# Who LIKES Paul McCartney and Wings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 8, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543 "2005-07-08T02:27:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/1 "2005-07-08T02:27:07Z")
I just started getting into this band. Why would I do that? It’s because I remember hearing my dad listen to those songs when I was a little kid, and liking them, so now that I have a well-developed and critical musical taste, I wanted to download some Wings and listen to it. And what I’ve found is that, compared to the later Beatles, Wings might be sappy and trite, but musically, it blows away anything on the radio now. It’s pop music, but it’s interesting, clever pop music. I like the nonsensical and sometimes admittedly crappy lyrics, just because they sound funny and don’t take themselves too seriously. And I really like Paul’s voice, so naturally I like Wings. Does anyone else here enjoy this, or is it just considered crap? I know a lot of people tend to consider it crap. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/2 "2005-07-08T02:34:14Z")
_Band on the Run_ is a great album, one of my all time favorites. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear you were listening to the Beatles. The other 70’s albums were hit and miss, but the hit singles were pretty good, like “Listen to What the Man Said”, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”, “Getting Closer”, etc. IMHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/3 "2005-07-08T02:43:18Z")
I have everything Paul McCartney has ever released, and there isn’t anything that I’m aware of that’s unreleased that I also don’t have. So you could say I like the guy. When he started over with Wings, he really had to prove something. After getting off to a rough start, and being made fun of by lots of people, including John Lennon, he got his act together and made some really good records. And Wings records were, as with any artist’s catalogue, hit-and-miss, but in this case, mostly hit. I think you will enjoy most of their material. Happy collecting! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/4 "2005-07-08T02:48:03Z")
I’m a fan. Not a major, have-every-album fan, but a fan, nonetheless. I can remember being something like four years old and just dancing away (in that little “stomp your feet around in a circle” way that four-year-olds dance) to “Silly Love Songs”. I like “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” (I ALWAYS try to sing the “HAAAAAAAAANDS ACROSS THE WATER…(water)…HAAAAAAANDS ACROSS THE SKYYYYY…” part). Then again, I’m a fan of 80s McCartney, too. I still have _Pipes of Peace_ around somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/5 "2005-07-08T02:48:31Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > After getting off to a rough start, and being made fun of by lots of people, including John Lennon, he got his act together and made some really good records. John said Paul only wrote “silly love songs”. Guess what Paul did with that? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/6 "2005-07-08T02:52:00Z")
At the same time, of course, I’d like to reserve the right to mercilessly make fun of “Wonderful Christmas Time” for reasons which should be obvious… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/7 "2005-07-08T02:52:36Z")
“Hope of Deliverance” is one of the great songs, a gem in anyone’s career. “We live in hope of deliverance from the darkness that surrounds us.” A truly mature and wise line that resonates today of all days with the news coming out of London. But even so, I’m not a Wings fan. A few good songs from a band that would be mostly forgotten today if Paul weren’t its lead. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/8 "2005-07-08T02:53:59Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > At the same time, of course, I’d like to reserve the right to mercilessly make fun of “Wonderful Christmas Time” for reasons which should be obvious… Amen. Also, “the doggone girl is mine?” No, she’s not, Paul. Not if you do any more songs like that. Beyond that I love the guy. ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/9 "2005-07-08T03:02:43Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > A few good songs from a band that would be mostly forgotten today if Paul weren’t its lead. I’m gonna hafta go ahead and disagree with you on that. Lots of great songs that would’ve got the band up and running whoever was in it, though it might be fair to say they wouldn’t have been as huge if not for Macca. Put me down as one who likes Wings… but don’t tell anybody I said that. I’m trying to keep it a secret. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/10 "2005-07-08T03:24:26Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > John said Paul only wrote “silly love songs”. > > Guess what Paul did with that? Turned it into a trite piece of crap song that proved Lennon right? Anyone who wrote as many great songs as McCartney did during his time in the Beatles obviously has a gift and is gonna do some great stuff just based on the law of averages, but if his solo work proves anything, it’s how desperately he needed Lennon as a reality check (to be fair, Lennon needed McCartney almost as much). It’s the classic example of why musicians that pursue a solo career almost always invariably suck when compared with their work in a band: when you’re working within a (mostly) democratic set-up, there are all kinds of checks and balances to prevent your moonier stuff from taking over, but when you’re the one calling the shots and everybody else is just a backing musician (and if you think this wasn’t the case with Wings, you’re delusional) there’s nothing to keep your ego from blinding you to the actual quality of your work. That’s my take on McCartney, especially after seeing his dictator/control-freak side come to the fore in the Beatles _Anthology_ series. Sometimes horrible, occasionally quite good, mostly mediocre. I honestly believe that if it wasn’t for his stint in the Beatles, his solo output would be considered the work of a relatively minor artist by damn near everyone (though his first album, _McCartney_, recorded while still in the Fab Four, and _Band on the Run_, to a lesser extent, had enough decent material to ensure him a recording contract for at least another six years or so). ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/11 "2005-07-08T03:52:11Z")
I love the Beatles. I love McCartney. I love Wings. I even love “Wonderful Christmas Time.” :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/12 "2005-07-08T04:17:39Z")
I’m not sure if I liked them or mot. I had four or five Wings albums. I loved the hits. But the typical Wings album had two great songs, and about eight bad ones. Anytime Linda sang was embarassing. Wasn’t there one called Cook of the House she sang? yeeesh. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/13 "2005-07-08T04:58:12Z")
Obligatory Bad Wings Joke: "What do you call a dog with wings? “Linda McCartney.” Wings was two good albums stretched over however many they actually put out. Really not Sir Paul’s finest hours. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/14 "2005-07-08T05:18:15Z")
I liked Wings, as someone else said, for their silliness. I love _Magneto and Titanium Man_ and _Rock Show_ ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/15 "2005-07-08T07:19:02Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > _Band on the Run_ is a great album, one of my all time favorites. > > If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear you were listening to the Beatles. > > The other 70’s albums were hit and miss, but the hit singles were pretty good, like “Listen to What the Man Said”, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”, “Getting Closer”, etc. > > IMHO, of course. And “Tug of War” ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/16 "2005-07-08T09:22:58Z")
I am surprised nobody mentioned _Mull of Kintire_, a fine song, with bagpipes even. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/17 "2005-07-08T11:11:56Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Turned it into a trite piece of crap song that proved Lennon right? Yep. And made a fortune to boot. I always thought Paul should have sent John a royalty check. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/18 "2005-07-08T12:08:09Z")
Hell, it’s a Christmas song – there’s nothing wrong with sentiment. Look what won the contest in **Love, Actually**. I have no problems with it. **Band on the Run** is clearly the best post-Beatles album by any Beatle, edging out **All Things Must Pass**. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/19 "2005-07-08T13:59:12Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > Also, “the doggone girl is mine?” No, she’s not, Paul. Not if you do any more songs like that. Well, look who the alternative was. ---
**Author:** ![Phish\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9adbd/32.png) [@Phish\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phish_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543/20 "2005-07-08T14:13:31Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Turned it into a trite piece of crap song that proved Lennon right? Nah, more like, he went off and created the best damn bass line ever written, that’s what! Make sure you get **Winds Over America** , a fantastic live album! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-likes-paul-mccartney-and-wings/311543.md?page=2)