- Album This song officially appears on the Hi, Hi, Hi / C Moon 7" Single.
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
Sep 18 - Sep 20, 1972
Nov 06, 1972
"James Paul McCartney" sessions
February - March 1973
Recording "One Hand Clapping" - Day 2
Aug 27, 1974
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Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Hi, Hi, Hi” is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was released as a double A-side single with “C Moon” in 1972. The song was recorded around the same time as “C Moon”, in November 1972.
The single peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and at number 10 in the United States in January 1973. The song became a staple of Wings’ live shows in the 1970s.
In the UK, the song was banned by the BBC for its sexually suggestive lyrics. The BBC also assumed that the title phrase, “We’re gonna get hi, hi, hi” was a drug reference. The specific lyrics objected to is the apparent phrase “get you ready for my body gun“; McCartney has said that the correct lyrics are “get you ready for my polygon“, an abstract image, and later said, “The BBC got some of the words wrong. But I suppose it is a bit of a dirty song if sex is dirty and naughty. I was in a sensuous mood in Spain when I wrote it.“
From Ultimate Classic Rock:
While controversy seemed to follow John Lennon on a daily basis in the early-70s, it was not a foreign concept to his former Beatles band mate Paul McCartney either. In early 1972, McCartney and his band Wings, released the defiantly political single, ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish.’ Dipping into controversial waters out of character for McCartney, and though the single was strong and hard-rocking, the BBC thought it was too much, and promptly banned it.
A few months later, McCartney slapped back and released a new single, a cover of the children’s song ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb,’ practically daring the powers that be to find something controversial with that. By year’s end, Paul was back for another round. The rollicking single, ‘Hi Hi Hi‘ was, in title alone, almost taunting the BBC. It was not only the seemingly obvious drug references that got them all worked up this time, but also the suggestive sexual content that got this single banned in December 1972.
The unforgettable line ‘get you ready for my body gun’ was too much for the U.K. airwaves. In later years, McCartney claimed the line was actually ‘polygon’ not ‘body gun.’ And if you believe that, good luck to you! Despite, or perhaps due to the controversy, the record hit the U.K. and U.S. Top 10. Over the years the song seemed all but forgotten, but as recently as this year, McCartney has been performing ‘Hi Hi Hi’ in concert.
From Rolling Stone, interview January 31, 1974:
“Hi Hi Hi” was the one that brought you back to the Top Ten, after “Give Ireland Back to the Irish” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” although in Britain they played “C Moon” because “Hi Hi Hi” was banned by the BBC.
I thought the “Hi Hi Hi” thing could easily be taken as a natural high, could be taken as booze high and everything. It doesn’t have to be drugs, you know, so I’d kind of get away with it. Well, the first thing they saw was drugs, so I didn’t get away with that, and then I just had some line “Lie on the bed and get ready for my polygon.”
The daft thing about all of that was our publishing company, Northern Songs, owned by Lew Grade, got the lyrics wrong and sent them round to the radio station and it said, “Get ready for my body gun,” which is far more suggestive than anything I put. “Get ready for my polygon,” watch out baby, I mean it was suggestive, but abstract suggestive, which I thought I’d get away with. Bloody company goes round and makes it much more specific by putting “body gun.” Better words, almost.
It made it anyway in the States.
Yeah, well, the great laugh is when we go live, it makes a great announcement. You can say “This one was banned!” and everyone goes “Hooray!” The audience love it, you know. “This next one was banned,” and then you get raving, because everyone likes to. Everyone’s a bit anti-all-that-banning, all that censorship. Our crew, our generation, really doesn’t dig that stuff, as I’m sure you know.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney in "Wingspan: Paul McCartney's Band on the Run":
Hi Hi Hi was a song of the times. As anyone knows about that period, drugs were fairly widespread. Looking back on it now I have a completely different perspective, but at the time it seemed to us that everyone was doing it. To me, Hi Hi Hi was a perfectly harmless little rock and roll song – ‘we’re gonna get high-high-high’. In my mind, if someone gets drunk then they’re getting high. But because of the times it was equated with pot, and so, again, the bbc banned it. They played the other side, C Moon. That was a safer track, a nice track, but Hi Hi Hi used to go down better at concerts.The drug scene was less harmful than it was going to get. Shortly after this period people were doing much harder drugs, and you were seeing casualties. Looking back on it, I realise we were lucky to get through it.
Quite a few bands around at that time were into drinking, and though it’s not really my thing. Wings got shares into that for a while in the beginning. With the Beatles I’ve never drunk before going on stage – anything like that was done afterwards. But there was a little period in the 1970s where it seemed like a cool thing to do and we did it. It was Iike growing up, but I know we didn’t play so well if we were drunk.
Last updated on October 29, 2018
Lyrics
Well! When I met you at the station
You were standing with a bootleg in your hand
I took you back to my little place for a taste
Of a multi-coloured band.
We're gonna get hi hi hi, the night is young
She'll be my funky little mama
Gonna rock it and we've only just begun.
We're gonna get hi hi hi with the music on.
