Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey - wikipedia Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' Single by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney from the album Ram B - side `` Too Many People '' Released 2 August 1971 ( US only ) Format 7 '' Recorded 6 November 1970 Length 4 : 49 Label Apple Songwriter ( s ) Paul and Linda McCartney Producer ( s ) Paul and Linda McCartney Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney singles chronology `` Another Day '' ( 1971 ) `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' ( 1971 ) `` The Back Seat of My Car '' ( 1971 ) `` Another Day '' ( 1971 ) `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' ( 1971 ) `` The Back Seat of My Car '' ( 1971 ) Ram track listing show 12 tracks Side one `` Too Many People '' `` 3 Legs '' `` Ram On '' `` Dear Boy '' `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' `` Smile Away '' Side two `` Heart of the Country '' `` Monkberry Moon Delight '' `` Eat at Home '' `` Long Haired Lady '' `` Ram On '' `` The Back Seat of My Car '' `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' is a song by Paul and Linda McCartney from the album Ram. Released in the United States as a single on 2 August 1971, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 4 September 1971, making it the first of a string of post-Beatles, McCartney - penned singles to top the US pop chart during the 1970s and 1980s. Billboard ranked the song as number 22 on its Top Pop Singles of 1971 year - end chart. It became McCartney 's first gold record as a solo artist. Contents 1 Elements and interpretation 2 Reception 3 Later release 4 Personnel 5 Song uses 6 Chart performance 6.1 Weekly charts 6.2 Year - end charts 6.3 Certifications 7 Notes 8 References 9 External Links Elements and interpretation `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' is composed of several unfinished song fragments that McCartney stitched together similar to the medleys from the Beatles ' album Abbey Road. The song is notable for its sound effects, including the sounds of a thunderstorm, with rain, heard between the first and second verses, the sound of McCartney 's voice with a `` telephone '' effect '' heard after the second verse, and the sound of chirping sea birds and wind by the seashore. Linda 's voice is heard in the harmonies as well as the bridge section of the `` Admiral Halsey '' portion of the song. McCartney said `` Uncle Albert '' was based on his uncle. `` He 's someone I recall fondly, and when the song was coming it was like a nostalgia thing. '' McCartney also said, `` As for Admiral Halsey, he 's one of yours, an American admiral '', referring to Fleet Admiral William `` Bull '' Halsey ( 1882 -- 1959 ). McCartney has described the `` Uncle Albert '' section of the song as an apology from his generation to the older generation, and Admiral Halsey as an authoritarian figure who ought to be ignored. Despite the disparate elements that make up the song, author Andrew Grant Jackson discerns a coherent narrative to the lyrics, related to McCartney 's emotions in the aftermath of the Beatles ' breakup. In this interpretation, the song begins with McCartney apologizing to his uncle for getting nothing done, and being easily distracted and perhaps depressed in the lethargic `` Uncle Albert '' section. Then, after some sound effects reminiscent of `` Yellow Submarine, '' McCartney claims that Admiral Halsey - who had died on 16 August 1959 - notified him that he ( Admiral Halsey ) needed a `` berth '' in order to get to `` sea '' ( mixing up Uncle Albert, not an admiral, and who would need a berth to get to sea, with Admiral Halsey, an admiral who would not need a `` berth '', but rather a `` command '' to get to sea ), although McCartney remains more interested in `` tea and butter pie. '' Although McCartney may have been aware of butter pie as a Lancashire dish he makes a literal interpretation of the term as a nonsensical joke, stating that he put the butter in the pie because it would not melt at all. The `` hands across the water '' section which follows could be taken as evocative of the command `` All hands on deck ! '', rousing McCartney to action, perhaps to compete with Lennon. The song then ends with the `` gypsy '' section, in which McCartney resolves to get back on the road and perform his music, now that he was on his own without his former bandmates who no longer wanted to tour. Reception Paul McCartney won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists in 1971 for the song. