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- Album This song officially appears on the Helen Wheels / Country Dreamer 7" Single.
Master releases
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
"Band On The Run" sessions in Lagos
September 1-23, 1973
October 1973
Oct 02, 1973
Related interviews
Interview for Dutch magazine Algemeen Dagblad
Oct 15, 2010 • From Algemeen Dagblad
Paul McCartney by Paul Gambaccini
Mar 30, 1979 • From RollingStone
Paul McCartney: The Rolling Stone Interview
Jan 31, 1974 • From RollingStone
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Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Helen Wheels” is a song by Paul McCartney & Wings. The song was named after Paul and Linda McCartney’s Land Rover, which they nicknamed “Hell on Wheels“.
Release
The single was released prior to Band on the Run and was not included on the original UK release of the album. However, Capitol Records vice president of promotion Al Coury persuaded McCartney to include it on the American release. The song peaked at number 10 in the United States on 12 January 1974 and at number 12 in the United Kingdom charts.
In the book Paul McCartney In His Own Words published in 1976, McCartney said:
“Helen Wheels is our land rover. It’s a name we gave to our land rover, which is a trusted vehicle that gets us around Scotland. It takes us up to the Shetland Islands and down to London. The song starts off in Glasgow, and it goes past Carlisle, goes to Kendal, Liverpool, Birmingham and London. It’s the route coming down from our Scottish farm to London, so it’s really the story of the trip down. Little images along the way. Liverpool is on the West coast of England, so that is all that means.”
From AllMusic:
Man critics and pop fans wrote Paul McCartney off as a mere purveyor of sugary pop in the 1970’s due to hits like “Silly Love Songs” but a close look at his work from this era reveals he also recorded several bracing rockers. One of the best was “Helen Wheels,” a raucous 1973 single that was added to American pressings of Band On The Run. The lyrics were inspired by Paul McCartney’s land rover and pay homage to Chuck Berry’s travelling-themed rockers like “The Promised Land” as they describe a trip from Scotland to England on the M-6 motorway: “M6, south down to Liverpool/Where they play the west coast sound/Sailor Sam, he came from Birmingham/But he never will be found.” This narrative is pumped up by an exciting melody that builds from swinging, breathlessly paced verses into a shout-along chorus that underlines the phrase “Helen – hell on wheels” with go-for-broke enthusiasm. McCartney raises the excitement level even higher on his recording of “Helen Wheels” with a gutsy arrangement that marries snarling electric guitars to a shuffling, ska-styled beat. McCartney wails over the top of this driving sound with an abandon reminiscent of his early Beatles, adding the ideal final touch to make it a fun rocker. As a result, “Helen Wheels” became a top-10 hit for McCartney. It did simarly well around the world and stands alongside “Jet” and “Junior’s Farm” as one of McCartney’s finest rockers from this era.
Paul McCartney in "Conversations With McCartney", by Paul Du Noyer:
I like that because it’s a British road song and there’s not many of those around. It’s always Route 66. How many songs have got Carlisle in them? And Birmingham, not Brimingham, Alabama. The M6… Linda loved Scotland. I still love setting off in London, going up the motorway, and you see the land change. It’s like going all the way through America. We always cheer as we go over the border then around Loch Lomond. It’s got a lot of memories for me, that Land Rover with everything in the back, dogs, kids, us all up at the front, and me, driving on this epic journey.
Last updated on August 5, 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.
"Helen Wheels" is one of the 154 songs covered.
Lyrics
Said farewell to my last hotel
It was never much kind of abode,
Glasgow town never brought me down
When I was heading out on the road,
Carlisle city never looked so pretty
And the Kendal freeway's fast.
Slow down driver, want to stay alive
I want to make this journey last
Helen - Hell on wheels
Ain't nobody else gonna know the way she feels
Helen - Hell on wheels
And they never gonna take her away.
M6 south down to Liverpool
Where they play the west coast sound
Sailor Sam he came from Birmingham
But he never will be found.
Doing fine when a London sign
Greets me like a long lost friend,
Mr Motor won't you check her out,
She's got to take me back again.
Helen - Hell on wheels
Ain't nobody else gonna know the way she feels
Helen - Hell on wheels
And they never gonna take her away.
Got no time for a rum and lime
I wanna get my right foot down
Shake some dust off of this old bus
I gotta get her out of town
Spend the day upon the motorway
Where the carburettors blast
Slow down driver, wanna stay alive,
I want to make this journey last.
Helen - Hell on wheels
Ain't nobody else gonna know the way she feels
Helen - Hell on wheels
And they never gonna take her away
Officially appears on
Helen Wheels / Country Dreamer
7" Single • Released in 1973
3:48 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1973
3:47 • Studio version • A • Additional track only on the US release
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1993
3:48 • Studio version • A1993 • 1993 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1996
3:47 • Studio version • C • DTS Mix / Quadraphonic version
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Early 1974
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Band On The Run (25th Anniversary)
Official album • Released in 1999
3:47 • Studio version • A1999 • 1999 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer, Remastering
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Greg Calbi :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Band On The Run (25th Anniversary)
Official album • Released in 1999
3:27 • Interview • B • Crazed - Includes Paul McCartney & Christopher Lee interview about the making of "Band On The Run" album
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Denny Laine
- Paul McCartney :
- Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- September 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
Official album • Released in 2001
3:47 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer, Remastering
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Wingspan Hits And History (US version)
Official album • Released in 2001
3:47 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer, Remastering
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Wingspan Hits And History (Japanese version)
Official album • Released in 2001
3:47 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer, Remastering
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Bootlegs
UK Singles Collection - Volume 01
Unofficial album • Released in 2007
3:48 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Band On The Run - Ultimate Archive Collection
Unofficial album • Released in 2016
3:46 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Drums, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Moog
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Monday :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Pete Swettenham :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Session Recording:
- September 1-23, 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
- Session Overdubs:
- October 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 02, 1973
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Band On The Run - Ultimate Archive Collection
Unofficial album • Released in 2016
3:47 • Studio version • A stereo downmix of the DTS-CD 5.1 mix released in May 1996
Band On The Run - Ultimate Archive Collection
Unofficial album • Released in 2016
5:32 • Interview • B • Crazed - Includes Paul McCartney & Christopher Lee interview about the making of "Band On The Run" album
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Denny Laine
- Paul McCartney :
- Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- September 1973
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria
Live performances
“Helen Wheels” has been played in 1 concerts.
Latest concerts where Helen Wheels has been played
Dec 19, 1973 • United Kingdom • TV show
Contribute!
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Was watching a video on YouTube and noticing that Paul is playing most of the instruments. I don't know who was playing all the interesting solos on lead guitar. Would that be Paul or Denny?
Hi Joseph, thanks for the question. I unfortunately don't have the answer to this question ! Would require some researching ! Adding to the list :)