UK single release: Walking In The Park With Eloise by Paul McCartney

‘Walking In The Park With Eloise’ was a single credited to The Country Hams, featuring Paul McCartney and Wings drummer Geoff Britton, and other musicians including guitarist Chet Atkins.

It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on 18 October 1974, and in the US on 2 December.

‘Walking In The Park With Eloise’ was an instrumental written by McCartney’s father Jim.

My father did write a song – only the one, to my knowledge – and many years later I said, ‘Dad, you know that song you wrote: ‘Walking In The Park With Eloise’?’ He said, ‘I didn’t write it – I just made it up.’ Anyway, I told him that I’d recorded it with some friends of mine in Nashville. One of the friends was Chet Atkins, and he’d brought along Floyd Cramer. We got together and made a little recording of the song specially to play to my dad.

The single did not reach the singles chart in either the UK or USA.

The b-side was ‘Bridge Over The River Suite’, a Paul McCartney instrumental recorded over two sessions in 1972 and 1973, with brass overdubs added in July 1974 Nashville.

Despite its lack of commercial success, McCartney’s father was delighted to have one of his compositions professionally recorded and released.

He loved having a record out – but he’s very shy… and he didn’t like all the publicity. I remember him being very emotional about it when I first played it to him. He said I really shouldn’t have bothered, but I know he enjoyed it.

The single was reissued in 1982 to coincide with McCartney’s appearance on the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs, on which one of his eight chosen records was ‘Walking In The Park With Eloise’.