“ONLY LOVE REMAINS”-BETTER THAN LENNON-SONG REVIEW
“Press to Play” was one of Paul McCartney’s least successful albums. The reasons for the lack of significant success have been attributed to Paul’s attempt at a new style of experimental strides from previous albums, the “hangover” from the poor reception to the movie and soundtrack album “Give My Regards to Broad Street,” and the lack of a prominent single to promote the new collection of songs.
Released as the third single from the album, “Only Love Remains” is a classic McCartney love song based on the premise that if you leave, I am not going to be pleased about it. The song was co-written with Eric Stewart, who helped Paul compose six songs on the album. The original mix was produced by Hugh Padgham. The orchestra for the song performed live with the band. Paul described the song as “very me” in his album release promotions.
My personal opinion is that the song should have been released as the initial single. The lyrics are effective, if not unusual in some portions, and the orchestra effectively adds depth to the performance. This song was the only one played live from the album, done just twice, once on England’s “Royal Variety Show,” in November of 1986, where it was performed with just the band and no orchestra. The second performance was done on “The Tube,” in December of 1986, and was played only with a piano, saxophone and two backing singers
Released as a Jim Boyer remix, the new version included a saxophone not found on the original release. While reaching inside the top 40 in England, the song could not help boost the album’s sales, and it failed to chart in the United States.