In 1971, drummer Denny Seiwell, and ex-Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine, joined Paul McCartney and wife Linda McCartney to record Paul's third post-Beatles project. The result was Wild Life, the first project to credit Wings. The band name is said to have come to McCartney as he was praying in the hospital while Linda was giving birth to their second child together, Stella McCartney. Paul McCartney recalled in the film Wingspan that the birth of Stella was "a bit of a drama"; there were complications at the birth and that both Linda and the baby almost died. He was praying fervently and the image of wings came to his mind. He decided to name his new band "Wings".
In 1972, McCartney returned to touring, mounting an impromptu tour of UK universities and small European venues (with the group driving around in a van), playing no Beatles numbers. He scored hits with the relatively light singles "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and "Hi Hi Hi" (the latter getting in trouble with the BBC for alleged drug references).
In early 1973, McCartney repeated this pattern, adding ex-Spooky Tooth guitarist Henry McCullough, and re-christening the band Paul McCartney and Wings for the album Red Rose Speedway which yielded the first big Wings hit, the romantic ballad "My Love". That same year, McCartney filmed his first American TV special James Paul McCartney, which was savagely criticised by noted rock journalist Lillian Roxon. Wings also recorded the hit theme song to the James Bond film Live and Let Die, which reunited McCartney with producer George Martin. Over the years, this has remained one of the most memorable of all Bond songs and is always an exciting part of McCartney's concert performances (often played to fireworks).
Following the release of Speedway, Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough left the band, leaving the McCartneys and Denny Laine to cut their next album at EMI's recording studio in Lagos, Nigeria, recording what turned out to be their breakthrough album, Band on the Run.
The album went to #1 and spawned a half-dozen hit singles including the rockers "Jet" and "Helen Wheels", the acoustic ballad "Bluebird", and the dynamic title track a suite of movements recalling side 2 of Abbey Road. Moreover Band on the Run enjoyed very positive critical reception, and did much to restore McCartney's somewhat damaged post Beatles image. It also included the heavy "Let Me Roll It", which was seen as an affectionate impersonation of John Lennon's solo style.
After this, Jimmy McCulloch and Geoff Britton, lead guitar and drums respectively, joined the band, now rechristened Wings again. The first recording session with the new members was held in Nashville and produced the rocky non-album single "Junior's Farm". The new lineup then moved to New Orleans to create the album Venus and Mars (1975), followed by a return to Nashville for Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976); both albums took top chart positions. During this time, Joe English replaced Britton on drums. Speed of Sound represented a substantial departure from the Wings template in that each member of the band sang at least one song, including Linda ("Cook of the House").
Also during this period, Wings embarked on a very successful and theatrical world tour, documented in the triple-live LP set Wings Over America, which included a late 1975 tour of Australia, McCartney's first visit there since the Beatles' epoch-making Antipodean tour in June 1964. McCartney still mostly shied away from the Beatles catalogue; only five such numbers were typically included in the American shows. Laine sang lead vocal for several songs and McCulloch for one, to emphasize that Wings was more than just a backing band for McCartney. One of the Seattle concerts from the American leg of the 1975/76 world tour was filmed and later released as the concert feature Rockshow (1980). Further hits followed with the singles "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In".
Also in 1976, McCartney inaugurated Buddy Holly Week in London, founded on what would have been Holly's 40th birthday and marked with an annual celebrity party; his lifelong passion for the music of this rock'n'roll pioneer was also reflected in his acquisition of Holly's publishing catalogue. Ever the astute businessman, McCartney also cannily bought the rights to an off-Broadway musical he had seen in America, and this investment reaped huge returns when the musical was adapted into the smash-hit feature film Grease.
After the world tour, McCartney took a break, but this period produced both the most obscure and the most successful records he has made. During 1977 he released the peculiar, unpromoted and little-known album Thrillington, an orchestral re-make of the earlier Ram album, issued under the pseudonym Percy "Thrills" Thrillington, followed by single version of a live recording of "Maybe I'm Amazed". Later in the year, the band recorded their next album in the Virgin Islands.
At the end of 1977, McCartney released the ballad "Mull of Kintyre", an ode to the Scottish Mull of Kintyre coastal region he had made his home in the early 1970s. Its broad appeal was maximised by a pre-Christmas release, and it became a massive international hit, dominating the charts in Britain, Australia and many other countries over the Christmas/New Year period and becoming one of the biggest selling UK singles of all time.
McCartney released the album London Town in 1978. During the recording of the album in May, 1977, both Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch parted ways with Wings (McCulloch died of a heroin overdose in 1979). Though still released as a Wings album, the band was again reduced to Paul, Linda and Laine and a host of studio players. The album was a major commercial success, reaching #2 on the charts, but featured a markedly softer-rock, synth-based sound and yielded only minor UK hits in "With a Little Luck" and "Girlfriend" (the former was a big hit in the US).
