Women And Wives

Written by Paul McCartney

Album This song officially appears on the McCartney III Official album.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 2020

Master release


Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions


Recording "McCartney III"

April - June 2020 ?

Related interviews


Paul McCartney Is Still Trying to Figure Out Love

Nov 29, 2020 • From New York Times



Paul McCARTNEY sits down with Chris Rock on RELEASED

Dec 17, 2020 • From YouTube Originals




"McCartney III" Twitter Listening Party

Dec 21, 2020 • From Tim's Twitter Listening Party


Interview for the Zane Lowe Show

Dec 21, 2020 • From Apple Music 1


In conversation with St. Vincent

Apr 15, 2021 • From Instagram


You Gave Me The Answer - The ‘GOT BACK’ tour setlist

May 04, 2022 • From paulmccartney.com

Spread the love! If you like what you are seeing, share it on social networks and let others know about The Paul McCartney Project.

Song facts

Women And Wives” is a track from 2020 album “McCartney III“.

Written after reading a biography of legendary blues singer Huddie ‘Lead Belly’ Ledbetter. During the writing, Paul decided to sing in a more bluesy baritone, echoing Lead Belly’s style of delivery. Paul also plays Bill Black’s double bass on the track. Black is best known as Elvis Presley’s bass player. The lyric reminds the listener that ‘What we do with our lives seems to matter to others’. Paul has commented that he thinks the lyrics offer the listener good adive. Advice he tries to follow himself.

From Spotify Storyline. Storyline is a feature of Spotify that gives behind-the-scenes information from artists about their songs, presented with a carousel of cards featuring a combination of text and images.

I wrote this when I was in Los Angeles and I had just been reading a book on the Blues artist Lead Belly, so I was trying to get in this bluesy mood so I played on the piano, played some simple chords and started singing in what I imagined was like bluesy [sings], so that was that and then I recorded it at the studio in England.

Paul McCartney, from NME, December 23, 2020

“Women And Wives” contains a lot of wisdom. “Many choices to make / Many chains to unravel / Every path that we take / Makes it harder to travel” Is this you, handing down advice to a younger generation?

I think so. This arrived when I was reading a book on Lead Belly. I was deep in the South and the blues and I sat at the piano one day and started playing the chords at the beginning of the song. Lead Belly inspired that vocal style – “Well,
mama…” – that Southern blues thing. It suited that song. “Hear me, husband and lovers / What we do with our lives…” Then I was off on the trail. So suddenly, “Seems to matter to others”. Hey, let’s think about what we’re handing down to them. As a parent and grandparent, you think that kind of stuff.

Paul McCartney, in UNCUT interview, January 2021

Favorite song on this album? Possibly a little song called “Women and Wives”

Paul McCartney – from interview with Chris Rock, December 17, 2020

It’s funny, in the middle of that, there was like, there’s no solo. And normally, when you’re running through the chords, in the middle of a song, you’re leaving space for a solo. But the more it went on, I thought, I like it without a solo. So because I was just doing it to please myself, it doesn’t have a solo.

Paul McCartney about “Women And Wives” – interview with BBC Radio 4, December 18, 2020

I should just add, on Women and Wives Paul used upright bass – Bill Black’s (Elvis’ bass player) upright bass. It’s very famously owned by Paul, he’s had that a long time. It’s a Kay Maestro M-1. It’s still strung right-handed for Bill Black, Paul just turns it around and plays it the other way round! It’s a lovely sound, it’s 1952 or 53 I think I’ve managed to pin it down to, and Paul’s owned it for 20-25 years. He bought it, I think, from Scotty Moore’s family.

Keith Smith – from interview with MusicRadar, December 2020

An alternative version of “Women And Wives” was released as a bonus track on some versions of “McCartney III“.

In 2021, for the “McCartney III Imagined” project, American musician St. Vincent reimagined the song “Women And Wives“.

From Universal Music – Calling all musicians – McCartney III is almost here! Teasers are popping up in cities across the globe, sharing excerpts of the sheet music from each song.We would love to see your takes on each song. Join in the fun by recording your own version! – In Sydney
Screenshot of Spotify Storyline

Last updated on April 18, 2021

The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.

"Women And Wives" is one of the 154 songs covered.

Lyrics

VERSE 1
Hear me women and wives
Hear me husband and lovers
What we do with our lives
Seems to matter to others
Some of them may follow
Roads that we run down
Chasing tomorrow

VERSE 2
Many choices to make
Many chains to unravel
Every path that we take
Makes it harder to travel
Laughter turned to sorrow
Doesn’t get me down
Chasing tomorrow

MIDDLE
When tomorrow comes around
You’ll be looking at the future
So, keep your feet upon the ground
And get ready to run

VERSE 3
Now hear me mothers and men
Hear me sisters and brothers
Teach your children and then
They can pass it to others
Some of them may borrow
Tales you handed down
Chasing tomorrow

[Repeat verse 1]
Get ready to run

Chasing tomorrow
Get ready to run

Variations


A Album version

B Studio outtake

C "McCartney III Imagined" version

Officially appears on


McCartney III (Test pressing)

Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III

Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:14 • OuttakeB • Studio outtake

Paul McCartney :
Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Steve Orchard :
Engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Blue Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Red Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition White Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Yellow Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Yellow Cover CD)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:14 • OuttakeB • Studio Outtake

Paul McCartney :
Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Steve Orchard :
Engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album)

Official album • Released in 2020

2:52 • Studio versionA

Paul McCartney :
Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Keith Smith :
Assistant engineer
Steve Orchard :
Mixing engineer, Recording engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


McCartney III (Japanese edition - Limited release)

Official album • Released in 2020

3:14 • OuttakeB • Studio outtake

Paul McCartney :
Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals
Steve Orchard :
Engineer

Session Recording:
April - June 2020 ?
Studio :
Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK


Films


Women And Wives (Lyric video)

2020 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Lucy Dyson


Live performances

“Women And Wives” has been played in 6 concerts and 25 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where Women And Wives has been played







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