| "Once Upon a Long Ago" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPaul McCartney | ||||
| from the albumAll the Best! | ||||
| B-side | "Back On My Feet" | |||
| Released | 16 November 1987 (7"/ CD) 23 November 1987 (12") | |||
| Recorded | March 1987 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | MPL Communications Parlophone Records | |||
| Songwriter | Paul McCartney | |||
| Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
| Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
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"Once Upon a Long Ago" is a song by English musicianPaul McCartney, released as his fortiethsingle on 16 November 1987, from his compilationAll the Best!, released two weeks before the single. The track was produced byPhil Ramone and mixed byGeorge Martin, and features violin byNigel Kennedy.[1]
The song was originally composed for the filmThe Princess Bride.[2]
Originally intended to be a duet withFreddie Mercury, Mercury turned it down due to conflicting commitments and the collaboration never materialized.[3]
Filming for the video commenced on 16 October 1987 in theValley of Rocks, near Lynton in North Devon and concluded on 17 October. Appearing were McCartney (bass guitar), his wifeLinda McCartney (synthesizer),Stan Sulzmann (saxophone),Nigel Kennedy (violin), andChris Whitten (drums). Actor Fred Evans makes an appearance as Man with Broom. High winds and heavy rain precluded filming on the morning of the 16th so the crew filmed an indoor shot at Lynmouth town hall (this scene was not used in the final cut).
However, by late morning the weather had improved and although still windy, conditions were good enough to film at the Valley of Rocks. A local mountaineering instructor oversaw the rigging of a ladder so McCartney could safely access the top of Castle Rock for the guitar solo scene where a two way radio in McCartney's coat was used to relay a taped recording of the song. McCartney declined the use of a safety rope but did have to ask the helicopter to not fly so close when shooting aerial footage. Nigel Kennedy was only available on the second day of filming so the video was shot out of sequence with the guitar solo and end scene shot on the first day and the band scenes shot on the second day. Castle Air ofTreasure Hunt fame were tasked with carrying out the aerial filming.[4]
The song was released in four versions: two different12" singles feature "long" and "extended" versions (mixed byGeorge Martin and Peter Henderson, respectively); the7-inch single and theCD single (McCartney's first) feature an edit of the long version and aB-side from each of the two 12" singles, as well as "Back on My Feet", a b-side for all four iterations; and the album version featured onAll the Best! contains an alternative ending. "Back on My Feet" was also the first released song from the songwriting collaboration between McCartney andElvis Costello. Both 12" and CD singles also featured songs from McCartney's yet to be releasedcover album,Снова в СССР.
"Once Upon a Long Ago" reached No. 10 in the United Kingdom Singles Chart.[5] The single was not released in the United States nor included on the US version ofAll the Best!, although it did appear on the longer UK/Canada version. The song also appeared on the promotional albumNever Stop Doing What You Love. It was included onThe 7″ Singles Box in 2022, which was the first time it had been included on any major US-released set.[6]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Along with the single and theAll the Best! album there was also released an 18-minute VHS for sale calledOnce Upon a Video,[15] consisting of four music videos:
"We All Stand Together" was included on the UK/Canada-release ofAll the Best! along with "Once Upon a Long Ago".
