McCartney has occasionally paid tribute to his father, James, who led his own band in his youth, by writing "Music Hall numbers."[1] Other such songs from McCartney's catalogue include "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "Honey Pie".[2] To enhance the realism of this period pastiche, McCartney recorded his lead vocals through a filter that removed much of the lower-end frequencies to help emulate the sound of singing through a megaphone, the signature sound of Rudy Vallee.[3] This was a common recording technique during the 1920s, where singers like Vallee and Al Jolson had to compensate for the poor reception of primitive recording equipment at that time.[original research?]
In concert, McCartney often dedicated this song to Fred Astaire.[1]
Personnel
Paul McCartney – vocals, bass, piano, string arrangement
^Julien, O. (2008). Sgt. Pepper and the Beatles: It Was Forty Years Ago Today. Ashgate. p. 92. ISBN978-0-7546-6708-7.
^Kelly, Kate (20 September 2023). "How the Microphone Changed Music: No Way To Amplify Sound". americacomesalive.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024. Singing bandleader Rudy Vallee ... used a megaphone to help amplify his voice over the sound of his band.