"The Lovely Linda" is a song by English musician Paul McCartney, released as the opening track of his debut solo album, McCartney, in April 1970. McCartney wrote the song to his first wife, Linda McCartney.[1]
Paul McCartney wrote "The Lovely Linda" in Scotland during 1969,[2] when he and wife Linda McCartney were living at their farm, High Park, in Campbeltown.[3] The song is dedicated to McCartney's first wife[2] and was a reply-of-sorts to Beatles bandmate John Lennon's public declarations of love for his wife, Yoko Ono.[4] "The Lovely Linda" was released as the opening track on McCartney's eponymous debut solo album, and was the first song taped for the album.[5] McCartney recorded the composition shortly before Christmas in December 1969, in order to test his then-new 4-track recorder, which he had installed in his home studio in London.[6]
At 42 seconds,[7] it is the shortest song in McCartney's solo catalogue. The recording features him on all instruments, including what authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter term "percussive handslaps on a book",[8] and ends with the sound of laughter.[2] On release in April 1970, McCartney stated that "The Lovely Linda" was a "trailer to the full song which will be recorded in the future",[8] but he has yet to release a more complete version.[2] The song appeared on the 2001 compilation Wingspan: Hits and History.
In a review for the McCartney album, Langdon Winner of Rolling Stone described "The Lovely Linda", along with "That Would Be Something", as having "virtually no verbal or melodic content whatsoever."[9]
George Harrison disregarded the song during an interview in 1970, stating: "'That Would Be Something' and 'Maybe I'm Amazed' I think are great and everything else I think is fair, you know. It's quite good, but a little disappointing, but maybe I shouldn't be disappointed, it's best not to expect anything, then everything's a bonus. I think those two tracks are very good and the others just don't do anything for me."[10]
