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Released in 1975

Venus And Mars

Written by Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney

Last updated on October 17, 2016

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

Timeline This song was officially released in 1975

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interview

From Wikipedia:

“Venus and Mars/Rock Show” is a medley of two songs written by Paul and Linda McCartney and originally performed by Wings that make up the first two songs of the album Venus and Mars. The single was released in the United States on 27 October 1975 and in the United Kingdom on 28 November 1975. The B-side was “Magneto and Titanium Man“, another track from the album. The single version is considerably shorter than the album version of the songs; in the single “Rock Show” is cut by more than 3 minutes and “Venus and Mars” is cut by a few seconds. “Venus and Mars/Rock Show” peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, but did not chart on the UK singles chart. In the book The Rough Guide to the Beatles, Chris Ingham praised both songs, describing “Venus and Mars” as “atmospheric” and “Rock Show” as “barnstorming”.

Music and lyrics

“Venus and Mars” is an acoustic, folk-like song representing the perspective of a concertgoer waiting for the show to start. Originally when the song was released fans believed the title referred to Paul and Linda. Paul has denied this, stating that the song “is about an imaginary friend who’s got a girlfriend who’s the kind of person who asks what your sign is before they say hello. That’s it: ‘A good friend of mine studies the stars.’ In fact, in the first verse it’s ‘a good friend of mine follows the stars,’ so it could be ambiguous: a groupie or an astrologer.” The song is in the key of D major.

“Rock Show” is a harder arena rock song. The chorus of “Rock Show” mentions concerts at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York’s Madison Square Garden, and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. The verses include musical references such as “Silly Willy with the Philly band” and Jimmy Page’s guitar. In addition to the normal Wings line-up, Allen Toussaint played piano on this song. “Rock Show” is in the key of A major. A major is the dominant key of D major, the key of “Venus and Mars”.

Personnel

“Venus and Mars”

“Rock Show”

Hand Bells are only played on the album version (Credits from 2014 Deluxe Venus and Mars Remaster)

Releases

“Venus and Mars” also has a reprise that appears on the Venus and Mars album, which serves to open the second side of the LP record. The reprise incorporates some science fiction lyrics and sound effects, reflecting McCartney’s reading Isaac Asimov at the time the song was recorded.

The single version of the medley was released on the History disc of the 2-disc compilation Wingspan: Hits and History. Both songs are also included on the live album Wings Over America, combined in a medley with “Jet“.

In 2014 the medley was covered by Kiss on The Art of McCartney covers album.

Track listing

References

External links

Lyrics

Sitting in the stand of the sports arena

Waiting for the show to begin

Red lights, green lights

Strawberry wine

A good friend of mine

Follows the stars –

Venus and Mars

are alright tonight

Officially appears on

See all official recordings containing “Venus And Mars”

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Venus And Mars”

Related film

Videos

Concert Jul 13, 2010 in Salt Lake City

Concert Jul 28, 2010 in Charlotte

Concert Aug 18, 2010 in Pittsburgh

Concert Nov 21, 2010 in Sao Paulo

Live performances

“Venus And Mars” has been played in 91 concerts and 8 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where “Venus And Mars” has been played

See all concerts where “Venus And Mars” has been played

Going further

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

"Venus And Mars" 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

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