It is impossible to be a fan of Wings and not come across the inevitable criticism of their resident keyboard player. If internet forums and YouTube comment sections aren’t recycling scathing and excessive slurs towards Yoko Ono, they will almost certainly be bitching about how Linda can’t sing and can’t play keyboards. And I never understood all the hate, no, really, I don’t. Linda was always an easy target, and it has been this way ever since she entered the public eye. Being Paul’s other half she would either end up being a symbol of Paul no longer being a sexy, eligible bachelor, or a symbol of the untimely demise of the Fab Four.

Wings was never meant to be a supergroup made up of the best musicians in the business, no, instead it was meant to be a group of people that Paul was comfortable hanging out with. So if we extrapolate this standard, it was an inexorable fact that Linda would always be in the band as it was clear, thanks to countless photo shoots, that Paul loved hanging out with no one more than Linda.

Aside from Paul himself and their lead guitarist (and Brummy) Denny Laine, Linda was the only other member of the band to survive all incarnations of the band. She was also Paul’s longest working collaborator in general having appeared on vinyl with Paul as early as ‘Let It Be’ where she sang backing vocals on the title track, right the way through to Flaming Pie before her untimely death in 1998.



Yes, it’s clear that she was no trained musician in any sense, and yes if you go back to those early Wings bootlegs from the 1972 University Tour it too is clear that the phrase unpolished is a bit of an understatement, but that doesn’t mean everything she ever contributed to Paul’s music was all for naut.

Whilst it is easy to write off Linda as a famous groupie that piggy backed her way into the music business, she was so much more than that. She was his confidant, his muse, his lover, and the rock upon which McCartney built his church. At the end of the day, music is, and will always be, a collaborative process and it’s impossible to know how many other times Linda added a line here or an idea there, but her stamp on the McCartney discography and sound is unmistakable as it is undeniable.

What I intend to do here is present eleven examples of songs which heavily feature Linda, in one way or another, that trumpet her invaluable position as a band mate, writing partner and collaborator with pop music’s most prolific auteur. For anyone out there who is still yet to be won over by Paul’s most iconic lover, here are eleven songs that show that there is far more to this American photographer/veggie food founder than meets the eye…

(NOTE: I have indeed listened to Linda’s posthumous album Wide Prairie, but this is a Paul-centric show and I really wasn’t a fan of anything on the entire CD. Sorry Linda.)

The Back Seat of My Car (RAM – 1971) The first of what looks to be many entries from Paul and Linda’s ten out of ten, knockout 1971 album RAM. Rather famously Elton John was so impressed with what he heard he asked Paul who he used for said backing vocals and harmonies, and I’m sure Paul was more than happy to inform him it was none other than his lovely Linda. Linda’s vocal contribution ‘The Back Seat of My Car’ adds a layer of young-love whimsy and charm that sells this teenage pop-opera.

Goodnight Tonight (Non-album single – 1979) The final single for Wings is probably not the first song you think of when a gameshow host mentions Linda McCartney, but this song simply would not have the energy and pep that it does without her rousing additions to the chorus. After almost nine years in the band it is clear that Linda’s slow but steady approach to self-improvement had finally begun to pay off, even if it was too little too late to escape her critics. Don’t say it, don’t say it…

I Am Your Singer (Wild Life – 1971) For me, this one has always been a wonderfully potent mix of guilty pleasure and woefully underrated. ‘I Am Your Singer’ is the only real duet between Paul and his sweetheart which is a shame because it is utterly delightful. Whilst it may be a little rough and frayed around the edges (as is all of Wild Life), the central conceit of Paul sharing a love song with his wife is, in itself, more than endearing enough to bypass its shortcomings. Paul has always written love songs, but to feature Linda in this particularly meta and self aware track reinforces the idea that her mere involvement in the song is more important than a perfect voice. I’m a sucker for saccharine romanticism and this song has it in spades.

Another Day (Non-album single – 1971) This is probably where most people first heard Miss Eastman on a record. The simple arrangement of the backing vocals, akin to Paul writing for Ringo, does not push Linda past her limited range, and thus she flourishes, offering a soft, melancholic undercurrent to McCartney’s own pep. And on a song where the subject matter is a woman, her additional feminine touch adds a unique soundscape that differentiates Paul’s new sound from anything The Beatles ever used. This would go on to shape the Wings group vocal for the next nine years

Wild Life (Wild Life – 1971) Not every entry in this list is restricted to Linda’s vocal work, in fact she doesn’t even sing on this one at all. ‘Wild Life’ is the best example of Linda contributing her signature plinky plonky keyboards. Whilst it’s hardly anything complicated, the droning electronic dirge she creates gives the song its distinctive, restless atmosphere. However, it has to pointed out that Linda doesn’t mess up her part once, yet veteran entertainer Paul routinely mispronounces ‘animals’ as ‘aminals’.

