10 Incredible Paul McCartney Songs You’ve Never Heard
5. It’s Not On
This outtake from Pipes of Peace sounds like the most commercial Beatle drawing back the curtain and revealing himself at his most eccentric.
With its affected, mannered male and female vocals and weird narrative It’s Not On sounds like some sort of fifties radio play. It has the sort of charm you find in outdated old sci-fi movies, everything covered in papier-mâché and silver foil. It’s hard to follow what’s supposed to be going on but it’s easy and fun to simply revel in the oddness of it all.
With Pipes of Peace, Paul was attempting to consolidate the commercial and critical success of Tug of War so it makes sense something this weird was left in the archives but it’s a joy for those of us who love Macca’s crazy side.
It’s Not On is at once too strange to release and too good to ignore.