‘Move Over Busker’ is the eighth track on Paul McCartney’s sixth solo album Press To Play.
It was co-written by McCartney and former 10cc member Eric Stewart.
That’s got a good American rock ‘n’ roll feel to it. I think originally it was called ‘Move Over Buster’, which Eric and I thought was a bit ordinary. So we just kicked it about a little bit and it came out ‘busker’, then that gave us more possibilities about wandering round and meeting people…There’s a bit of harmless sexism in the lyrics – that strong British tradition, you know, of seaside postcards. Nell Gwyn, well you know the archetypal image of her, with her oranges and all! Then there’s Mae West ‘in her sweaty vest’ – that’s an old Beatle joke ‘and here’s Miranda in her little sweaty vest’; just one of those insanities. Then we get Errol Flynn, looking out of his motor home, another one who was supposedly renowned for his sexual prowess.
Sound On Sound, October 1986
Although much of Press To Play is mired in 1980s overproduction, ‘Move Over Busker’ finds McCartney getting back to his rock ‘n’ roll roots. It was a straightforward recording with few embellishments, aside from an overdubbed guitar solo by Carlos Alomar midway through.
