Temporary Secretary Explained

Temporary Secretary
Cover:62341ts.jpg
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Paul McCartney
Album:McCartney II
B-Side:Secret Friend
Released:15 September 1980
Recorded:1979
Genre:
Length:3:13
Label:Parlophone/EMI
Producer:Paul McCartney
Prev Title:Waterfalls
Prev Year:1980
Next Title:Ebony and Ivory
Next Year:1982

"Temporary Secretary" is a song by Paul McCartney, released as the third single from his album McCartney II in September 1980. Dominated by a dissonant sequenced synthesiser line, NME later described the song as "wonky electropop that didn't sound so much ahead of its time as out of it altogether." While initially met with highly negative critical reception, it has since become a cult classic and favorite among McCartney fans.

Background

McCartney later said that he had had temporary secretaries, and that there was a real Mr. Marks.

Release

"Temporary Secretary" was released as a third single from the album only in a form of 12" single, along with the ten-minute "Secret Friend" as its B-side, but it was limited to 25,000 copies and therefore failed to chart.[7] A 7" single exists only as a demo for radio stations. It exemplifies both the whimsical nature of the album and McCartney's use of synthesizers and other electronics in the creation of the album. McCartney said the song was an "experiment."[8]

Live performances

McCartney performed "Temporary Secretary" live for the first time 35 years after its release: on May 23, 2015, at the O2 Arena in London.[9] He performed it live at some dates during the 2015 legs of his Out There tour and at some dates during his 2016–2017 One on One tour.

Reception

Decades after its release, music website Allmusic.com said of the album, McCartney II:

In contrast, music website popmatters.com said, in reviewing the 2011 reissue of McCartney II:

Beatles biographers Roy Carr and Tony Tyler described the song as built from an initial, repetitive synthesizer theme, with more substantial instrumental portions added over time, and finally an insubstantial vocal.[10] They said the song was done without commitment and that it "grows irritating towards the end."

In 2013, Rolling Stone rated "Temporary Secretary" as McCartney's 36th greatest post-Beatles song, calling it a "cult favorite" and an "oddly catchy electro-pop nugget, about a slightly creepy-sounding guy looking to hire a temp."[11] In 2014, "Temporary Secretary" was ranked as the 167th greatest song of all time by NME.

Track listing

12" single (12 R 6039)
  1. "Temporary Secretary" – 3:13
  2. "Secret Friend" – 10:30

Personnel

"Temporary Secretary"

"Secret Friend"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dalton. Stephen. Check His Machine: Paul McCartney Interviewed On McCartney II. The Quietus. 28 November 2016. 14 June 2011.
  2. Web site: Why Paul McCartney’s obscure and dissed ‘Temporary Secretary’ is the secret weapon of DJs worldwide. Roberts, Randall. October 22, 2015. Los Angeles Times. July 29, 2023.
  3. Web site: The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time 200-101. 31 January 2014. NME.com. 27 August 2015.
  4. Rolling Stone Staff. November 30, 2020. Paul McCartney’s 40 Greatest Solo Songs. September 14, 2023. Rolling Stone. ...Paul came up with this oddly catchy electro-pop nugget, about a slightly creepy-sounding guy looking to hire a temp..
  5. Rolling Stone Staff. November 11, 2020. The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980. September 30, 2023. Rolling Stone. ...avant-garde expeditions (“Temporary Secretary”)....
  6. Web site: Alexis. Petridis. Paul McCartney's greatest post-Beatles songs – ranked!. The Guardian. June 16, 2022. August 3, 2024.
  7. Web site: Temporary Secretary . 2000 . JPGR . 2013-09-25.
  8. Book: Special Collector's Edition: Paul McCartney . . 2013 . 91 . Paul's 40 Greatest Solo Songs.
  9. Web site: Watch Dave Grohl act like a teenager as he joins Paul McCartney onstage . 2015-05-25 . Mashable . 2015-05-28.
  10. Book: The Beatles: An Illustrated Record. Carr, R. . Tyler, T. . amp . 128. 1981 . Harmony Books. 0517544938.
  11. Web site: Dolan . Jon . Vozick-Levinson . Simon . Hermes . Will . Sheffield . Rob . September 13, 2017 . Paul McCartney's 40 Greatest Solo Songs . Rolling Stone.
  12. http://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Chart=F&ChDay=&ChMonth=&ChYear=&ChBand=Paul+McCartney&ChSong= Radio Luxembourg Singles, 16 September 1980