Written by: McCartney
Recorded: June-July 1979
Producer: Paul McCartney
Released: 16 May 1980 (UK), 26 May 1980 (US)
Paul McCartney: vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums
Available on:
McCartney II
The second track on Paul McCartney's second solo album, Temporary Secretary was recorded in the summer of 1979. Its largely atonal vocals and repetitive chorus divided audiences, but encapsulated the experimental nature of McCartney II.
It was written from the point of view of a girl from a temping agency, a theme inspired by the typewriter-like rhythmic effects of synthesizer, guitar and drums. McCartney later described the sound as resembling a "space typewriter". The middle section, meanwhile, was reportedly influenced by Ian Dury and the Blockheads.
It's like a disposable secretary, and it struck me as being funny. The song is written from the point of view of a fellow who just wants a disposable secretary, and he's writing to a bureau to try and get one. I just lie the idea. I just thought it was funny, you know, asking for a temporary secretary rather than a secretary.That sound on the track, which is like a space typewriter, is a sequence machine. I used that to give me a tempo and, again, I just made the song up as I went along. It was a little influenced by Ian Dury.
McCartney used an analogue ARP sequencer on the track.
I actually know because I just tried to find out recently... I thought that I had one but it turns out I rented it. It's an ARP sequencer, but we've just found one. Wix, my keyboard guy, has just found one so we might have one soon. We looked at the modern versions but the old one is better, and also I kind of know my way around it.
The Quietus, 2011
The Mr Marks of the lyrics referred to the founder of the Alfred Marks Agency, a UK recruitment company which provided office staff for businesses. The agency subsequently applied to use the song in an advertising campaign, but the idea was rejected by McCartney.
I did have temporary secretaries. After I left Apple I still had business stuff coming up, so in trying to figure out how I could cope with that there were a couple of times I just grabbed someone to just put my letters in order and help. But that track isn't about a specific person. What it's about is, there was a guy called Alfred Marks, he had the Alfred Marks Bureau – he had the same name as a comedian on the radio when I was growing up. So it was just the funny paradox of seeing adverts for the Alfred Marks Bureau, the idea of some comedian having a bureau was just funny. It said 'Temporary Secretary', and I thought, that's a kind of funky thought. Then there was the secretary thing: take a letter Miss Smith, sit on my lap... all that kind of stuff.
The Quietus, 2011
Single release
Temporary Secretary was issued as a 12" single in the UK, along with the 10-minute b-side Secret Friend. Limited to 25,000 copies, the single was released as Parlophone 12 R 6039 on 15 September 1980, and sold out in just 16 hours.
The front cover featured a drawing by Jeff Cummins of Hipgnosis, and depicted a secretary sitting on McCartney's lap. On the other side was a photograph of the singer taken by David Thorpe.
Let me be the first to say that this is one of my very least liked songs in the McCartney collection as well as the one of the least liked songs of all time. It scrapes like fingernails on a chalkboard. Paul admits with an ‘aw-shucks’ posturing, ‘I just made it up as I went along’. I agree. It sounds like it. The problem I’ve always had with Paul is that he has the talent and prolific gift to keep putting out the tunes – and he does without much of a care and expects us to buy it? Yeah, I know – I could also NOT buy it. Since I have been around since the very beginning it has always been my disappointment that John’s and Paul’s solo careers would frequently convey a lack of respect for the audience. In Paul’s case, to stay on point here, this song. Terrible lyrics – not the worst ever for him – but ultimately lame. ‘She can be a diplomat but I don’t need a girl like that’ etc. Ugh!
Let me be the next to say that I love this freaky song. Partially because it pisses off Beatles ‘purists,’ and screw those guys. I love the Beatles just as much when they’re goofing off. They can goof with the best of them. He was probably high as hell and having a lot of fun. The whole McCartney II album is like that, which is why its one of my fave Macca solo releases. It’s like you went back to some guy’s dorm room in college, and he played you some of his home recordings. Except the guy is Paul McCartney. It’s pretty ballsy for the guy that wrote “Yesterday” to unleash such a strange beast as McCartney II on the world. It’s a kind of private sketch book, but since he’s, you know, who he is, it got as much attention as any other record he ever put out. Actually, I think Ween got their entire career from this one album.
You don’t have to be a “purist” to dislike this track.
But I don’t say “screw you” to you because you like this LP.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I used to think this song was so weird.. after listening to it for like 2 times, it is actually catchy, and gets stuck in my head
this track/album will always set paul apart as the beatle who really fully experimented beyond the rest.
i can imagine most people on this website wont realise this but the Mccartney 2 LP pretty much predicted a shit load of incredible music in the next few decades, people like arthur russell, ariel pink and just about anyone else recording weird pop music in their bedrooms.
long live paul!
I absolutely love this song!! Not for beatles fans
Great cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk-QCc-6Qfs
So much of Paul McCartney’s non-Wings solo output predicts 80s & 90s twee and indie rock. I can see why someone born in the 1940s might not love this song, but it’s way ahead of his time and very creative. I love it. I love that Paul didn’t want to spend his whole life pretending like 1969 never ended. I like McCartney, McCartney II, and Ram better than several Beatles albums.
I think McCartney’s second solo album was RAM.
That was credited to Paul and Linda McCartney.