Sweetest Little Show

‘Sweetest Little Show’ is the seventh song on Paul McCartney’s fourth solo album Pipes Of Peace.

We had a Wings session at Abbey Road. I think I was on guitar. And out of the blue the opening of this song came out. Then I developed a little bit later on another occasion, working on it to make it a real song.

McCartney recorded a solo demo of ‘Sweetest Little Show’ in August 1980, with a slower tempo and featuring acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and drums.

That just came out of a jam, just a little chord sequence which was lying around for a while. It nearly got into a medley with two other pieces, and we suddenly didn’t like the two other pieces, but we liked ‘The Sweetest Little Show’ bit. So then I added the guitar show — I fancied playing a bit of guitar — so I played a little bit of acoustic in the middle of it, and that got a little bit of applause and that became the Little Show. So it became its own little thing. I quite like that track, it’s just a soft little track.

‘Sweetest Little Show’ was recorded at Park Gates Studio in Battle, England, in January 1981, during the Tug Of War sessions, with overdubs following in March at London’s AIR Studios.

It was completed two years later in July 1983 during an overdub session, again at AIR.

I added the guitar show – I fancied playing a bit of guitar – so I played a bit of acoustic in the middle of it and that got a little bit of applause and that became the ‘Little Show’.