A Paul McCartney Song Got Its Name Because His Kids Used the Wrong Word for ‘Milk’

Music artists often find inspiration from things in their life. Sources of inspiration could be their family or just the environment they live in. Paul McCartney often writes about his experiences, and he found a title for his song, “Monkberry Moon Delight,” after hearing the unique way his kids said “milk.”

‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ debuted on Paul McCartney’s ‘Ram’

Ram is the second solo album from McCartney after he left The Beatles. “Monkberry Moon Delight” debuted with the album in 1971. It is written by Paul and Linda McCartney, with Linda providing more active vocals on this song than usual. While it is one of McCartney’s lesser-known songs, it still has a lasting legacy.

In 1972, Bahamian musician Exuma recorded a cover version, while Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who inspired McCartney’s vocal performance on the track, recorded his own cover the following year. Rolling Stone placed the song at number 22 on a list of Paul McCartney’s 40 greatest songs from his solo career. 

Paul McCartney reveals the song’s title comes from how his kids pronounced ‘milk’

In the novel Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of the Beatles’ Solo Careers, Paul McCartney discussed the inspiration behind the title “Monkberry Moon Delight.” The former Beatle explained that his kids would pronounce milk as “monk.” He and his wife thought it was hilarious and decided to write a song with that word. “Monkberry Moon Delight” is a magical drink and another name for a milkshake. 

“When my kids were young they used to call milk ‘monk’ for whatever reason that kids do—I think it’s magical the way that kids can develop better names for things than the real ones. In fact, as a joke, Linda and I still occasionally refer to an object by that child-language name. So, monk was always milk, and monkberry moon delight was a fantasy drink, rather like ‘Love Potion No. 9’, hence the line in the song, ‘sipping monkberry moon delight’. It was a fantasy milk shake.”

McCartney’s vocal performance was influenced by another artist

On “Monkberry Moon Delight,” McCartney delivers a distinct vocal performance, unlike many of his other songs. His style matches the bizarre and surreal lyrics within the song and gives the song a quirky identity. In an interview on his website, Paulmccartney.com, the “Live and Let Die” singer revealed his performance was influenced by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who had iconic delivery on “I Put a Spell on You”.

“If the lyrics are a bit zany then you end up having fun with the vocal like you’re a character,” McCartney explained. “I’m inspired by people like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who did a song called ‘I Put A Spell On You’. When I first heard it, I couldn’t believe the way he was using his voice, I thought, ‘wow, this guy is singing far out’! ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ was definitely influenced by ‘Put A Spell On You’, because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a light relief from the serious world.”