‘Penina’ was written by Paul McCartney in December 1968, and recorded by Portuguese singer Carlos Mendes and the group Jotta Herra the following year. The song was briefly played by The Beatles on 9 January 1969, the sixth day of the Get Back/Let It Be sessions.
I went to Portugal on holiday [in late 1968] and returned to the hotel one night slightly the worse for a few drinks. There was a band playing and I ended up on the drums. The hotel was called Penina, I made up a song with that name, someone made inquiries about it and I gave it to them. And, no, I shouldn’t think I’d ever record it myself!
Paul McCartney, 1994
Club Sandwich
Club Sandwich
The band playing at the Hotel Penina was Jotta Herra, who were the first to be offered the song. They and Mendes both released version of ‘Penina’ in Portugal in the summer of 1969.
Although McCartney’s name appeared on the picture sleeves of both singles, it did little to entice record buyers, and ‘Penina’ remains a lesser known McCartney composition.
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I absolutely ADORE this melody, even the odd arrangement and wonky lyrics and that Paul obviously was having a go at with them, lost in translation (‘feed me drugs!?” — do I have that right?). Oh, if only Paul, now looking in hindsight, would rework the lyrics and record this himself! It’s one of his MOST beautiful melodies. Please Paul, pretty please . . . please? And keep the French horns . . . please. 🙂 “Love from Joanie….” <3
There is this wonderful video of Carlos Pinto, the lead singer of Jotta Herra, reminiscing about the night, 26 December 1968, at the Hotel Penina when McCartney joined them on stage to jam. He then tells how he asked Paul to compose a song, which he did on the spot, and gave it to them. The song Penina tells the story of that night. Carlos Pinto states that this moment changed his life and he would never have become President of Sony Music Portugal if he hadn’t have met Paul McCartney.