Won't say bye-bye bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye
'Til the night has gone
I'm gonna do it to you, gonna do it sweet banana
You'll never give up.
We're going to get hi, hi, hi, in the midday sun.
Well, we'll take off your face,
Recover from the trip you've been on
I want you to lie on the bed,
Get you ready for my polygon.
I'm gonna do it to you, gonna do it sweet banana,
You'll never give up
Yes! Go like a rabbit, gonna grab it,
Gonna do it 'til the night is done.
We're gonna get hi hi, hi, with the music on.
Won't say bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye
'Til the night has gone
I'm gonna do it to you, gonna do it, sweet banana
You'll never give up
We're gonna get, we're gonna get hi hi hi,
We're gonna get hi, hi, hi,
We're gonna get hi, hi, hi
In the midday sun
Officially appears on
7" Single • Released in 1972
3:08 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Organ
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Cow-bell, Drums
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Alan Parsons :
- Mixing engineer
- John Leckie :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 20, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Nov 06, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official live • Released in 1976
3:49 • Live • L1
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Tambourine, Vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar, Vocals
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Electric guitar, Vocals
- Joe English :
- Drums, Vocals
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Phil McDonald :
- Mixing engineer, Overdubs recording
- Jack Maxson :
- Recording engineer
- Tom Walsh :
- Assistant recording engineer
Concert From the concert in Denver, USA on Jun 07, 1976
Official album • Released in 1978
3:09 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Organ
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Cow-bell, Drums
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Alan Parsons :
- Mixing engineer
- John Leckie :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 20, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Nov 06, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1993
3:11 • Studio version • A1993 • 1993 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Organ
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Cow-bell, Drums
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Alan Parsons :
- Mixing engineer
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- John Leckie :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 20, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Nov 06, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 2001
3:09 • Studio version • A2001 • 2001 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Organ
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Geoff Emerick :
- Remastering
- Denny Seiwell :
- Cow-bell, Drums
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Alan Parsons :
- Mixing engineer
- Peter Mew :
- Remastering
- John Leckie :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 20, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Nov 06, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Wings Over America - Archive Collection
Official live • Released in 2013
3:49 • Live • L1.2013 • 2013 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Tambourine, Vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar, Vocals
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Electric guitar, Vocals
- Joe English :
- Drums, Vocals
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Phil McDonald :
- Mixing engineer, Overdubs recording
- Jack Maxson :
- Recording engineer
- Tom Walsh :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Guy Massey :
- Remastering
- Steve Rooke :
- Remastering
- Simon Gibson :
- Remastering
Concert From the concert in Denver, USA on Jun 07, 1976
Out There Tour Korea 2015 Seoul
Official album • Released in 2015
Live
Concert From the concert in Seoul, South Korea on May 02, 2015
Official album • Released in 2016
3:10 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Organ
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Cow-bell, Drums
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Alan Parsons :
- Mixing engineer
- John Leckie :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 20, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Nov 06, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2018
3:08 • Studio version • A2018
- Paul McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals, Organ
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Electric guitar
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Cow-bell, Drums
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Alan Parsons :
- Mixing engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Remastering
- John Leckie :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Sep 20, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Nov 06, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 2018
4:55 • Live • L2
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Denny Laine • Henry McCullough • Denny Seiwell
- Paul McCartney :
- Producer
- Alan Parsons :
- Recording engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Mastering
- Steve Orchard :
- Mixing
- Jeremy Gee :
- Recording engineer assistant
- Graham Fleming :
- Recording engineer assistant
Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972
Bootlegs
Green's Playhouse - Glasgow Scotland - May 24, 1973
Unofficial live
5:00 • Live
Concert From the concert in Glasgow, United Kingdom on May 24, 1973
Live performances
“Hi, Hi, Hi” has been played in 236 concerts and 2 soundchecks.
Latest concerts where Hi, Hi, Hi has been played
Sao Paulo • Allianz Parque • Brazil
Mar 26, 2019 • Part of Freshen Up Tour
Tokyo • Ryogoku Kokugikan • Japan
Nov 05, 2018 • Part of Freshen Up Tour
Oct 31, 2018 • Part of Freshen Up Tour

Private party for Robert Kraft
Oct 09, 2018 • USA • Foxborough • Gillette Stadium
Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct 05, 2018 • USA • Austin • Zilker Park
Contribute!
Have you spotted an error on the page? Do you want to suggest new content? Or do you simply want to leave a comment ? Please use the form below!
On the page for the "Hi, Hi, Hi" single, the recording session listed is for the James Paul McCartney special February-March 1973, but the release date for the single was December 1972. In the Song Facts section, the track is described as recorded in the same session as "C Moon" November 1972.
I dig this website; I visit it regularly 🙂
Thanks @jesgear for your comment and the kind words !
On the song page, I list all sessions during which a song has been recorded - but in the case of Hi, Hi, Hi, I'm not done yet - I indeed haven't created the page for the session of official recording and single (so indeed pre-dated the recording of the James Paul McCartney special). So much to do yet :D