- Album This song officially appears on the Tug Of War Official album.
- Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1981 (Paul McCartney was 39 years old)
Related interviews
May 03, 1982 • From Newsweek
Tug Of War - Paul McCartney talks to Andy Mackay
Aug 01, 1982 • From Club Sandwich
Nov 22, 2007 • From Billboard
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Song facts
“Tug of War” is the title track from Paul McCartney’s 1982 album Tug of War. From Wikipedia:
[…] Rolling Stone described the song as McCartney’s equivalent to John Lennon’s “Imagine“. To others, however, “Pipes of Peace” is. The song has a clear division between the verses featuring sad lyrics about the struggle to survive, the necessity of conflict (pushing and pulling) and the hopeful refrain, in which McCartney looks for a future where these struggles are no longer necessary. The lyrics are seen as describing his complex relationship with Lennon, who was killed two years prior.
The single reached number 53 in the UK and number 53 in the US.
The album version starts with the sounds of people grunting as part of a real tug of war – a popular sporting event since ancient times, before Paul goes into the song, and then at the end of the song, it fades into “Take It Away“. The single version omits these factors.
From an interview with Newsweek, May 1982:
Did you have John Lennon in mind [when writing the Tug Of War album]?
No. But halfway through it, John was killed. I can’t believe it to this day, I can’t even say those words…But “Here Today” is the only song specifically about that. Obviously, “Tug of War” ties in…And so does “Somebody Who Cares.” I remember being aware of John’s death while writing it.
Paul McCartney
From an interview with Andy McKay, for Club Sandwich:
You’ve got a few songs you’ve been working on, you’re waiting to record, and in the middle of them was this song called “Tug Of War”, and as that had started by me liking the title and the idea, and seeing that it applied to more than just a sport, I did the song and started just to kind of plonk that in amongst these others that were, you know, ready to go anyway. Any lyrics I had to finish up a little bit would be governed by the new idea of a theme, so I didn’t really want to get too hung up on a theme, ‘cos it’s like everything regimented, and nothing flowing, and I wouldn’t have wanted that really, ‘cos I like the idea of a little bit of regimentation but a lot of stuff that was just kind of free-flying amongst it all. That’s why I kind of say this is a sort of loose concept, sort of starts with a concept, flows into some stuff that you could vaguely say was in the concept, but it starts sort of free-flowing all over the place. But eventually, by the time it gets to the end of the album, it sort of returns to the concept. So you know it’s just like a very loose one.
Paul McCartney
On the orchestra, we were quite happy with it, but we just weren’t ‘over the top’ happy with it. So we decided to do it again. With George Martin, it was, ‘Oh, come on, let’s really get it right,’ and that attitude really made the album enjoyable, because you know that by the time you finish the album, you’re going to have an album that you started off wanting.
Paul McCartney, from Badman, Keith. The Beatles: The Dream Is Over – Off The Record 2 (p. 303).
Last updated on May 9, 2020
The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.
"Tug Of War" is one of the 154 songs covered.
Lyrics
It's a tug of war
What with one thing and another
It's a tug of war
We expected more
But with one thing and another
We were trying to outdo each other
In a tug of war
In another world
In another world we could
Stand on top of the mountain
With our flag unfurled
In time to come
In time to come we will be
Dancing to the beat played
On a different drum
It's a tug of war
Though I know I mustn't grumble
It's a tug of war
But I can't let go
If I do you'll take a tumble
And the whole thing is going to crumble
It's a tug of war
Pushing pushing, pulling pulling
Pushing and pulling
In years to come they may discover
What the air we breathe and the life we lead
Are all about
But it won't be soon enough
Soon enough for me
No it won't be soon enough
Soon enough for me
In another world we could
Stand on top of the mountain
With our flag unfurled
In a time to come we will be
Dancing to the beat played on a different drum
We will be dancing to the beat
Played on a different drum
We will be dancing to the beat
Played on a different drum
It's a tug of war, a tug of war
A tug of war
What with one thing and another
It's a tug of war
We expected more
but with one thing and another
We were trying to outscore each other
In a tug of war
Officially appears on
Official album • Released in 1982
4:22 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
7" Single • Released in 1982
4:07 • Studio version • A1 • Single edit
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Official album • Released in 1993
4:22 • Studio version • A1993 • 1993 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Wingspan Hits And History (US version)
Official album • Released in 2001
4:05 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer, Remastering
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Wingspan Hits And History (Japanese version)
Official album • Released in 2001
4:05 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer, Remastering
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Official album • Released in 2001
4:05 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer, Remastering
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Tug Of War - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2015
4:23 • Studio version • B • 2015 remix
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Remixing, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Alex Wharton :
- Mastering
- Steve Orchard :
- Remixing
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- March 2-30, 2015
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Tug Of War - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2015
Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
7" Single • Released in 2022
4:07 • Studio version • A1.2022 • 2022 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Mark Wharton :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Bootlegs
Unofficial album
4:03 • Studio version • A1 • Single version
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
UK Singles Collection - Volume 02
Unofficial album • Released in 2007
4:07 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Campbell Maloney :
- Military snares
- Kenneth Sillito :
- Orchestra lead, Violin
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Keith Harvey :
- Cello
- John Underwood :
- Viola
- Patrick Halling :
- Violin
- Dennis Vigay :
- Cello
- Laurie Lewis :
- Violin
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alan John Peters :
- Violin
- Galina Solodchin :
- Violin
- Michael Rennie :
- Violin
- George Turnlund :
- Viola
- Ken Essex :
- Viola
- Alexander Kok :
- Cello
- Peter Willison :
- Cello
- David Ogden :
- Violin
- Nicolas Reader :
- Bassoon
- Session Recording:
- Jan 21, 1981
- Studio :
- Parkgate Studio, Sussex, UK
- Session Recording:
- Mar 01, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- March - December 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Dec 13, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Unofficial album • Released in 2015
3:36 • Alternate take • Backing Track with single vocal
Unofficial album • Released in 2015
2:22 • Alternate take • Guitars + Backing vocals + orchestra (5.1 mix)
Films
Tug Of War (The McCartney Years)
1982 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Maurice Phillips
1982 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Maurice Phillips
Live performances
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
Going further
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989
With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.
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