Artist · chart history
Paul McCartney and Wings
Band United Kingdom Active 1971–1981 Paul McCartney’s band
Paul McCartney and Wings formed in 1971 in the United Kingdom and was active until 1981. Paul McCartney and Wings has 141 chart appearances on 84 radio countdowns from 27 stations on RockLists, spanning 1991–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Band on The Run”, which appears on 73 lists with a best position of #30. The station that charted Paul McCartney and Wings most often is 100.7 WZLX (Boston, MA), with 18 appearances.
Paul McCartney didn't wait long after the Beatles to build himself a new gang. Wings took off from London in 1971 with Paul on bass and vocals, his wife Linda on keyboards, Moody Blues alumnus Denny Laine on guitar and vocals and Denny Seiwell on drums, and the trio of the McCartneys and Laine held firm through every lineup shuffle that followed, of which there were plenty. The first two albums, Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway, the second with Henry McCullough on guitar, struck most ears as a comedown after the Beatles.
Then McCullough and Seiwell quit, right after the "Live and Let Die" Bond theme, and the three who were left went off and made Band on the Run in 1973, the record that won the doubters over: taut, tuneful and big-hearted, with "Jet" and the title track both going top ten. Jimmy McCulloch arrived on guitar, drummer Geoff Britton came and went, Joe English took his place, and Venus and Mars in 1975 brought a US number one in "Listen to What the Man Said" and a huge world tour, with Wings at the Speed of Sound, "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In" landing in the middle of it.
McCulloch and English were gone by the time "Mull of Kintyre" became the band's only UK number one and one of Britain's all-time best-selling singles. London Town came next, then Laurence Juber and Steve Holley joined for Back to the Egg, which sold poorly and drew bad reviews. On the tour that followed, Paul was arrested in Japan for cannabis possession and the band went on hold. A live "Coming Up" topped the US charts in 1980, but Laine left and Wings folded in 1981, with six Hot 100 number ones to their name.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Paul McCartney and Wings on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Band on The Run#395 of all time | 73 | #30 | – | – | |
| 2 | Jet | 40 | #47 | – | – | |
| 3 | Live And Let Die | 14 | #14 | – | – | |
| 4 | Maybe I'm Amazed | 7 | #143 | – | – | |
| 5 | Silly Love Songs | 2 | #78 | – | – | |
| 6 | Let 'Em In | 1 | #579 | – | – | |
| 7 | ..1985 | 1 | #756 | – | – | |
| 8 | Mull of Kintyre | 1 | #810 | – | – | |
| 9 | Venus and Mars Rock Show | 1 | #906 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
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