Tag Archives: Musician – Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney & Wings – My Love (1973). Paul called it “a pure love song” to his wife and Wing bandmate Linda McCartney.

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Feature Image: Red Rose Speedway is the second studio album by English-American rock band Wings, although credited to “Paul McCartney and Wings.” It was released through Apple Records on May 4, 1973, preceded by its lead single, the ballad My Love on March 23, 1973. It was Wings’ first no. 1 hit. PHOTO: “red rose speedway, PAUL MCCARTNEY,” by badgreeb RECORDS – art -photos is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

After 4 weeks in a row in the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 starting on June 2, 1973, My Love finally descended to no. 2 on June 30, 1973. Climbing into no. 1 that week to replace My Love was the no. 5 hit from the week before, Give Me Love – (Give Me Peace On Earth) by George Harrison.
In the songwriting process, Paul came up with the chords, and then created a melody and lyrics – here, a “pure love song” as Paul put it, to Wing bandmate and wife Linda. PHOTO: “Linda McCartney Retrospective” by cezzie901 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The McCartneys’ My Love was recorded in January 1973 and released on March 23, 1973. It peaked at no. 1 on June 2, 1973. The guitar solo was improvised by Wings’ rookie lead guitarist Henry McCullough (1943-2016) which Paul, who played electric piano on the song, allowed despite not being precisely the solo he envisioned for the recording. In 2010 Paul said (quoted in NME): “It was like, ‘Do I believe in this guy?’ And he played the solo on ‘My Love’, which came right out of the blue. And I just thought, Fucking great. And so there were plenty of moments like that where somebody’s skill or feeling would overtake my wishes.” Paul was also impressed that the way he had written the song – chord-based instead of, for instance, melody and counterpoint-based- informed his guitarist’s solo though it was McCullough’s creation.

Wings bandmates in 1973. Guitarist Henry McCullough is, from left, in the bottom photo on the left page. Before Wings, Henry McCullough toured as a session musician with Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. One of his career highlights came in 1969, when he played with Joe Cocker at Woodstock, making him the only Irishman to have performed at the legendary rock festival. PHOTO:   “red rose speedway, PAUL MCCARTNEY,……” by badgreeb RECORDS – art -photos is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The lyrics of My Love are not grammatical, such as, “My Love does it good,” which Paul was well aware of. It was a writing bit leftover from his Beatles’ Hamburg days playing American blues whose great songs had their share of mixed syntax. Paul liked it because it sounded like how real people talked. Plus, Paul liked to subvert the rules of grammar in songs for its own sake, something the Beatles had successfully achieved in some of their songs. “My Love does it good” is a value judgment of the beloved without being specific – leaving it to the imagination of the listener for its specific application. In the songwriting process, Paul came up with the chords, and then created a melody and lyrics – here, a “pure love song” as Paul put it, to Wing bandmate and wife Linda.

Paul and Linda (née Eastman) McCartney first met on May 15, 1967 at the Bag O’Nails Club in London, a short walk from Buckingham Palace. Paul was then a Beatle and Linda was a photographer who produced beautiful prints as her art and craft. Paul and Linda married on March 12, 1969 and were married for 29 years. My Love was released just after their 4th anniversary as marrieds. PHOTO:
“Bag O’Nails, Victoria, London – geograph.org.uk – 1981720” by Graham Hogg is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
With its incorrect grammar and as a love song, My Love emerged out of Paul McCartney’s years as a Beatle and his 1969 marriage to Linda McCartney with whom he had four children. PHOTO:
여유로운 휴일… 따뜻한 감성의 사진을 만나다 #Seoul #Daelim #Gallery #Linda #McCartney #Photo #Exhibition” by IchStyle is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
PHOTO: “Linda McCartney Retrospective” by cezzie901 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Paul and Linda were married on March 12, 1969 and My Love was a reaffirmation of their marital love at the 4th year marker. During a 29-year marriage, the McCartneys had four children including a daughter by Linda’s first marriage (who Paul formally adopted), and the couple’s two daughters in August 1969 and September 1971, and son in September 1977.

Paul and Linda McCartney on the cover of LIFE on April 18, 1971. The couple’s second child together was born later that same year. PHOTO: “Life Magazine featuring Paul McCartney and his squeeze Linda” by vision63 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

By the late 1970s, My Love was the second most-covered song written and released by a former Beatle (George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord was the most covered). When My Love finally descended to no. 2 on June 30, 1973, no. 5 Give Me Love – (Give Me Peace On Earth) by George Harrison ascended to no. 1 for one week. In later years, Northern Irish guitarist Henry McCullough, who died in 2016, considered his guitar solo on My Love as the best moment of his career. The song and solo were memorable for Paul McCartney as well who in 2016 observed (again quoted in NME): “The solo [Henry] played on My Love was a classic that he made up on the spot in front of a live orchestra.”

Paul McCartney with Linda McCartney in concert with Wings in 1976. PHOTO: “Paul McCartney with Linda McCartney – Wings – 1976 (cropped)” by Jim Summaria is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

LYRICS TO MY LOVE:

And when I go away

I know my heart can stay with my love

It’s understood

It’s in the hands of my love

And my love does it good

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

My love does it good

And when the cupboard’s bare

I’ll still find something there with my love

It’s understood

It’s everywhere with my love

My love does it good

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

My love does it good

Whoa, whoa, I love

Whoa, whoa, my love

Only my love holds the other key to me

Whoa, whoa, I love

Whoa, whoa, my love

Only my love does it good to me

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

My love does it good

Don’t ever ask me why

I never say goodbye to my love

It’s understood

It’s everywhere with my love

And my love does it good

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

My love does it good

Whoa, whoa, I love

Whoa, whoa, my love

Only my love does it good to me

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

SOURCES: The Lyrics 1956 to the Present, Paul McCartney, Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2023, pp. 349-352.

Levine, Nick (15 June 2016), “Paul McCartney pays tribute to ‘super-talented’ Wings guitarist Henry McCullough”. nme.com.  – retrieved September 2, 2024.

https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1973-06-30/ – retrieved September 1, 2024.

https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1973-06-23/ – retrieved September 1, 2024.