![Why the Keith Richards/Paul McCartney song may never be released]( "Why the Keith Richards/Paul McCartney song may never be released")
Why the Keith Richards/Paul McCartney song may never be released
One of the most intriguing tidbits that Keith Richards has revealed in his autobiography "Life" is that he and Paul McCartney once wrote a song together. The collaboration happened in 2006, when the two superstars met up by chance while both were on vacation at Parrot Cay on the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Richards says in the book: "He told me that because he was left-handed, he and John [Lennon, McCartney’s former songwriting partner in the Beatles] could play the guitars like mirrors opposite each other, watching each other’s hands. So we started playing like that. We even started composing a song together, a McCartney/Richards number whose lyrics were penned on the wall for many weeks."
Richards did not elaborate in the book on what the song sounded like, and it is unknown if the writing session was recorded or if the song was even finished.
However, if the song ended up being completed, there would be the matter of recording it and possibly releasing it. And that’s where things get complicated, because although members of the Beatles and Stones have worked together in the past, members of the Beatles and the Stones have never before written any songs together.
It goes without saying, the McCartney/Richards song would be hot property, with record companies competing to release it. Richards and McCartney are each under totally separate recording contracts from different companies, although the companies share the same distributor. McCartney is currently signed to Concord Music Group, which has U.S. distribution through Universal Music Distribution, the same company that distributes the Rolling Stones' current record company, Universal Music Group.
Not only would there be the matter of which record label would release it, but there would also be the matter of deciding which album, if any, would get the song. Would the song be on a McCartney album? Maybe, because McCartney would presumably be doing the lead vocals. Would it be on a Rolling Stones album? Unlikely, since Rolling Stones studio albums have always featured lead vocals from Mick Jagger (and occasionally Richards). Or would the song be a one-off single not available on any album? Or would the song be on a compilation album of various artists? (For example, if the song ended up being sold for charity.)
These are all questions that would need to be sorted out by record companies, music publishers, the artists and their attorneys.
Even before the release of the song, there might be a lot of wrangling over the recording of the song. Who would be the producer(s)? Would it be McCartney, who produces a lot of his own songs? Would it be producer Don Was, who has been working with the Rolling Stones since the 1990s? Or would it be another producer?
At this point, one can only speculate what a McCartney/Richards song would sound like. Maybe Richards and/or McCartney can give further insight at some point in the future if they ever talk about it in an interview.
http://www.examiner.com/rolling-stones-in-national/why-the-keith-richards-paul-mccartne...
