‘Blackpool’ was recorded for Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1974 live studio album and film One Hand Clapping.
Written in the early 1970s, the song was first recorded during demo sessions at Rude Studio in Scotland. It featured piano, acoustic guitars, and drums, plus the sound of a dog barking in the background.
The One Hand Clapping version was taped at Abbey Road Studios in London on 30 August 1974, with McCartney on vocals and acoustic guitar.
A third version was taped during the Tug Of War in 1981. It was planned to be the b-side of ‘The Man’, with a release scheduled for 13 February 1984, but it was cancelled after the McCartneys’ drug busts in January that year.
McCartney performed ‘Blackpool’ during a soundcheck in Dublin on 27 May 2003, and at the Chaos And Creation At Abbey Road show on 28 July 2005.
‘Blackpool’ remained officially unreleased until the One Hand Clapping album in June 2024. It was one of six songs on a bonus 7″ single included with copies sold via McCartney’s website.
