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Released in 1976

Magneto And Titanium Man

Written by Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney

Last updated on December 14, 2020

Album This song officially appears on the Venus and Mars Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1976

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interview

From Wikipedia:

“Magneto and Titanium Man” is the B-side song to Wings’ single, “Venus and Mars/Rock Show” in 1975.

The song is in narrative form, and includes the Marvel Comics characters Magneto, Titanium Man, and the Crimson Dynamo in its story. When asked his opinion of the song decades after its release, Stan Lee (who co-created all three characters) said he thought it was “terrific”.

The song was included in the setlist for the band’s 1975/1976 world tours. While it was performed, comic art of the characters created by Jack Kirby were projected onto the large screen behind the band. McCartney, a Marvel Comics fan and comic book fan in general, contacted Marvel Comics to hire Kirby for the backdrop art. On the L.A. leg of the tour, McCartney gave Kirby front row seats and back stage passes (his daughter was a big Wings and Beatles fan), and Kirby backstage gave Paul and Linda an original comic drawing he did of them.

The song can be heard coming from a radio, creating an argument during a scene in the 1976 Mike Leigh play Nuts in May.

titanium1

Lyrics

Well I was talking last night

Magneto and Titanium Man…

We were talking about you, babe

Oo–They said–

You was involved in a robbery

That was due to happen

At a quarter to three

In the main street.

I didn't believe them

Magneto and Titanium Man…

But when the Crimson Dynamo

Finally assured me, well, I knew

You was involved in a robbery

That was due to happen

At a quarter to three

In the main street

So we went out

Magneto and Titanium Man…

And the Crimson Dynamo

Came along for the ride

We went to town with the library

and we swung all over that

long tall bank in the main street.

Well there she were and to my despair

She's a five-star criminal

Breaking the code

Magneto said “Now the time has come”

“To gather our forces and RUN!!!”

Oh no…..

This can't be so…..

And then it occurred to me!

You couldn't be bad...

Magneto was mad!

Titanium too!

And the Crimson Dynamo

Just couldn't cut it no more

YOU WERE THE LAW…

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Magneto And Titanium Man”

Live performances

“Magneto And Titanium Man” has been played in 60 concerts.

Latest concerts where “Magneto And Titanium Man” has been played

See all concerts where “Magneto And Titanium Man” has been played

Going further

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

"Magneto And Titanium Man" is one of the songs featured in the book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present," published in 2021. The book explores Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career. It pairs the lyrics of 154 of his songs with his first-person commentary on the circumstances of their creation, the inspirations behind them, and his current thoughts on them.

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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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Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

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Rick Chicorli • 2 years ago

During the Wings Over America version, Paul sings something between « She’s a five-star criminal Breaking the code » and

« Magneto said Now the time has come ». Is it just gibberish or is he saying words we can’t make out.

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