night slightly the worse for a few drinks. There was a band playing and I ended up on the drums. The hotel was called Penina, I made up a song with that name, someone made enquiries about it and I gave it to them. And, no, I shouldn’t think I’d ever record it myself!
Paul McCartney, Club Sandwich interview, 1994
I gave this song to a group when I turned up in Portugal, ‘cos I turned up pissed out of my skull one night and wanted to drink in this hotel, you know, about 12 (midnight). I sat in on drums, and they said, ‘Give us a song,’ so I said, ‘Yeah… I’ve been to Alberferra, I had a great time there,’ you know. It was called ‘La Penina’, which was the name of the hotel, and I ended up in La Penina and they were all digging and singing along. It was good, you know. It was one of those that was right, you know. So, William Hickey said that I had given away this £20,000 song. But then, Derek Taylor said, ‘It’s not that he gave away a song, he gave away more of a riff for them to build around.
Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles: Off the Record 2 – The Dream Is Over” by Keith Badman
A/B Road Complete Get Back Sessions - Jan 9th, 1969 - 3 & 4
Unofficial album • Released in 2004
1:07 • Rehearsal • Jan.09 - D3-13 - La Penina 9.67
Session Recording: Jan 09, 1969 • Studio Twickenham Film Studios, London, UK
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
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