The Paul McCartney Song That ‘Was Written Halfway Up a Mountain in Scotland Then Recorded in Nigeria’
Inspiration for a song has hit Paul McCartney in a variety of ways. Sometimes it happens overnight, like for “Yesterday,” or it can be influenced by a beautiful location. According to McCartney, he began writing “Jet” halfway up a mountain. The song was then recorded in Nigeria, making it a unique song produced in various locations.
The title for ‘Jet’ was inspired by Paul McCartney’s pony
In an interview with GQ, Paul McCartney revealed the origins behind many of his hit songs. While discussing “Jet,” the former Beatle revealed that the title came from a pony he owned in Scotland, which shared the same name.
“I was in a songwriting mood, and I was up in Scotland,” McCartney shared. “I just thought, ‘OK, I just gotta go somewhere and try and write a song.’ And we happen to have a little pony that was called Jet. I was on a farm in Scotland.”
He then revealed where the lyrics came from, stating that the words were about his father-in-law and the early days of getting to know him after getting married. At the time, McCartney was married to his first wife, Linda.
“I don’t kind of know where all the words came from,” he admitted. “I know where ‘Jet’ came from, and I like the name. The words are probably about me and my father-in-law. You know, the early days of getting married, and when your father-in-law is kind of a nuisance…So, he’s probably the major in it.”
Paul McCartney recorded the song in Nigeria after writing it on a mountain
“Jet” has a fascinating origin as it was not conveniently produced. First, Paul McCartney wrote the song while halfway up a mountain. He then decided to leave the U.K. and recorded the track in Nigeria.
“That one was written halfway up a mountain in Scotland. Then, recorded in Nigeria,” McCartney explained. “I was wondering where to record, and I’d fancied getting out of England. So I asked my record label, which is EMI, to supply me with a list of all the studios they had around the world. I knew they had a lot. And one was in China, one was in Rio De Janeiro, and one was in Lagos, Nigeria. So I went, ‘Yeah, Lagos. C’mon’ because I like African music. I loved the rhythms of African music. So, I chose that, not realizing that it would be a really basic little studio.
“We kind of built half the studio,” he added. “They didn’t have a vocal booth. You know, you go in the booth to isolate your voice. They didn’t have one. So, we had to explain to them, ‘You take some wood, and you do this, and you get some glass, and you put it in like that.’ But it was kind of nice. I liked the primitive aspect of it, and being in Africa was a pretty interesting experience.”
‘Jet’ is one of the biggest hits of McCartney’s post-Beatles career
“Jet” was recorded by Paul McCartney and Wings and debuted on their third album, 1973’s Band on the Run. In the U.K. and the U.S., the song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the official charts. The song has been shared on numerous compilation albums and is one of the biggest hits from McCartney and Wings.
While the single never achieved the same status as many of his Beatles’ No. 1 hits, it’s still an impressive track that proved McCartney was a musical success outside The Beatles.
