“They’re only the band The Beatles could have been,” said Alan Partridge of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band Wings. The line is played for laughs in the series, but the discography of Wings is certainly worth more than many people give it credit for. Sure, they might not have been as revolutionary or rock and roll as The Beatles, but Macca’s songwriting genius was still at its peak during the Wings era. As a result, the band delivered some incredibly successful tracks, but one song in particular has always stood out for McCartney.
After first forming Wings in 1971, McCartney soon found that the band could provide him with the opportunity to explore avenues of songwriting that were limited within The Beatles. The issue with being in a group like The Beatles is that there were four incredibly skilled members, all fighting to have their own ideas heard. While most decisions ultimately came down to Lennon and McCartney, each individual member seemed to find a new sense of songwriting freedom when embarking upon their own respective solo careers.
With Wings, for instance, McCartney wrote many tracks that were considerably more personal, emotional and often romantic than what he had written with the Fab Four. This makes sense when considering that many of these tracks were written either with or for his wife, Linda McCartney, who was an invaluable member of the group. Wings saw McCartney become much more lovey-dovey in his songwriting, with some distinctly commendable results.
McCartney penned numerous tracks for Linda over the years, but one always stood out as a particular favourite. ‘Warm and Beautiful’ was the last track on Wings’ 1976 record Wings at the Speed of Sound, and it is perhaps the most heartfelt McCartney’s songwriting has ever been. The legend himself listed the track as “one of my favourite songs,” explaining, “It’s a ballad with a brass section, but it’s always felt Victorian in style to me. It’s very heartfelt.”
Expanding upon his appreciation for the piece, in The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present, McCartney continued, “‘A love so warm and beautiful/Stands when time itself is falling.’ I like that idea instead of just saying, ‘It will go on forever.’ I got a good feeling writing this song and listening to it now, I still do. ‘Love, faith and hope are beautiful.’”
Seemingly, Linda was not the only loved one who inspired ‘Warm and Beautiful’. His family and childhood also played a significant influence on the construction of the song. “The brass solo is lovely for me,” he recalled, “because it harks back to the brass bands that were so common when I was a kid; there would often be brass bands in the park or in the streets. My dad played trumpet, as I never fail to mention, and he had his own little band – Jim Mac’s Jazz Band.”
‘Warm and Beautiful’ was not the only time McCartney drew upon the influences of his dad. In fact, he went so far as to record ‘Walking In the Park with Eloise’ alongside Wings in 1974 under the name ‘Country Hams’. The jazz instrumental song was originally written during the 1920s by McCartney’s father and given a new life by its Wings reimagining.
