The Story and Meaning Behind "Mistress and Maid" by Paul McCartney and How It Was
Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello’s dozen songwriting collaborations were sprinkled throughout several of the men’s albums over half a decade or so. The last of those songs appeared on McCartney’s 1993 album Off the Ground, including the piercing character sketch “Mistress and Maid.”
What is the song about? How did it differ from other songs on Off the Ground? And what did a painting have to do with its creation? Let’s find all about “Mistress and Maid,” an underrated gem from ‘90s-era Paul McCartney.
Ground Control
Paul McCartney kept up a busy pace in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. His 1989 LP Flowers in the Dirt, boosted by some songs written with Elvis Costello, earned him his best notices since the early part of the ‘80s. He also found a touring band with which he shared great chemistry, and he didn’t want to waste that.
As a result, McCartney headed back into the studio for his next original album using many of the same musicians with which he toured. He hadn’t really done a whole album with a steady band since the days of Wings. Off the Ground was an album that was primarily the result of that touring band and McCartney banging away together in the studio.
But “Mistress and Maid” offered a pretty stark exception to that approach. The waltzing number, which had been written years earlier by McCartney and Costello, was adorned with a circus-like atmosphere. All manner of brass instruments are pumping away along with a coterie of violins, colorful musical backing for what’s actually a somber song.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