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. According to Allmusic critic Stewart Mason, fans of Paul McCartney 's music are divided in their opinions of this song. Although some fans praise the song as being `` one of his most playful and inventive songs '' others criticize it for being `` exactly the kind of cute self - indulgence that they find so annoying about his post-Beatles career. '' Mason himself considers it `` churlish '' to be annoyed by the song, given that the song is n't intended to be completely serious, and praises the `` Hands across the water '' section as being `` lovably giddy. '' In a contemporary review for RAM, Jon Landau of Rolling Stone gave `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' a negative review, saying the song is `` a piece with so many changes it never seems to come down anywhere, and in the places that it does, sounds like the worst piece of light music Paul has ever done. '' On the US charts, the song set a milestone as the all - time songwriting record ( at the time ) for McCartney for the most consecutive calendar years to write a # 1 song. This gave McCartney eight consecutive years ( starting with `` I Want to Hold Your Hand '' ), leaving behind Lennon with only seven years. Later release `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' appears on the Wings Greatest compilation album released in 1978, even though Ram was not a Wings album ( both this song and the Ram album are credited to ' Paul and Linda McCartney ' ). The song appears on several solo Paul McCartney compilations ; the US version of All the Best ! ( 1987 ), as well as Wingspan : Hits and History ( 2001 ), and on both the standard and deluxe versions of Pure McCartney ( 2016 ). Personnel Paul McCartney -- lead, harmony and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, bass, xylophone Linda McCartney -- harmony and backing vocals Hugh McCracken -- acoustic and electric guitar Denny Seiwell -- drums, percussion Marvin Stamm -- flugelhorn New York Philharmonic -- orchestral arrangement Song uses The song was used in the episode `` He Ai n't Heavy, He 's My Uncle '' of the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses, where the character of Uncle Albert leaves home. Harry Shearer uses a looped sample of `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' for the `` Apologies of the Week '' segment of Le Show, with emphasis on McCartney saying `` sorry ''. The film Greenberg includes a scene in which the character Florence, drunk on champagne, sings along to the song which Greenberg included on a mix - CD for her. Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard covered the song on his 1971 album First Light. The song is mentioned in the lyrics of the song `` Hillcrest '' by New Zealand band The Changing Same. A portion of `` Uncle Albert '' is sampled in The Avalanches song `` Livin ' Underwater ( Is Somethin ' Wild ) '' on their sophomore album Wildflower. Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1971 ) Peak position Australian Kent Music Report 5 Canadian RPM Top 100 Singles 1 West German Media Control Singles Chart 30 Mexican Singles Chart 3 New Zealand 1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1 U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 9 Year - end charts Chart ( 1971 ) Rank Australia ( KMR ) 67 Canada RPM Top Singles 14 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 22 Certifications Region Certification United States ( RIAA ) Gold Notes Jump up ^ McGee 2003, p. 195. Jump up ^ Billboard. Booksgoogle.com. 11 July 1970. p. Front cover. Retrieved 5 October 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Allmusic : Paul McCartney : Charts & Awards ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Top Pop 100 Singles '' Billboard 25 December 1971 : TA - 36 Jump up ^ Blaney, J. ( 2007 ). Lennon and McCartney : together alone : a critical discography of their solo work. Jawbone Press. pp. 46, 50. ISBN 978 - 1 - 906002 - 02 - 2. ^ Jump up to : McGee 2003, p. 196. Jump up ^ Benitez, V.P. ( 2010 ). The Words and Music of Paul McCartney : The Solo Years. Praeger. pp. 30 -- 31. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 34969 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Jackson, A.G. ( 2012 ). Still the Greatest : The Essential Songs of The Beatles ' Solo Careers. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978 - 0810882225. Jump up ^ Drury, Bob, Halsey 's Typhoon, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007, page 283 Jump up ^ `` Past Winners Search ''. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2 May 2014. Jump up ^ `` 1971 Grammy Awards ''. Infoplease.com. Retrieved 5 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2011. ^ Jump up to : Mason, S. `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 25 December 2013. Jump up ^ Landau, Jon ( 8 July 1971 ). `` Ram ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Wings Greatest - Wings, Paul McCartney Songs, Reviews, Credits AllMusic ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Paul McCartney - Wingspan - Hits And History ''. Discogs. Retrieved 30 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` 67 Tracks of Pure McCartney... '' PaulMcCartney.com. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney ''. Discogs. Retrieved 30 July 2017. Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992. St Ives, NSW : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Top Singles - Volume 16, No. 5 ''. RPM. 18 September 1971. Retrieved 5 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Single Search : Paul and Linda McCartney -- `` Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey '' '' ( in German ). Media Control. Retrieved 20 February 2013. ^ Jump up to : Nielsen Business Media, Inc ( 25 December 1971 ). Billboard -- Talent in Action 1971. Retrieved 1 May 2014. Jump up ^ Steffen Hung ( 26 September 2016 ). `` New Zealand charts portal ''. Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 5 October 2016. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1993 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 -- 1993. Record Research. p. 157. Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 - 1992. St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ `` RPM 100 Top Singles of 1971 ''. RPM. 8 January 1972. Retrieved 11 March 2014. Jump up ^ `` American single certifications -- Paul Mc Cartney -- Uncle Albert ''. Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH References McGee, Garry ( 2003 ). Band on the Run : A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. New York : Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 0 - 87833 - 304 - 5. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics hide Paul McCartney Paul `` Wix '' Wickens Rusty Anderson Brian Ray Abe Laboriel Jr. Linda McCartney Hamish Stuart Robbie McIntosh Chris Whitten Blair Cunningham Studio albums McCartney Ram ( with Linda McCartney ) McCartney II Tug of War Pipes of Peace Give My Regards to Broad Street Press to Play Снова в СССР Flowers in the Dirt Off the Ground Flaming Pie Run Devil Run Driving Rain Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Memory Almost Full Kisses on the Bottom New Egypt Station with Wings Wild Life Red Rose Speedway Band on the Run Venus and Mars Wings at the Speed of Sound London Town Back to the Egg Classical The Family Way Thrillington Paul McCartney 's Liverpool Oratorio Standing Stone Working Classical Ecce Cor Meum Ocean 's Kingdom Electronica Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest ( The Fireman ) Rushes ( The Fireman ) Liverpool Sound Collage Twin Freaks Electric Arguments ( The Fireman ) Unreleased albums Return to Pepperland Live albums Wings over America Tripping the Live Fantastic Unplugged ( The Official Bootleg ) Paul Is Live Back in the U.S. Back in the World Live Amoeba 's Secret Good Evening New York City Live in Los Angeles iTunes Live from Capitol Studios Compilations Wings Greatest Cold Cuts ( unreleased ) All the Best ! The Paul McCartney Collection Costello Album ( bootleg ) Wingspan : Hits and History Pure McCartney Tours Wings University Tour Wings Over Europe Tour Wings 1973 UK Tour Wings Over the World tour Wings UK Tour 1979 The Paul McCartney World Tour The New World Tour Driving World Tour Back in the World 2004 Summer Tour The ' US ' Tour Summer Live ' 09 Good Evening Europe Tour Up and Coming Tour On the Run Out There One on One 2018 Secret Gigs Freshen Up Filmography A Hard Day 's Night ( 1964 ) Help ! ( 1965 ) Magical Mystery Tour ( 1967 ) Yellow Submarine ( 1968 ) Let It Be ( 1970 ) James Paul McCartney ( 1973 ) Wings Over the World ( 1979 ) Rockestra ( unreleased ) ( 1979 ) Concert for Kampuchea ( 1980 ) Rockshow ( 1980 ) Back to the Egg ( 1981 ) Give My Regards to Broad Street ( 1984 ) Put It There ( 1990 ) Get Back ( 1991 ) Paul Is Live ( 1993 ) In the World Tonight ( 1997 ) Live at the Cavern Club ( 1999 ) Wingspan ( 2001 ) Back in the U.S. ( 2002 ) Paul McCartney in Red Square ( 2005 ) Between Chaos and Creation ( 2005 ) Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road ( 2005 ) The Space Within US ( 2006 ) The McCartney Years ( 2007 ) Good Evening New York City ( 2009 ) The Love We Make ( 2011 ) Related Articles Discography Song list Awards Music contributions and appearances Paul McCartney concerts Maxi - singles Paul McCartney : Many Years from Now MPL Communications Oobu Joobu Paul is dead `` Lisa the Vegetarian '' The Concert for New York City People / Artists The Quarrymen The Beatles Wings Heather Mills Personal relationships Music Wide Prairie A Garland for Linda Paul McCartney 's Glastonbury Groove Let Us in Americana : The Music of Paul McCartney A Toot and a Snore in ' 74 The Art of McCartney `` Cut Me Some Slack '' Book Category Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uncle_Albert/Admiral_Halsey&oldid=853112148 '' Categories : 1970 songs 1971 singles Paul McCartney songs Apple Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Songs written by Paul McCartney Songs written by Linda McCartney Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Music published by MPL Music Publishing RPM Top Singles number - one singles Number - one singles in New Zealand Music medleys Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist ( s ) Hidden categories : CS1 German - language sources ( de ) Use dmy dates from June 2017 Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from January 2018 Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Article Talk More Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Italiano עברית ქართული 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Português Edit links This page was last edited on 2 August 2018, at 14 : 23 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sings i'm so sorry uncle albert
Answer: Paul McCartney