Big Barn Bed (Red Rose Speedway – 1973) This may be the first time audiences ever heard what would become to staple Wings group vocal sound. Rather like ‘Goodnight Tonight’, Linda’s backing vocals on this Red Rose Speedway opener are a much needed injection of fun into the mix. The songs dense, interwoven layering somewhat buries Linda’s own vocals, but if you pop on a good pair of earphones you can really appreciate, what can only be described as, her ethereal silliness. As with any discussion of this song, Linda and the track as a whole sounds infinitely better on Paul’s ‘Pure McCartney’ compilation album.

Some People Never Know (Wild Life – 1972) Another overly sentimental little ditty from Wild Life, this song also highlights just how much Paul was utterly revelling in the prospect of having his partner as an official band member. Clocking in at 6:35 this song is defiantly in the overindulgent Macca category, but he gets his money worth by filling it with some truly heartfelt harmonisations that further cement their inseparable relationship. Linda’s raw and unrefined voice adds a truly intimate touch that not only shows that the personable love they sing about, a love that overcomes all obstacles (aka a lack of musical talent), is a reality, but also that a song doesn’t have to be perfect to be perfect.

Live And Let Die (Non-album single – 1973) Both McCartneys were fans of Jamaican music since since their holiday in the early seventies, but it would be Linda herself that would add the distinctively reggae infused third verse into the ultimate Bond song. “What does it matter to ya? When you got a job to do, you got to do it well. You gotta give the other fella hell“ The verse in question has been attributed to Linda by none other than Paul himself, which makes this song to be one of the most directly collaborative Paul & Linda songs ever made. Shifting from a laid back groove to a shrieking sonic boom, it is the perfect segue to allow Paul to whisk us off our feet with that main brass hook.

Silly Love Songs (Wings at the Speed of Sound – 1976) By 1976 Paul had fully become a veritable master of the studio, and despite the fact that this song hails from the same album that bore Linda’s single worst contribution to the band (hang your head in shame ‘Cook of the House’), her vocals here are a testament to Wings succeeding when they used the right tool for the right job. On a song that so snidely addresses one’s critics it only makes sense that Paul raises a second middle finger to his fans by making his lovely Linda so damn prominent, and you know what? She totally nails it, with her and Paul’s graceful harmonies playfully weaving themselves through one another. They make it look easy. ‘Silly Love Songs’ is certainly Linda’s most accomplished and nuanced performance since the always insurmountable RAM.

Beware My Love (Wings at the Speed of Sound – 1976) Linda absolutely dominates the foreboding faux-intro to this lost Wings classic, and it sets the tone perfectly.

Dear Boy (RAM – 1971) Yes, I couldn’t keep away from RAM too long could I? I mean this was the only ever album to be officially credited to Paul and Linda McCartney as a duo, and Paul really gives her opportunity to demonstrate her talents. RAM had an unparalleled level of creativity and raw power that was sadly lacking from much of Paul’s other work, and fortunately some of that transferred over to Linda, to the extent where you forget that he vocals have ever been derided at all. Her voice is soft, wholesome, and, yes, in key. Rather fittingly the song itself is a damning retort from Paul to Linda’s own ex-husband Joseph Melville See Jr, and the lyrics concern how stupid anyone would be for letting Linda slip through their fingers. So, not biased at all, eh, Paulie? There is no RAM without Linda, and that is not a world in which I would ever want to live.

Overall Linda Eastman/McCartney was no Denny Seiwell or Laurence Juber, but that does not mean she is deserving of all the excessive hate that spills over whenever her name is brought up. Like many of Macca’s supposed faults, many can be dispelled by simply giving the music a chance. And the fact is, Linda knew all too well of these criticisms (some of them levelled by Paul himself) and despite this torrent of crap heading her way she stayed in the band, and remained by Paul’s side. It is this that truly shows her strength in character and determination to do what she loved, with the man she loved.

So what do you think? Are there any other songs that sang Linda’s praises even more? Was I wrong to leave both ‘Seaside Woman’ and ‘Oriental Nightfish’ off this list? Or am I just a post-modern Linda apologist and I’ve been far too kind? Either way please leave a comment below.

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