My Brave Face, written by Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, is an example of one of his best post-Beatles collaborations. Now the song is getting a bit more buzz as Paul is set to re-release Flowers in the Dirt, as part of a series of his catalog.
Paul plays bass, acoustic guitar and tambourine, and the story goes, it was Elvis Costello that convinced Paul to resurrect his iconic Hofner 500/1 for the tune.
Here’s the old school video of the sessions, just released by McCartney – it’s a bit dark and grainy. That said, there doesn’t seem to be a shot of the Hofner at all. In fact, the video clearly shows Paul playing the Rickenbacker:
As a result of this newly released video, some people are questioning if he actually did play his Hofner.
Now let’s take a look at at video from a 1989 PBS Special, an interview with McCartney about the Flowers in the Dirt album. Check the video at the 4:35 timestamp in which he clearly states Elvis Costello had suggested he use hi Hofner:
Happy to clear up any confusion as he plays the Hofner on the recording.