BEATLES MAGAZINE: PAUL McCARTNEY REVEALS NEW DETAILS OF LIFE AFTER THE BEATLES SPLIT

Wednesday, 5 November 2025

PAUL McCARTNEY REVEALS NEW DETAILS OF LIFE AFTER THE BEATLES SPLIT

Following the dissolution of The Beatles in 1970, Paul McCartney admitted to feeling profoundly lost and disoriented, stating he initially lacked direction regarding how to operate outside of his iconic former group. He soon regained his stability by founding the band Wings in 1971, which included his late wife Linda McCartney and former Moody Blues member Denny Laine. This new venture proved successful, releasing seven studio albums—most notably 1973's highly praised Band On The Run—before ultimately separating in 1981.

Paul shared: 'The times with Wings were exciting because we built up to it, and eventually we hit the big time, there was a particular kind of excitement in achieving that goal.'

"After The Beatles I didn’t really know how to be in a band, it was a complete blank canvas, we’d go on the road with no plans, no hotels booked, no gigs lined up, and we thought the only place we might find a captive audience was at a university. “A completely off-the-wall idea, but I’m glad we did it."

“I don’t spend a lot of time looking back in general, I like to live in the moment, like everything else, it’s a timing thing.

“In recent years, I noticed I’d be asked just as many questions about Wings in interviews as I would about The Beatles.

“People would tell me that the first thing they heard of mine was Band On The Run or Jet, or that their favourite album was a Wings one. The reception for these songs in our live shows often takes me by surprise too…

“Suddenly Wings has found its moment. There’s a generational shift at play, and it’s like being transported back on a magic carpet.”

While recording their most famous album, Band On The Run, in Lagos, Nigeria, Paul McCartney and his wife were mugged. He explained that the incident occurred when they were taking a walk through the city, and he mistook the muggers' approach for someone offering them a ride.

Paul said: “Linda and I were walking along a dark street, heading back to our place from a mate’s house, it was probably about two miles away.

“We thought, ‘beautiful Africa, beautiful night, starry sky’, just walking along, when suddenly a car pulled up, me, with my Liverpool attitude, I automatically assumed they were giving us a lift.

“There were four or five of them, and one small guy with a knife, that’s when we realised, ‘oh, you’re not offering us a lift at all – you’re robbing us’.

“I had all my demo cassettes for the album with me, and they took them. I had to remember the songs from memory. Luckily I did – they were still fresh, so I recalled them.

“The next day in the studio, the local manager said, ‘man, you’re lucky you were white, they figured you couldn’t identify them, if you were black, they might have killed you’.”

During their time together, Wings achieved 12 UK top 10 singles including a number one with “Mull Of Kintyre”, they also had eight UK top 10 albums including two number ones. The band is best known for songs such as “Jet”, “Silly Love Songs” and “Live And Let Die”, the theme to the 1973 James Bond film.

Paul was speaking ahead of the release of Wings: The Story Of A Band On The Run on Tuesday, which will feature hours of interviews with the star, edited by American historian Edward “Ted” Widmer.

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