Album This song officially appears on the Pipes Of Peace Official album.
Timeline This song was officially released in 1983
Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1982, when Paul McCartney was 40 years old)
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Jan 11, 1983
Mixing "Tug Of Peace", "The Other Me"
Jul 06, 1983
Paul McCartney Talks 1983 Classic ‘Pipes Of Peace’ With James Dean Bradfield
Sep 30, 2015 • From DIY
“The Other Me” is a track from 1983 album “Pipes Of Peace“.
“The Other Me” is Paul McCartney alone, playing synthesiser, piano and guitar, and lyrically, could be interpreted as his comment on the critics image of him. Something he was swift to deny: “Oh no, it’s never that. They always say that. I released ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb,’ and they said that was my answer to the BBC banning me. It’s a nice way to think of it, but I didn’t do it for the critics, it was for my daughter, who’s name is Mary, and who had a little lamb! All this reading into stuff, I never do stuff like that. It had never occurred to me that ‘Walk On By’ — for those older listeners and readers — ‘Walk On By’ was a naughty song, until a vicar mentioned it on the radio, and said it’s all about adultery! So, anyway, this one is actually just a song about the other man in me, the new man in me, the other side of me that’s lurking and waiting to get out… There’s a kind of latent possibility in everyone and when they’re teriffic and have had a valium they’re all lovely people, and love people… When they haven’t had their pill, they’re not so nice, and it’s the other side of me is what I am conscious of trying to reach in myself… For me, there’s a side of me I don’t like so much, there’s a side of me that I prefer. I suppose the thing is to try and get a little more in contact with the side of myself that I prefer, and control myself, instead of just flying off the handle.“
Paul McCartney, from Club Sandwich N° 31, 1983
I listened to Pipes Of Peace today. I’ve always liked The Other Me. But I’ve heard some people criticize Paul’s lyrics because of the line “And I acted like a dustbin lid”
I’ve always wondered about that, so I did a quick web search and found out that it is real Cockney slang. According to “The ultimate guide to Cockney rhyming slang” in The Guardian, “dustbin lid” is used to refer to a child who’s made a big mess.
From Facebook
I know I was a crazy fool
For treating you the way I did
But something took hold of me
And I acted like a dustbin lid
I didn't give a second thought
To what the consequences might be
I really wouldn't be surprised
If you were trying to find another me
CHORUS
The other me would rather be the glad one
The other me would rather play the fool
I want to be the kind of me
That doesn't let you down as a rule
I know it doesn't take a lot
To have a little self-control
But every time that I forgot
Well I landed in another hole
But every time you pull me out
I find it harder not to see
That we can build a better life
If I can try to find the other me
- CHORUS -
But if I ever hurt you
Well you know that it's not real
It's not easy living by yourself
So imagine how I feel
I wish I could take it back
I'd like to make a different mood
And if you let me try again
I'll have a better attitude
Well I know that one and one makes two
And that's what I want us to be
I really would appreciate it
If you'd help me find another me
- CHORUS -
Official album • Released in 1983
3:59 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Keyboards (?), Piano (?), Tambourine (?), Vocals George Martin : Arrangement, Producer Geoff Emerick : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jon Jacobs : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant
Session Recording: Jan 11, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK
Session Mixing: Jul 06, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, 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
Official album • Released in 1993
Studio version • A • 1993 remaster
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Keyboards (?), Piano (?), Tambourine (?), Vocals George Martin : Arrangement, Producer Geoff Emerick : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jon Jacobs : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant
Session Recording: Jan 11, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK
Session Mixing: Jul 06, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, 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
Pipes Of Peace - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2015
3:58 • Studio version • A2015 • 2015 remaster
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Keyboards (?), Piano (?), Tambourine (?), Vocals George Martin : Arrangement, Producer Geoff Emerick : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jon Jacobs : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Sam Okell : Remastering Alex Wharton : Remastering
Session Recording: Jan 11, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK
Session Mixing: Jul 06, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, 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
Pipes Of Peace - Ultimate Archive Collection
Unofficial album • Released in 2016
3:58 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Keyboards (?), Piano (?), Tambourine (?), Vocals George Martin : Arrangement, Producer Geoff Emerick : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jon Jacobs : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant
Session Recording: Jan 11, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK
Session Mixing: Jul 06, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, 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
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present
"The Other Me" is one of the songs featured in the book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present," published in 2021. The book explores Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career. It pairs the lyrics of 154 of his songs with his first-person commentary on the circumstances of their creation, the inspirations behind them, and his current thoughts on them.
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989
With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.
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