Released 13 August 1971 Recorded 16 November 1970 | Format 7" Length 2:21 | |
A-side "The Back Seat of My Car" Genre Folk rock, country folk | ||
"Heart of the Country" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney from their album Ram released in 1971.
Contents
Origins
The song has simple acoustic tune with a heavy bass chorus, and an unusually mellow sound to the acoustic guitar that was achieved by tuning all of the strings a full step lower than standard pitch. The song is about a man searching for a farm in the middle of nowhere. The song reflects Paul's heading for the Scottish countryside to escape the headaches associated with the Beatles' breakup at the time.
Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the song as "an effortless folk-pop tune that ranks among [McCartney's] very best songs." Erlewine also praises its "imaginative and gorgeous arrangement." In 2013, Rolling Stone Magazine rated "Heart of the Country" to be Paul McCartney's #26 all-time post-Beatles song.
Aftermath
McCartney and Elvis Costello re-recorded the song in 2013 for a commercial featuring his late wife Linda's vegetarian recipe book.