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Flaming Pie
Studio album by Paul McCartney
Released	5 May 1997
Recorded	22 February 1995 - 14 February 1997, except "Calico Skies" and "Great Day": 3 September 1992
Genre	Rock
Length	53:44
Label	EMI, Parlophone, Capitol
Producer(s)	Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, George Martin
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
Paul McCartney chronology
Paul is Live (1993)	Flaming Pie (1997)	Paul McCartney's Standing Stone (1997)

Flaming Pie is an album by Paul McCartney, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney's involvement in the highly successful The Beatles Anthology project. Quoted in Flaming Pie's liner notes as saying, "(Anthology) reminded me of The Beatles' standards and the standards that we reached with the songs. So in a way it was a refresher course that set the framework for this album."

Beginning in February 1995, McCartney teamed up with Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra lead singer and guitarist and a massive Beatles fan who had previously worked with George Harrison on his 1987 album Cloud Nine, while both were members of The Traveling Wilburys, and who had also co-produced "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" for the Anthology project. With a keen sense to produce something pure and easy - and without indulging in elaborate productions - McCartney sporadically recorded the entire album in a space of two years, working not only with Lynne, but with Steve Miller, George Martin, Ringo Starr and his own son, James McCartney, who plays lead guitar on "Heaven on a Sunday". "Calico Skies" and "Great Day" both hailed from a 1992 session, recorded even before Off the Ground had come out.

The title Flaming Pie (also given to one of the album's songs) is a reference to a humorous story John Lennon had told journalists on the origin of The Beatles' name when they became newly famous: "I had a vision that a man came unto us on a flaming pie, and he said, 'You are Beatles with an A.' And so we were."

Upon its May 1997 release, the critical reaction to Flaming Pie was very strong, with McCartney achieving his best reviews since 1982's Tug of War. The commercial reaction was everything McCartney could have hoped for. With fresh credibility even with young fans who had been introduced to him through the Anthology project, and anticipation raised with the excellent reviews, Flaming Pie debuted at #2 in the UK and US, giving McCartney his first US Top 10 album since Tug of War. In both countries the album was the biggest entry in its initial week, knocked off the top spot by Spice Girls's Spice album. Not surprisingly, Flaming Pie went gold quickly. Singles "Young Boy", "The World Tonight" and "Beautiful Night" all became UK hits, though U.S. singles success once again eluded McCartney.

Flaming Pie is considered one of Paul McCartney's finest albums - a point supported by its nomination for the "Album of the Year" Grammy in 1998.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Miscellanea 3 Charts 4 External links

All songs written by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

1. "The Song We Were Singing" – 3:55
2. "The World Tonight" – 4:06
3. "If You Wanna" – 4:38
   • Tracks 3, 5 and 9 were recorded solely by McCartney and Steve Miller.
4. "Somedays" – 4:15
   • Orchestration by George Martin
5. "Young Boy" – 3:54
6. "Calico Skies" – 2:32
7. "Flaming Pie" – 2:30
8. "Heaven on a Sunday" – 4:27
   • Lead guitar performed by son James McCartney
9. "Used to Be Bad" (Miller, McCartney) – 4:12
10. "Souvenir" – 3:41
11. "Little Willow" – 2:58
    • A tribute to the memory of Maureen Starkey
12. "Really Love You" (McCartney, Richard Starkey) – 5:18
    • The day after Ringo and Paul recorded "Beautiful Night", the two improvised a jam session with Jeff Lynne resulting in this song.
13. "Beautiful Night" – 5:09
    • The first collaboration on the album with Ringo Starr (drums, backing vocal, and additional percussion), with an orchestration by George Martin.
14. "Great Day" – 2:09
    • Written in the early 1970's

• Paul McCartney held an online chat party to promote the album, and consequently, the event entered the Guinness Book Of World Records for the most people in an online chatroom at once.

Albums

Country	Charts			Sales
	Peak position	Weeks	Certification
United States	2	20	Gold
United Kingdom	2	15[1]	Gold
Switzerland	10	8[2]
Sweden	11	12[3]
Japan	14	6[4]
France	23	7
Finland	28	2

Singles

Country	Single	Position	Weeks
United Kingdom	"Young Boy"	19	3
Austria	"Young Boy"	30	4
Sweden	"Young Boy"	41	2
United Kingdom	"The World Tonight"	23	3
United States	"The World Tonight"	64	10
United Kingdom	"Beautiful Night"	25	4

• Flaming Pie at Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages.

v • d • e Paul McCartney

Discography Studio albums: McCartney • Ram • McCartney II • Tug of War • Pipes of Peace • Press to Play • Снова в СССР • Flowers in the Dirt • Off the Ground • Flaming Pie • Run Devil Run • Driving Rain • Chaos and Creation in the Backyard With Wings: Wild Life • Red Rose Speedway • Band on the Run • Venus and Mars • Wings at the Speed of Sound • London Town • Back to the Egg • Band on the Run: 25th Anniversary Edition Live albums: Wings Over America • Tripping the Live Fantastic • Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights! • Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) • Paul Is Live • Back in the U.S. • Back in the World DVD albums: Live at the Cavern Club • Back in the U.S. • Live in Red Square • The Space Within US Compilations: Wings Greatest • All the Best! • Wingspan: Hits and History Soundtracks: The Family Way • Give My Regards to Broad Street Experimental albums: Thrillington • Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest • Rushes • Liverpool Sound Collage • Twin Freaks Classical albums: Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio • Paul McCartney's Standing Stone • Paul McCartney's Working Classical • Ecce Cor Meum Related articles Discography • The Beatles • The Fireman • Linda McCartney • Heather Mills • MPL Communications • Paul is dead • Wings tours