Love Is Strange (song)

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Album This song officially appears on the Wild Life LP.

Timeline This song has been officially released in 1971

Song facts

“Love Is Strange” is the only song from 1971 Wings’ debut album, “Wild Life“, which was not written and credited to Paul & Linda McCartney. From Wikipedia:

“Love is Strange” was a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label.
The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams. The song was written by Bo Diddley under the name of his wife at the time, Ethel Smith, and was recorded by Bo and Buddy Holly, among others. The guitar riff was also used by Dave “Baby” Cortez in his 1962 instrumental song “Rinky Dink“, also credited to Diddley. […]

We were in Scotland one summer, I was painting the roof and Linda’s got this reggae record, one of the Tighten Up records. We were just playing it and it was great music. We just loved it, so we started with a backing track.
Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over: Dream Is Over Vol 2” by Keith Badman

It didn’t start out to be ‘Love Is Strange’. It started out as an instrumental and when we listened to it, that song came to mind.
Linda McCartney – Interview with Disc And Music Echo, November 1971

We got the band together and just started to play the reggae thing. We did the backing track and decided that ‘Love Is Strange’ would fit over it so we started singing over it and that’s how it ended up. Reggae is the newest and best beat around. There are more possibilities with reggae than anything at the moment.
Paul McCartney – From “The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over: Dream Is Over Vol 2” by Keith Badman

From Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, by Chip Madinger & Mark Easter:

[this cover] was originally recorded (July 24th) as a reggae-styled instrumental known to the band as “Half Past Ten”. After the band listened to the track, they had the realization that the melody to “Love Is Strange” would dovetail perfectly with the backing. […]

So “popular” was the song that it was scheduled to be the UK single from Wild Life, backed with ‘I Am Your Singer’ as Apple R 5932 in January 1972. The single master was prepared at EMI on December 23rd, however, clearer heads prevailed over the holidays and the disc’s release was cancelled as it was not the best way to introduce Wings to the 45 RPM market.

Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium

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Another version says that Paul himself objected to this idea; and instead pushed to release “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” as the first’s Wings single.

“Love Is Strange” single released in Mexico

From Paul McCartney on Twitter – Paul painting the roof in Scotland. Photo by Linda McCartney

From The Beatles: 18 Days of McCartney Day 15- Home in the Heart of the Country (thefabfourblog.blogspot.com)

Last updated on April 24, 2022

Lyrics

Baby, love is strange
Many many people, take it for a game
My sweet baby, love is strange
Yeah Yeah

Many many people, take it for a game
Yeah yeah love is strange
Love is strange

Many many people, take it for a game
Yeah yeah love is strange
Love is strange

Many people, they don't understand
They think that having love is
Like having money in the hand

My sweet baby, love is strange
Many many people, seem to take it for a game

Let me hear you sing it
La la la la Love is strange
La la la la Love is strange
La la la la Love is strange
La la la la Love is strange