"Waterfalls" is a Paul McCartney ballad from his first solo album after Wings, McCartney II. The song has a minimalist sound, with McCartney only playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano and a synthesizer and singing, and a short solo performed on acoustic guitar. "Waterfalls" was released as a single with "Check My Machine" as its B-Side and reached chart position in the UK and No. 4 in Ireland. In the US, however, it was his first single ever to miss the Billboard Hot 100 chart, only reaching despite being the follow-up to the hit "Coming Up". In 2013, Rolling Stone rated it the all-time Paul McCartney post-Beatles song, describing how it contrasted with Wings' prior single.

Background

Billboard described "Waterfalls" as having "a subtle oriental flavour" and "appropriately sparse" instrumentation, and described McCartney's vocal performance as "inimitable" and "creamy." Cash Box called it a "whimsical ballad," stating that it has an "almost dirge-like melody." Record World said that "Stately keyboards surround [McCartney's] boyish falsetto for pop-A/C appeal." When questioned on singles he wished were more successful, McCartney stated, "There's quite a few, actually. ... 'Waterfalls', I think is nice." He also commented that TLC's single "Waterfalls" carries elements of his song. McCartney also said of his song: "Waterfalls’ is basically saying don’t go doing a load of dangerous stuff, ’cause I need you. And that’s a kind of a more mature thought for me than I would have been able to have done 20 years ago, ’cause I just didn’t realize that it’s not all gonna be here forever. That’s the kind of thing you realize when you pass 30."

Charts

Personnel

"Waterfalls" "Check My Machine"

Other versions

Sloan recorded a more uptempo version of the song on the McCartney tribute album Listen to What the Man Said.