No Words

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

“No Words” is a song written by Paul McCartney and Denny Laine, and first released on 7 December 1973 on Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings. The song was Laine’s first co-writing on a Wings album and his only writing credit on Band on the Run.

Background

The song was written before the release of Wings’ second album, Red Rose Speedway, but not recorded until the Band on the Run sessions.

Recording

The basic track was recorded in Lagos, Nigeria and was later completed in September in England. The orchestral arrangements, consisting of brass instruments and string quartets were made by Tony Visconti. Ian Horne and Trevor Jones, two of Wings’ roadies, sang backing vocals on the track although their parts are buried in the mix. Otherwise, the vocals consist primarily of Laine and Paul and Linda McCartney all singing together, with Laine and Paul McCartney each taking a solo spot.

The song’s verses are in the key of A major. The key moves to the dominant, E major, for the refrain.

The lyrics express the singer’s desire for a woman who he fears may not be only interested in him. The refrain consists of the single line “No words for my love.” Music author Vincent Benitex interprets the song’s ending on a dominant key rather than the tonic as reflecting the singer’s uncertain situation. Robert Rodriguez described “No Words” as being the only song on Band on the Run that came close to being the type of “silly love song” that predominated McCartney’s albums of the time.

Live performances

The only time the song was performed live by Wings was in 1979 during their final tour. […]

That’s one I did with Denny – he had half and I kind of finished it. A McCartney/Laine composition – sounds good, doesn’t it? That’s a favourite of mine, I think it grows on you. And it really works as a record.

Paul McCartney – From interview with Disc Magazine, 1973

Writing with [Paul] wasn’t a chore. Nothing negative. He’d come up with an idea and so would I. I wasn’t as prolific, but that’s beside the point. I wasn’t thinking at the time. I had bits. But he was always encouraging me to put bits together, so we did. And that became “No Words,” my song on the Band On The Run album. 

Denny Laine – From CultureSonar interview, December 24, 2018:

[Paul’s] drumming style is very idiosyncratic and recognizable.

“I think he got a lot of his style playing with Ringo, because Ringo’s a very basic drummer. He doesn’t overplay. He doesn’t try to show off and put in too many fills. So Paul just had that same approach to drumming. It’s all about having a good feel and working with the vocal. I remember on No Words, Paul forgot one of his drum entrances and came in a measure too late. But we left it in and kind of built the arrangement around that.” 

Denny Laine – From Guitar World, January 30, 2023

You mentioned No Words, which is one of my favorites from the album. What do you recall about writing it?

“Paul was always trying to get me to write more. I didn’t, because he was very prolific, so I kind of left it up to him. On Band on the Run, he said, ‘Have you got anything?’And I said, ‘I’ve got these two different ideas,’ thinking it might be two separate songs. Paul said, ‘Let’s join them together.’ Then he added the last part, the ‘your burning love’ section.

“You can do that with Paul. It’s hard to keep him out of a song once he gets going. [Laughs] He’ll always come up with something that works.”

Denny Laine – From Guitar World, January 30, 2023

Last updated on February 18, 2023

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