Twenty Flight Rock

Paul McCartney recorded a version of Eddie Cochran’s ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ for his 1988 album Choba B CCCP.

It was written by Cochran and Ned Fairchild, and first performed by Cochran in the 1956 film The Girl Can’t Help It. It was released as a single the following year.

‘Twenty Flight Rock’ was played by McCartney to impress Lennon on 6 July 1957, the day the two future-Beatles first met.

John was a little afternoon-pissed, leaning over my shoulder, breathing boozily. We were all a little sloshed. I thought, ‘Bloody hell, who’s this?’ But he was enjoying what I was playing, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’ in C; and I knew ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’. Then I played guitar – upside down. I did ‘Twenty Flight Rock’, and knew all the words. The Quarry Men were so knocked out that I actually knew and could sing ‘Twenty Flight Rock’. That’s what got me into The Beatles.

I knew all the words because me and my mate Ian James had just got them. He and I used to get into all these records and write down the words. ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ was a hard record to get; I remember ordering it and having to wait weeks for it to come in. We’d buy from Curry’s or NEMS. We used to go around shops and ask to hear a record, and then not buy it. They used to get very annoyed but we didn’t care – now we knew the words. I never had a very big record collection.

McCartney performed a version of ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ during Wings’ One Hand Clapping sessions. On the final day of recording, on 30 August 1974, he was filmed and recorded in the back yard of EMI. The nine-minute sequence contained versions of ‘Blackpool’, ‘Twenty Flight Rock’, ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘I’m Gonna Love You Too’, and ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’. Some additional performances included ‘Blackbird’, ‘Country Dreamer’, ‘Freight Train’, ‘Cumberland Gap’ and ‘Rock Island Line’.

The One Hand Clapping album received a full release in June 2024. ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ was one of six songs on a bonus 7″ single included with copies sold via McCartney’s website.

McCartney’s first released version, however, was recorded on 20 July 1987, along with the bulk of the Choba B CCCP album: ‘Kansas City’, ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’, ‘I’m In Love Again’, ‘Bring It On Home To Me’, ‘Lucille’, ‘I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday’, ‘That’s All Right (Mama)’, ‘Summertime’, ‘Just Because’, ‘Midnight Special’, and ‘It’s Now Or Never’.

A live version, recorded at London’s Wembley Arena on 13 January 1990, was released later that year on Tripping The Live Fantastic.