Recording: Oh Woman, Oh Why and Monkberry Moon Delight – 3 November 1970

3 November 1970 · Recording sessions · Paul and Linda McCartney · Ram

On Tuesday 3 November 1970, Paul McCartney worked on Oh Woman, Oh Why and Monkberry Moon Delight in Studio B at the CBS Studio Building in New York City. Guitarist Hugh McCracken and drummer Denny Seiwell joined him for the session, part of the recording project that produced Ram and the standalone single Another Day.

The two songs reached different stages that day. The backing track for Oh Woman, Oh Why was completed, followed by instrumental overdubs. In the afternoon, the musicians began Monkberry Moon Delight, but did not achieve a satisfactory master take. Work on that song continued on a later date.

Returning to Oh Woman, Oh Why

McCartney, McCracken and Seiwell had spent 2 November rehearsing Oh Woman, Oh Why. They had worked on its arrangement without securing the successful backing needed for the record. The following morning, they returned to the song and recorded its basic track.

The instrumental foundation used two electric guitars and drums: McCartney and McCracken played guitar, while Seiwell played the drum kit. This was the starting performance onto which further parts could be added, rather than the complete released record being finished in a single live pass.

Once the backing was in place, McCartney and McCracken double-tracked their guitar lines. McCracken’s contributions included slide guitar. Seiwell added percussion, including shaker and cowbell, expanding the arrangement beyond the original guitar-and-drums performance.

The instrumental line-up

The line-up shows an important change between the two songs. McCartney moved from electric guitar in the morning to piano for the afternoon’s work, while McCracken and Seiwell retained their guitar and drum roles.

Denny Seiwell’s recollection of the recording

Seiwell later singled out Oh Woman, Oh Why as a favourite from these sessions, particularly remembering the drum sound achieved at CBS. In his recollection published in Luca Perasi’s Paul McCartney Recording Sessions (1969–2013), he described it as an arranged song McCartney brought to the studio, rather than simply an improvised jam.

“It remains one of my favorite tracks from that period. The drums’ sound was amazing, one of the best from CBS Studios.”

His recollection concerns the working performance and studio sound. The completed backing of 3 November still preceded later vocal and finishing work, which continued into the following stages of the project.

Beginning Monkberry Moon Delight

In the afternoon, the musicians turned to Monkberry Moon Delight, a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney. Paul played piano, McCracken played electric guitar and Seiwell played drums.

Despite working on it for the afternoon, they did not produce the master performance required for the record. The song was set aside for another session. Its appearance on the 3 November schedule therefore marks the beginning of the recording process, not the completion of the familiar Ram track.

Recording resumed on 5 November, when work on Monkberry Moon Delight continued alongside Uncle Albert. The musicians did not hold a session on the intervening Wednesday.

The vocals developed much later. Paul and Linda were still adding parts in March 1971, including the work covered in the Monkberry Moon Delight vocal session on 29 March 1971. Those later recordings should not be folded into the account of the initial New York attempts.

What did Monkberry Moon Delight mean?

McCartney has explained that the invented word grew from his children’s language. They used “monk” for milk, and he imagined Monkberry Moon Delight as something like a milkshake. In a later answer on his official website, he placed the song among the deliberately surreal lyrics he was writing at the time.

That explanation comes from McCartney’s later account of the song, rather than a dated report from the November session. It supplies a straightforward origin for the title without requiring the words to describe a literal place or a real event.

The completed recording combined Paul’s lead singing with Linda’s backing vocals and the instrumental performance developed through the Ram sessions. The three-musician line-up on 3 November was only one stage of that production.

The Ram sessions in New York

The New York recording project had begun in October 1970 after McCartney auditioned musicians. Denny Seiwell was selected on drums, and guitarist David Spinozza worked on the early sessions. Hugh McCracken joined later in October and was the guitarist working with McCartney and Seiwell on 3 November.

Tim Geelan engineered the CBS sessions, assisted by Ted Brosnan. Geelan later described a working routine of rehearsal, recording a version of the song, a lunch break and further listening and recording when needed. The studio used a 16-track tape machine, allowing backing performances and additional parts to be built into the recordings.

For this particular day, the accounts identify the morning with Oh Woman, Oh Why and the afternoon with Monkberry Moon Delight. Geelan’s broader recollection describes the usual pattern of the sessions, not a minute-by-minute log of 3 November.

The project produced more than the twelve songs on the original Ram album. Another Day and Oh Woman, Oh Why were also recorded during this period, but were issued together as a standalone single before the album.

Two songs, two release routes

Oh Woman, Oh Why: the B-side of Another Day

Oh Woman, Oh Why was written by Paul McCartney and became the B-side of Another Day, his first solo single. The single was released in the UK on 19 February 1971.

The song was not included on the original twelve-track Ram LP. Its connection to the album is the recording project from which it emerged, rather than a place in that original running order. It was later included among the bonus material on expanded editions of Ram.

The basic track completed on 3 November was consequently part of a longer production process leading to the February single. Later overdubs and finishing work followed the New York backing session.

Monkberry Moon Delight: an album track on Ram

Monkberry Moon Delight appeared as the eighth track on Ram, credited to Paul and Linda McCartney. On the original LP it followed Heart of the Country on side two and preceded Eat at Home.

Ram was released in the United States on 17 May 1971 and in the UK on 21 May. Paul and Linda received the album’s production credit. The contrast with Oh Woman, Oh Why is therefore both practical and discographical: one became part of the album, while the other had already appeared on a single.

Session and release chronology

Recording location: CBS Studio B, New York

The session took place at Studio B, CBS Studio Building, 49 East 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York, USA. This was the Columbia/CBS recording facility on East 52nd Street, not the separate Columbia studio complex on East 30th Street used during other stages of the project.

The map identifies the historic East 52nd Street address. It does not represent a currently operating public Studio B attraction.

Open the historic CBS Studio B address in Google Maps.

Frequently asked questions

What did Paul McCartney record on 3 November 1970?

He completed the backing track for Oh Woman, Oh Why and began recording Monkberry Moon Delight at CBS Studio B in New York. No satisfactory master of Monkberry Moon Delight was achieved that day.

Who played on the session?

Paul McCartney played electric guitar on Oh Woman, Oh Why and piano on the Monkberry Moon Delight attempts. Hugh McCracken played electric guitar and Denny Seiwell played drums, with additional guitar and percussion overdubs on Oh Woman, Oh Why.

Was Oh Woman, Oh Why on the original Ram album?

No. It was recorded during the Ram sessions but released as the B-side of Another Day in February 1971. It appeared on later expanded editions of Ram.

Was Monkberry Moon Delight finished on 3 November?

No. The initial attempts did not produce a satisfactory master. Recording continued on 5 November, and further vocal work followed, including a session on 29 March 1971.

Who wrote the two songs?

Oh Woman, Oh Why was written by Paul McCartney. Monkberry Moon Delight is credited to Paul and Linda McCartney.

Where was CBS Studio B?

Studio B was in the CBS Studio Building at 49 East 52nd Street in Manhattan, New York. It was distinct from Columbia’s studios on East 30th Street.

Continue through the recording story

Read the preceding session, Oh Woman, Oh Why and Sunshine Sometime on 2 November 1970, then follow the later Monkberry Moon Delight vocal work on 29 March 1971.

Explore Paul McCartney’s wider career, return to the On This Day in Beatles History hub, or browse the main Beatles Knowledge Hub. Other 3 November stories include the recording of Michelle in 1965 and the final Magical Mystery Tour filming in 1967.