Ultraviolet/The Ballad of Paul K

"Ultraviolet"/"The Ballad of Paul K" is the fourth and final single from British boyband McFly's second studio album, Wonderland. It is a double A-side single and was released on 12 December 2005. The single peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart, making it McFly's lowest chart position yet, and one of five singles in their career to date to not reach the top five, along with "Do Ya/Stay with Me" at #18, "Falling in Love" at #87, Party Girl at #6, and That's the Truth at #35.

Song Information

Both tracks were written by McFly members Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, with "The Ballad of Paul K" being written also by Dougie Poynter, who was the principal writer. The Ballad of Paul K was based on the members of Mcfly's fathers. The song is about a middle-aged man coming to terms with his life. The name "Paul K" came from a boy Dougie knew at school, but is also a reference to Josef K in Kafka's The Trial. The song "Ultraviolet" was initially called "Summer Girls". Both songs feature on McFly's second studio album Wonderland.

Track listing

UK CD1

1. "The Ballad of Paul K" (Orchestral Version) - 3:15
2. "Ultraviolet" (Live Version) - 4:24

UK CD2

1. "The Ballad of Paul K" - 3:15
2. "Ultraviolet" - 4:17
3. "I Predict a Riot" (Radio 1 Live Lounge Session) - 3:30
4. "Ultraviolet" (Video) - 4:24

UK DVD Single

1. "The Ballad of Paul K" (Audio) - 3:15
2. "Ultraviolet" (Audio) - 4:17
3. "Home Movie" - 7:30
4. "The Ballad of Paul K" (Video) - 3:22

Chart performance

Music videos

The Ultraviolet video was simply a montage of clips filmed at Live at McFly's Wonderland Tour 2005, Manchester and Behind the Scenes of their first Arena tour. The Ballad of Paul K video was a little different. The video uses a blend of live action and animation. It is often considered to be in the style of Tim Burton movies especially The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. In a recent TV interview McFly admit that watching the video now does scare them slightly. McFly performed "The Ballad Of Paul K" in front of Queen Elizabeth II at the 2005 Royal Variety Show.

References