Recording: The Back Seat Of My Car, Rode All Night by Paul and Linda McCartney

Studio B, CBS Studio Building, New York City
Producers: Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney

Paul and Linda McCartney worked on the songs ‘The Back Seat Of My Car’ and ‘Rode All Night’ for the Ram album on 20 October 1970.

The session started with Paul reviewing the work on ‘The Back Seat Of My Car’ recorded on 20 October. He then began a new version with an amended line-up: Hugh McCracken was on guitar instead of David Spinozza, and McCartney played the studio’s Steinway grand piano. Denny Seiwell was on drums, as before.

McCracken, believing he was there just for an audition, was only available until 2pm. Following a break for lunch, McCartney and Seiwell jammed, from which ‘Rode All Night’ emerged. The song remained an outtake until 2012, when it was released on a reissue of Ram.

When we came back from lunch, Paul was all jazzed up. I don’t know what was in him. He picked up that old black-and-green Firebird guitar of his and started jamming. I jumped behind the drums, so Paul and I are just slamming away, we’re having fun, that’s all we’re doing – and letting off some steam. It was amazing, he was writing this song as we went. And he’s looking at the booth, and these guys aren’t recording it – they’re out there, frantically trying to put the mics back in place, and get the sound correct.

By the time they got everything ready to go again, we were spent, but we said, ‘All right, they’re ready—let’s do take two.’ We’re in there just slamming and jamming, and having a great time, and he started singing, ‘I rode all night ’til I finally hit the daybreak.’ That, to me – this is just to me, personally – was him saying, ‘I can finally make music with someone other than John, George and Ringo.’ I thought, ‘Wow, this is really a compliment to me,’ and I gave it a bit more.

At the end of the session McCartney listened to the day’s recording of ‘The Back Seat Of My Car’, deciding that it needed a fresh start the following day.