Big Boys Bickering

Album: Hope Of Deliverance (1992)
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Songfacts®:

  • In 1972, a Paul McCartney song was banned by the BBC because of its overtly political message. Twenty years later, "Big Boys Bickering," a McCartney composition with a different political message, was refused airplay by radio stations in the United States, but not because of its political content, rather because it uses the dreaded F word no less than seven times.

    McCartney defended his use of profanity in a filmed interview saying, "I'm talking about, erm, the ozone layer and the big hole in it, fifty mile wide hole. I don't think well that's a flipping hole, I think that's a f--king big hole"; it was the only word that fit to save the planet, he said.

    Some pundits were unimpressed, one said McCartney was being deliberately sensational, another said he should be remembered for his classic songs rather than for his writings on the subway wall.

    Needless to say, this self-censorship by the music media together with the inevitable publicity boosted record sales.
  • "Big Boys Bickering" was released December 1992 in the UK and the US on a four track promo album sampler with "Hope Of Deliverance" (the title track), "Long Leather Coat" and "Kicked Around No More"; the album was released the following February, although "Big Boys Bickering" was included only on "Off The Ground: The Complete Works", a two CD set which was released in the Netherlands and Japan. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2
  • Paul McCartney performed this song when he recorded an MTV concert for their Up Close series. When the show aired on February 3, 1993, it was edited out, with the network citing the song's profanity as the reason.

Comments: 2

  • Virginia Abreu De Paula from BrazilI like Paul when he is himself like in this song. Because is the real Paul who used to be a Beatle. A Beatle who dare to tell the world they had tried marijuana. A Beatle who screamed Ban the Bomb during an interview in Japan. A beatle who was the first to say no to segregated audiences. After all he was a Beatle a band that caused a revolution. This imagine it was created post Beatle as Paul being a shallow empty man only living for family values is simply not Paul. I love when he shows himself as he did in Give Ireland Back to the Irish, in this song and recently when he wrote about a certain captain (Trump). I love when he says openly what he thinks, I love to see him playing guitar for Allen Ginsberg, and declaring against Brexit. That is he Paul I learned to love in the sixties. And he still exists. I am proud of him.
  • Tony from Wilmette, IlI like when Paul gets serious cool song
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