Written by: Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
Recorded: 12 February 1975; January 1981; 1985
Producers: Paul McCartney, Hugh Padgham, Phil Ramone
Released: 18 November 1985
Personnel
Paul McCartney: vocals, piano, electric guitar
Linda McCartney: tambourine
Denny Laine: upright bass
Jimmy McCulloch, Leo Nocentelli: electric guitar
Joe English: drums
George Porter Jr: cowbell
Benny Spellman: vocals
Unknown: brass
Although recorded in 1975, ‘My Carnival’ was not released until a full decade later.
Paul McCartney recorded a demo of the song, then titled ‘Going To New Orleans’, on 22 January 1975. He sang and played piano, and Wings’ Geoff Britton was on drums.
Wings recorded ‘My Carnival’ on 12 February at Allen Toussaint’s Sea Saint Studios in New Orleans, during the Venus And Mars sessions. The timing was apposite: the previous day New Orleans had held the annual Mardi Gras celebration.
Joining the band on the recording were guitarist Leo Nocentelli, percussionist George Porter Jr, and backing singer Benny Spellman.
‘My Carnival’ was revived by McCartney in January 1981, and again in 1985 when he decided to issue it as the b-side of the ‘Spies Like Us’ single.
The single reached number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it McCartney’s last top 10 hit until 2015’s ‘FourFiveSeconds’. In the UK it peaked at number 13.
The single, with its original US artwork, was included in the 2022 box set The 7″ Singles Box.
‘My Carnival’ was also included on the 1993 and 2014 reissues of Venus And Mars.