Paul and Linda McCartney’s iconic 1971 album, RAM, continues to captivate listeners decades after its release. Among its many gems, one track particularly resonates with new generations: the whimsical and wonderfully strange medley, ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’. This song, often referred to as the ‘Uncle Albert Song’ by fans, has sparked curiosity and admiration in equal measure, prompting listeners to delve into its quirky lyrics and unique soundscape.
Indeed, ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ is more than just a song; it’s an auditory adventure. Rolling Stone famously lauded it as a ‘weird masterpiece,’ recognizing its place within Paul McCartney’s tradition of ‘story songs’ that began during his time with The Beatles. But what exactly lies beneath the surface of this sonic tapestry? Many fans, especially those discovering the ‘uncle albert song’ for the first time, find themselves pondering the meaning behind its more unusual phrases, such as the enigmatic ‘butter pie’.
To unravel this lyrical mystery, we turn to Paul McCartney himself. In a fascinating pie-themed Q&A session from 2021, Paul shed light on the origins and intentions behind the ‘uncle albert song’, offering a glimpse into his creative process and love for the surreal. Let’s explore Paul’s explanation and further appreciate the artistry of this beloved track.
PaulMcCartney.com: In the song ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’, you sing ‘I had a cup of tea and a butter pie’. Firstly, what is a butter pie? And is there a meaning behind ‘the butter wouldn’t melt so I put it in the pie’?
Paul: No, there’s no meaning behind it. Because I like surrealist art, I also like surrealist words. A great example of this is Lewis Carroll writing Alice in Wonderland – it’s a crazy thing, you’ve got a cat sitting in a tree that grins and talks, and you’ve got Alice falling down a hole and meeting the red queen, and so on. That whole tradition was something that I loved, and when I met John I learned that he loved it to. So, it was something that became a bond between us.
I’d always liked writing love songs, ballads, and rock ‘n’ roll songs, but then one of my other little side interests was to invent surrealist stuff. Admiral Halsey was someone I’d read about – he’s a character from American history – and I just liked the name. I was playing around with that and making up a fictional story, and I just ran into the words ‘and butter pie’. Well, there’s no such thing as a butter pie, that I’ve ever heard of anyway. So, it was a surrealist image, like in surreal art where you have a thing called a ‘hair cup’, which is just a cup that’s made out of fur. You wouldn’t think to drink from it, it’d be disgusting, but as an image it’s interesting and shocking. ‘Butter pie’ is that kind of equivalent, but in a song.
I kept with that image and thought, by way of a surreal explanation, ‘the butter wouldn’t melt so I put in a pie’. I was very into surrealism at that particular time, so I wrote songs like ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ which is again totally surreal. The word ‘monkberry’ actually came from our kids! That was how they said milk when they were little – ‘can I have some monk?’ – you know, in the way that kids get funny names for things. So, ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ to me was like a milkshake!
I haven’t done that recently – maybe it’s time to go back to it? It was just a thing that I liked doing, because it was fun and not too serious. If you’re not in the mood for writing a love song then it’s not wise to try and write one, but you might be in the mood to write something a little crazy.
PMC.com: It’s an interesting way of looking at it, like you’re making up your own little world in a song.
Paul: It also depends on how seriously you want to sing a song. If the lyrics are a bit zany then you end up having fun with the vocal, like you’re a character. I’m inspired by people like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who did a song called ‘I Put A Spell On You’. When I first heard it I couldn’t believe the way he was using his voice, I thought, ‘wow, this guy is singing far out’! ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ was definitely influenced by ‘Put A Spell On You’, because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a light relief from the serious world.
Paul’s explanation reveals the heart of the ‘uncle albert song’: surrealism. Inspired by artists like Lewis Carroll, the mind behind Alice in Wonderland, McCartney embraced nonsensical imagery and playful language. The ‘butter pie’, therefore, isn’t meant to be deciphered literally. Instead, it’s a surreal image, designed to evoke a feeling or a quirky mental picture, much like a ‘hair cup’ in surrealist art. This embrace of the absurd is a key element that makes the ‘uncle albert song’ so distinctive and enduringly fascinating.
This wasn’t a one-off experiment for McCartney. As he mentions, ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ is another example of his surrealist songwriting, even inspired by his children’s playful mispronunciation of “milkshake.” This connection highlights how McCartney found inspiration in the everyday and transformed it into something wonderfully weird and whimsical in his music. The ‘uncle albert song’ and others like it showcase his ability to blend the nonsensical with genuine musicality, creating tracks that are both catchy and creatively rich.
The ‘uncle albert song’ continues to resonate precisely because of this playful spirit. In a world that often feels too serious, music like ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ offers a delightful escape. It’s a reminder that music can be fun, imaginative, and wonderfully weird, all at the same time. So, the next time you listen to the ‘uncle albert song’, embrace its surreal charm and appreciate Paul McCartney’s invitation to step into a world where butter pies exist, and the only meaning is the joy of the sound itself.
Listen to the full RAM album and explore more of Paul McCartney’s insightful Q&As to further delve into the mind of a musical genius.