In 1979, Wings released the singles "Goodnight Tonight", "Getting Closer", and "Wonderful Christmastime" and the album Back to the Egg, a critical and commercial failure and the last McCartney project released under the Wings moniker, with McCartney returning to solo billing on future recordings.
In November and December of 1979, Wings performed their final tour of the UK, climaxing with a massive rockestra all-star collection of musicians in London in aid of UNICEF and Kampuchean refugees. This final version of the band included guitarist Laurence Juber and drummer Steve Holly, who had joined the group in 1978. During this tour the live version of "Coming Up" was recorded, this being their final US #1 hit the following year.
Wings continued to demo some more tunes during 1980/1981, but following a disastrous aborted Japanese tour, they fell apart.
Legacy
The longevity and success of Wings can be seen as something of a vindication for McCartney, whose early home-grown solo output, which often featured simpler songs and less lavish production than the Beatles received from George Martin, sometimes led to critical dismissal of his work as "lightweight" next to the seemingly more serious nature of his former bandmates' solo output. Though McCartney was the first Beatle to release a solo album after the official break-up of the band, it was John Lennon's early solo output which initially gained the lead in both critical opinion and commercial success, and George Harrison had scored a huge success with his 1970 triple-album solo debut All Things Must Pass. But by the mid-1970s, Lennon's solo career had run out of steam, and he had stopped recording; Harrison was also fading from view by this time, as by 1976 he had all but retired from recording and performing. As leader of Wings, however, McCartney was rising to a new peak of success. He became the only one of the four Beatles who continued to tour and record regularly in the years after their split.
Wings' 1977 single, "Mull of Kintyre"/"Girls School" is still the biggest-selling non-charity single in the UK (although Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" sold more, its sales include a reissue in aid of the Terence Higgins Trust) and it ranked fourth in the official list of best selling singles in the UK issued in 2002.
Letting Go
Paul McCartney & Wings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Paul McCartney & Wings
Ah, she tastes like wine
Such a human being so divine
Oh she feels like sun
Mother nature look at what you've done
Oh I feel like letting go
Ah, she looks like snow
I want to put her in a Broadway show
Ah she'll dance and dine
Like a lucifer she'll always shine
Oh I feel like letting go
Oh I feel like letting go
Oh I feel like letting go
Ah, she sings it so
I want to put her on the radio
One day and there you are
Ladies and Gentleman -
A brand new Star
Oh I feel like letting go
Oh I feel like letting go
The song 'Letting Go' by Paul McCartney & Wings is all about falling in love with someone and the feeling of freedom and bliss it gives a person. The opening lines "Ah, she tastes like wine, such a human being so divine" express an immediate attraction to the woman who is being described. The comparison to wine implies that the taste of the woman is enjoyable and intoxicating. The line "Oh she feels like sun, Mother Nature look at what you've done" suggests that the woman represents the warmth and light of the sun and is a reminder of the beauty and power of nature.
The refrain "Oh I feel like letting go" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the feeling of being free and unencumbered. This feeling is further reinforced by the mention of Broadway shows, dancing, and singing, which all represent a carefree and positive attitude towards life. The last line "A brand new star" implies that falling in love with this woman has turned the singer into something new, something bright and shining.
Overall, 'Letting Go' is a song about the thrill of falling in love and the sense of liberation that comes with it. The upbeat tempo and catchy melody make it a fun and enjoyable song to listen to, while the lyrics capture the essence of the joy of being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, she tastes like wine
She has qualities similar to wine - rich, complex, intoxicating.
Such a human being so divine
She is a mere mortal, yet somehow she embodies traits of a deity.
Oh she feels like sun
Being around her is like basking in the warmth and radiance of the sun.
Mother nature look at what you've done
The natural world has produced someone truly remarkable.
Ah, she looks like snow
She has a pure, dazzling aesthetic akin to freshly fallen snow.
I want to put her in a Broadway show
She deserves to be in the spotlight, showcased for all to see.
Ah she'll dance and dine
She has an alluring, magnetic presence that commands attention.
Like a lucifer she'll always shine
She has an indefatigable spirit that shines through in everything she does.
Ah, she sings it so
Her singing voice is truly exceptional.
I want to put her on the radio
Her music deserves to be heard on a larger platform.
One day and there you are
All it takes is one opportunity to showcase her talents, and she'll take off.
Ladies and Gentleman - A brand new Star
She has the potential to become a major sensation, capturing the hearts and attention of countless fans.
Oh I feel like letting go
Despite her incredible talents, there's a sense of release in letting her go to pursue her destiny.
Oh I feel like letting go
There's a sense of excitement and anticipation in what her future holds.
Oh I feel like letting go
Ultimately, it's time to let her go and see where her journey takes her.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SUSAN BROWN, DANIELLE LEVERETT, JEFF SPENCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Cochran
on Let Me Roll It
The perfect John Lennon song that he never wrote