Studio Album · No. 2
Ram Songwriting Credits by Paul McCartney
Produced by Paul McCartney · Engineered by Eirik Wangberg
Holds writing credit on 12 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 12 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Paul McCartney carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Ram is the only album credited to Paul and Linda McCartney as a duo, and Linda shares songwriting credit on several tracks. The Wikipedia track listing credits Dear Boy, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Heart of the Country, Monkberry Moon Delight, Eat at Home and Long Haired Lady to both Paul and Linda McCartney, while the remaining songs are credited to Paul alone. McCartney later said some lyrics of Too Many People were a dig at John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Ram is the second studio album by Paul McCartney, released in May 1971 on Apple Records and produced by McCartney himself, his first album credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, reflecting both Linda's actual contribution as backing vocalist and arranger and McCartney's desire to establish a collaborative creative partnership with her, and the album from which 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' was drawn as a single that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. McCartney wrote or co-wrote all material with Linda; the album's songs range from the country-folk simplicity of 'Heart of the Country' to the dense, layered production of 'Monkberry Moon Delight,' demonstrating the stylistic range McCartney would explore through the 1970s. The album was critically savaged on release, John Lennon responded to its perceived barbs against him on his Imagine album ('How Do You Sleep?'), but has been substantially rehabilitated in subsequent decades, with critics noting its melodic invention and production ambition as examples of McCartney at his post-Beatles peak. Ram reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and number two on the Billboard 200, and its reappraisal as a cult classic, driven partly by the influence of its dense, layered production on subsequent artists, has made it one of the most reconsidered albums in the Beatles-adjacent catalog. The album is now regularly cited by critics as McCartney's finest solo work.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Too Many People
|
Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 2 |
3 Legs
|
Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 3 |
Ram On
|
Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 4 |
Dear Boy
|
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 5 |
Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey
|
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 6 |
Smile Away
|
Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 7 |
Heart of the Country
|
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 8 |
Monkberry Moon Delight
|
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 9 |
Eat at Home
|
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 10 |
Long Haired Lady
|
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 11 |
Ram On (Reprise)
|
Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |
| 12 |
The Back Seat of My Car
#39
|
Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney | Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano) |