Monkberry Moon Delight

"Monkberry Moon Delight" is a song written by English musician Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, from their 1971 album Ram.

"Monkberry Moon Delight"
Song by Paul and Linda McCartney
from the album Ram
Released17 May 1971 (1971-05-17)
RecordedNovember–December 1970[1]
GenreRock
Length5:21
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
Producer(s)Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney

Composition and arrangement

"Monkberry Moon Delight" is in the key of C minor.[2] McCartney's vocals are accompanied by a chord progression consisting of Cm, Gm7, and G7 chords (i–v7–V7).[2] In the chorus, which features Linda in a more active role on vocals, her and McCartney's singing is supported by Cm and Fm chords.[2] This leads to an A♭7–G7–Cm harmonic succession, with the A♭7 functioning as an augmented sixth chord (Ger+6).[2] McCartney's gruff, distinctive vocalization was influenced by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who later covered the song.[3]

Lyrics

McCartney said of the song's title, which also appears in the song's lyrics:

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.[1][2]

Reception

Upon Ram's release, Anthony Boot of The Kingston Whig-Standard referred to "Monkberry Moon Delight" as "a bit of a waste" on what he considered to otherwise be "an excellent album."[4]

In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked "Monkberry Moon Delight" #22 on their ranking of the 40 greatest McCartney songs from his solo career; the list's compilers refer to the song as one of McCartney's "genius obscurities".[5]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson rated "Monkberry Moon Delight" as McCartney's most underrated song, saying that it "features one of his rawest vocals tracks ever" and also praising the "stomping rhythm and whimsical backup vocals."[6]

Personnel

Cover versions

In 1972, Bahamian musician Exuma recorded a cover of "Monkberry Moon Delight", which was included on his album Reincarnation.[8] The following year, Screamin' Jay Hawkins recorded a cover of the song and released it as a single.[1][2] The American band Robbers on High Street released a version on their 2006 EP "The Fatalist and Friends."

References
  1. Jackson, Andrew Grant (2014). Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of The Beatles' Solo Careers. Taylor Trade Publishing. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-8108-8222-5.
  2. Benitez Jr., Vincent P. (2010). The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-313-34969-0.
  3. "Paul McCartney.com". May 15, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  4. Boot, Anthony (4 August 1971). "Record Review". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Dolan, Jon; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Hermes, Will; Sheffield, Rob (30 November 2020). "Paul McCartney's 40 Greatest Solo Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  6. Swanson, Dave (18 June 2015). "Top 10 Underrated Paul McCartney Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  7. Badman, Keith (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up (1970–2001). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0711983076.
  8. "Billboard Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 84. 1972. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
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