I Got Stung

Paul McCartney recorded a version of Elvis Presley’s 1958 hit single ‘I Got Stung’ for his 1999 album Run Devil Run.

Written by Aaron Schroeder and David Hill, Presley’s recording was released as double a-side single with ‘One Night’, which topped the UK chart.

It was not my favourite Elvis song, but I kept hearing ‘Holy smoke landsakes alive, I never though this would happen to me.’ That intro kept grabbing me. I though I’ll do it a bit more raucous than Elvis.

The Beatles played ‘I Got Stung’ during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions on 31 January 1969.

After Elvis got out of the army ‘I Got Stung’ was one of the ones he did then. And I remember us not being too keen on it. But recently I just sort of remembered the opening: ‘Holy smoke, land sakes alive! I never thought this could happen to me…’ I just loved that intro. So I thought, got to do it, you know. Just ’cause of that intro.

So I take it down, got the words. I couldn’t get most of them off the record. I finally actually got a lyric sheet on that one. So I did it. And we just did more of a shouty version than Elvis’s version.

‘I Got Stung’ was recorded at Abbey Road Studios during the first Run Devil Run session, 1 March 1999, along with ‘Coquette’ and the ‘No Other Baby’ b-side ‘Fabulous’.