Women And Wives

Album This song officially appears on the McCartney III Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 2020

Master release

Related session

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Recording "McCartney III" April - June 2020 ?

Related interviews

Paul McCartney Is Still Trying to Figure Out Love Nov 29, 2020 • From The New York Times Paul McCARTNEY sits down with Chris Rock on RELEASED Dec 17, 2020 • From YouTube Originals "McCartney III" Twitter Listening Party Dec 21, 2020 • From Tim's Twitter Listening Party Interview for the Zane Lowe Show Dec 21, 2020 • From Apple Music 1 "Dare to experiment!" Paul McCartney goes far out! January 2021 • From Uncut In conversation with St. Vincent Apr 15, 2021 • From Instagram You Gave Me The Answer - The ‘GOT BACK’ tour setlist May 04, 2022 • From paulmccartney.com

“Women And Wives” is a track from 2020 album “McCartney III“.

Written after reading a biography of legendary blues singer Huddie ‘Lead Belly’ Ledbetter. During the writing, Paul decided to sing in a more bluesy baritone, echoing Lead Belly’s style of delivery. Paul also plays Bill Black’s double bass on the track. Black is best known as Elvis Presley’s bass player. The lyric reminds the listener that ‘What we do with our lives seems to matter to others’. Paul has commented that he thinks the lyrics offer the listener good adive. Advice he tries to follow himself.

From Spotify Storyline. Storyline is a feature of Spotify that gives behind-the-scenes information from artists about their songs, presented with a carousel of cards featuring a combination of text and images.

I wrote this when I was in Los Angeles and I had just been reading a book on the Blues artist Lead Belly, so I was trying to get in this bluesy mood so I played on the piano, played some simple chords and started singing in what I imagined was like bluesy [sings], so that was that and then I recorded it at the studio in England.

Paul McCartney, from NME, December 23, 2020

“Women And Wives” contains a lot of wisdom. “Many choices to make / Many chains to unravel / Every path that we take / Makes it harder to travel” Is this you, handing down advice to a younger generation?

I think so. This arrived when I was reading a book on Lead Belly. I was deep in the South and the blues and I sat at the piano one day and started playing the chords at the beginning of the song. Lead Belly inspired that vocal style – “Well,mama…” – that Southern blues thing. It suited that song. “Hear me, husband and lovers / What we do with our lives…” Then I was off on the trail. So suddenly, “Seems to matter to others”. Hey, let’s think about what we’re handing down to them. As a parent and grandparent, you think that kind of stuff.

Paul McCartney, in UNCUT interview, January 2021

Favorite song on this album? Possibly a little song called “Women and Wives”

Paul McCartney – from interview with Chris Rock, December 17, 2020

It’s funny, in the middle of that, there was like, there’s no solo. And normally, when you’re running through the chords, in the middle of a song, you’re leaving space for a solo. But the more it went on, I thought, I like it without a solo. So because I was just doing it to please myself, it doesn’t have a solo.

Paul McCartney about “Women And Wives” – interview with BBC Radio 4, December 18, 2020

I should just add, on Women and Wives Paul used upright bass – Bill Black’s (Elvis’ bass player) upright bass. It’s very famously owned by Paul, he’s had that a long time. It’s a Kay Maestro M-1. It’s still strung right-handed for Bill Black, Paul just turns it around and plays it the other way round! It’s a lovely sound, it’s 1952 or 53 I think I’ve managed to pin it down to, and Paul’s owned it for 20-25 years. He bought it, I think, from Scotty Moore’s family.

Keith Smith – from interview with MusicRadar, December 2020

An alternative version of “Women And Wives” was released as a bonus track on some versions of “McCartney III“.

In 2021, for the “McCartney III Imagined” project, American musician St. Vincent reimagined the song “Women And Wives“.

From Universal Music – Calling all musicians – McCartney III is almost here! Teasers are popping up in cities across the globe, sharing excerpts of the sheet music from each song.We would love to see your takes on each song. Join in the fun by recording your own version! – In Sydney

Screenshot of Spotify Storyline

Lyrics

Hear me women and wives

Hear me husband and lovers

What we do with our lives

Seems to matter to others

Some of them may follow

Roads that we run down

Many choices to make

Many chains to unravel

Every path that we take

Makes it harder to travel

Laughter turned to sorrow

Doesn’t get me down

When tomorrow comes around

You’ll be looking at the future

So, keep your feet upon the ground

And get ready to run

Now hear me mothers and men

Hear me sisters and brothers

Teach your children and then

They can pass it to others

Some of them may borrow

Tales you handed down

Get ready to run

Variations

A Album version
B Studio outtake
C "McCartney III Imagined" version

Officially appears on

McCartney III (Test pressing) Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio version • A Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Session Recording : April - June 2020 ? • Studio : Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

McCartney III Official album • Released in 2020

McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album) Official album • Released in 2020

3:14 • Outtake • B • Studio outtake Paul McCartney : Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals Steve Orchard : Engineer Session Recording : April - June 2020 ? • Studio : Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Blue Cover CD) Official album • Released in 2020

McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Red Cover CD) Official album • Released in 2020

McCartney III (Deluxe Edition White Cover CD) Official album • Released in 2020

McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Yellow Cover CD) Official album • Released in 2020

3:14 • Outtake • B • Studio Outtake Paul McCartney : Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals Steve Orchard : Engineer Session Recording : April - June 2020 ? • Studio : Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK

McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album) Official album • Released in 2020

McCartney III (Japanese edition - Limited release) Official album • Released in 2020

Related films

Women And Wives (Lyric video) 2020 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Lucy Dyson Women And Wives (St. Vincent Remix / Visualizer) 2021 • For Paul McCartney

Videos

Live performances

“Women And Wives” has been played in 6 concerts and 42 soundchecks.

Year Soundchecks Concerts 1960 0 0 1961 0 0 1962 0 0 1963 0 0 1964 0 0 1965 0 0 1966 0 0 1967 0 0 1968 0 0 1969 0 0 1970 0 0 1971 0 0 1972 0 0 1973 0 0 1974 0 0 1975 0 0 1976 0 0 1977 0 0 1978 0 0 1979 0 0 1980 0 0 1981 0 0 1982 0 0 1983 0 0 1984 0 0 1985 0 0 1986 0 0 1987 0 0 1988 0 0 1989 0 0 1990 0 0 1991 0 0 1992 0 0 1993 0 0 1994 0 0 1995 0 0 1996 0 0 1997 0 0 1998 0 0 1999 0 0 2000 0 0 2001 0 0 2002 0 0 2003 0 0 2004 0 0 2005 0 0 2006 0 0 2007 0 0 2008 0 0 2009 0 0 2010 0 0 2011 0 0 2012 0 0 2013 0 0 2014 0 0 2015 0 0 2016 0 0 2017 0 0 2018 0 0 2019 0 0 2020 0 1 2021 0 0 2022 13 5 2023 12 0 2024 2 0 2025 15 0 2026 0 0

Latest concerts where “Women And Wives” has been played

Fort Worth • Dickies Arena • USA May 17, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour Oakland • Oakland Arena • USA May 08, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour Oakland • Oakland Arena • USA May 06, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour Seattle • Seattle Climate Pledge Arena • USA May 02, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour Spokane • Spokane Arena • USA Apr 28, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour

Going further

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

"Women And Wives" is one of the songs featured in the book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present," published in 2021. The book explores Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career. It pairs the lyrics of 154 of his songs with his first-person commentary on the circumstances of their creation, the inspirations behind them, and his current thoughts on them.

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