Long Haired Lady

Written by: McCartney
Recorded: October 1970 – April 1971
Producer: Paul and Linda McCartney

Released: 21 May 1971 (UK), 17 May 1971 (US)

Paul McCartney: vocals, keyboards, bass guitar
Linda McCartney: backing vocals
David Spinozza/Hugh McCracken: guitar
Denny Seiwell: drums

Available on:
Ram
Thrillington

The longest track on Paul and Linda McCartney’s 1971 album Ram, Long Haired Lady was a love song pieced together from two song fragments.

Juxtaposing disparate song ideas had been used as a songwriting method by McCartney a number of times before, particularly in the few years leading up to Ram. 1969’s Abbey Road combined various unfinished pieces to make the celebrated long medley, and Ram’s Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey was made up of 12 separate musical sections.

Long Haired Lady is very period piece, [fey Californian accent] ‘My long-haired lady.’ Very ’70s.

The ‘love is long’ section which closes the song recalls The Beatles’ extended ending for Hey Jude, although without much of the emotional weight and passion of that song.