Paul McCartney Records Single With Kanye West
Only One is billed as the “first reveal of several musical collaborations” between rapper and Beatle.
IN WHAT ONE of them is billing as “one of the most powerful and unexpected music collaborations in modern history” (clue it’s from the rapper-producer’s press release) Paul McCartney is working with Kanye West. Apparently the pair have been collaborating together for some time, but the first release from their sessions was only made available on New Year’s Eve.
“My mom was singing to me, and through me to my daughter.”
Kanye West
The former Beatle features on keys on new single Only One, which is humbly described as “the first publicly available recording from what has become a prolific musical collaboration between these two legendary artists.” We’re loving the equivalence there.
The two began working together at the start of last year, recording “together in a small bungalow in Los Angeles”. The sessions – aided by the lack of stairs, presumably – “began with a simple brainstorming session between the two: with McCartney improvising on the keyboards and Kanye vocally sketching and shaping ideas in a stream-of-consciousness riff.”
Despite the ultra-serious hyperbole, the single is in fact is a touching and heartfelt little track that finds West addressing to his daughter, North "Nori" West, through lyrics inspired by his late mother, Dr Donda West.
"My mom was singing to me, and through me to my daughter," says West of his words, while McCartney's electric piano is reminiscent of the soulful feel Billy Preston brought to the Get Back sessions.
Only One will feature on West’s forthcoming solo album, and intriguingly “further musical collaborations” between McCartney and West are promised.
The single is available to download or can be streamed via www.kanyewest.com now.
PHOTO: Inez and Vinoodh