I Don't Know (Paul McCartney song)

"I Don't Know"
Single by Paul McCartney
from the album Egypt Station
A-side	"Come On to Me"
Released	20 June 2018[1]
Recorded	January 2016 – February 2018
Studio	Henson Recording, Hollywood Hog Hill Mill, Icklesham Abbey Road, London
Genre	Ballad[2]
Length	4:27
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Paul McCartney
Producer(s)	Greg Kurstin Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"Hope for the Future" (2014) "I Don't Know" / "Come On to Me" (2018) "Fuh You" (2018)

"I Don't Know" is a song by English musician Paul McCartney, released by Capitol Records as a double A-side single alongside "Come On to Me", ahead of McCartney's 17th studio album, Egypt Station.^[3][4]

McCartney's website described "I Don't Know" as a "plaintive, soul-soothing ballad as only Paul can deliver."^[3]

In the 'Casual Conversation with Jarvis Cocker at LIPA' (25 July 2018), McCartney said that in his opinion John Lennon would like this song.^[5]

Background, composition, and recording

In the 'Words Between Tracks' about writing a song, McCartney said:

"I wrote this after going through a difficult period. Like people have nothing sort of madly serious or anything, but just one of those days when it’s like, "Oh my god, am I doing wrong here", you know. And sometimes that’s a good way to write a song, because you’re coming from your soul. And we often used to say that writing a song was like talking to a psychiatrist, a therapist or something. Because you’re saying it… You are saying it in a song rather than in a room to a specialist. Yeah, so it was me just thinking this problem out, and putting it into a song."^[6]

The track was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, with additional sessions recorded at Hog Hill Mill (Sussex) and Abbey Road Studios. "I Don't Know" was also engineered by Steve Orchard, Alex Pasco, Billy Bush, Julian Burg and Greg Kurstin.^[7]

Release

The song was officially issued on 20 June 2018. On 11 October 2018, the official Paul McCartney website announced that the exclusive version of the double A-side single would be released as part of Record Store Day. The hand-numbered vinyl was limited to 5,000 copies and was available at independent record stores around the world on 23 November 2018.^[8]

Reception

"I Don't Know" received favorable reviews from critics. In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis wrote that "I Don't Know" is "impossibly sumptuous" and "shows [McCartney's] extraordinary melodic facility is completely intact".^[9] Pitchfork described it as having a "bleakness ... almost unprecedented in McCartney's catalog".^[10] A review in The Times praised its "beautiful piano melody" and compared it to McCartney's early solo work—"equally breezy and sad".^[11]

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, percussion, drums
• Greg Kurstin – electric guitar, Mellotron, synthesizer, cello, clarinet, timpani
• Rob Millett – cimbalom

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[12]	18
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[13]	45
France (SNEP)[14]	107
Russia (Tophit)[15]	6
UK Vinyl Singles (OCC)[16]	3
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[17]	39
US Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[18]	12

References

1. Thompson, Rita (19 June 2018). "Paul McCartney to Release 'I Don't Know/Come On To Me' Double Single This Week'". Billboard. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
2. Paul To Release All-New Double A-Side Single. PaulMcCartney.com. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
3. "New Album 'Egypt Station' Arriving 7th September". PaulMcCartney.com. 18 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
4. "Paul To Release All-New Double A Side Single". PaulMcCartney.com. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
5. "(1:02:38) I think John would like a song called "I Don't Know". I think he'd like that". YouTube. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
6. "Paul McCartney on 'I Don't Know' ('Words Between The Tracks')". YouTube. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
7. "I Don't Know - Paul McCartney". 7 September 2018. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
8. "'I Don't Know' / 'Come On To Me' - RSD Exclusive 7". paulmccartney.com. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
9. Petridis, Alexis (6 September 2018). "Paul McCartney: Egypt Station review – back to where he once belonged". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (11 September 2018). "Paul McCartney: Egypt Station". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
11. Hodgkinson, Will (7 September 2018). "Pop review: Paul McCartney: Egypt Station". Retrieved 24 December 2020.
12. "Paul McCartney – Come on to Me" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
13. "Paul McCartney – Come on to Me" (in French). Ultratip.
14. "Paul McCartney – I Don't Know" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
15. "Chart Search". Tophit for Paul McCartney. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
16. "Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
17. "Paul McCartney Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
18. "Paul McCartney Chart History". Billboard.