I Lie Around by Paul McCartney & Wings

Album: Wings Over America (1973)

License This Song

lyrics

Songfacts®:

Denny Laine sang lead on this track, it was his only lead vocal for Wings. Laine was in The Moody Blues before joining Wings.

This was far from the only time Laine took to the microphone in Wings, however. There was also the Wings at the Speed of Sound album, where all five then-members of Wings got at least one track each; Laine got "The Note You Never Wrote" and "Time to Hide."
This song would doubtless be lost to obscurity if it weren't for its far more famous A-side. "Live And Let Die" was a tremendous hit for the early Wings from being a James Bond theme, and then again for being covered by Guns N' Roses later, in between numerous other honors.
The chart record of Wings, even stateside in the US, tells just how ambitious McCartney still was beyond his Beatles days. Wings and McCartney, in all their various name-shuffling, scored a total of 37 Top 40 single hits between 1971 and 1989. That's two more charting hits than the Bee Gees! And mind you, this was after all the Beatles' fame and success. Guinness Book of World Records has McCartney as "most successful composer and recording artist of all time."

Denny Laine, in his first vocal lead for Wings, had had a meandering career both before and after Wings, easily overshadowed by the McCartneys. However, he had been with Moody Blues, Trevor Burton, and Ginger Baker's Airforce, and would go on to many solo and guest stints afterwards. Hailing from Birmingham, he gave McCartney a spice never before experienced: a Mersey-beat meeting a Brum-beat.

Comments: 2

Christy from Palm Springs, CaI love this song and for some reason it makes me cry! I have no clue why! The melody is just so beautiful to me. I know, of all the McCartney songs to cry about. This song isn't even sung by him and I don't know but I love it sooo much!!! The lyrics aren't particularly meaningful and it doesn't feature some crazy outstanding instrumental or anything but I can't get over it. alkflask Idk I' m just weird.
Claudio from SÃ£o Paulo, BrazilI don't think it was only the single track Laine had a lead vocal on Wings. He did sing on Time To Hide, Spirits of Ancient Egypt, Children, Children, Deliver Your Children, Again and Again and Again and No Words (sharing vocals with McCartney).
Also, I Lie Around does not appear on Wings Over America, but it's actually a Red Rose Speedway Bonus CD track.
Paul joins in for the vocal at the end. He wrote that as a comment about leaving London and living in the country after the Beatles Break-Up.
It was originally released as the Live And let Die single b-side.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Jump AroundHouse of Pain

The horn flourish at the beginning of "Jump Around" comes from Bob and Earl's "Harlem Shuffle"; the squeal throughout the song might be a Prince sample.

Fight SongRachel Platten

Rachel Platten refused to talk politics when her "Fight Song" became the anthem for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, a decision she came to regret.

Why Should I Love You?Kate Bush

The Kate Bush song "Why Should I Love You?" is a collaboration with Prince. He completely re-worked her demo, so Bush spent a lot of time piecing it back together to keep her imprint.