The Paul McCartney Song That He Has Never Performed Live in America
Paul McCartney has an extensive discography of hit songs, and many fans want to hear their favorites when they see him in concert. McCartney often performs his classics, but there is one hit song that he has played around the world, except for in America.
Paul McCartney wrote ‘Mull of Kintyre’ to honor a part of Scotland he loves
In 1966, McCartney bought a farm in High Park in Scotland in an area called Mull of Kintyre. When The Beatles broke up in 1970, Paul and his wife Linda wanted to escape the world’s madness and live in a quieter setting. They moved to Mull of Kintyre with their family and spent many years living on their farm. In 1977, he wrote a song dedicated to the area and recorded the track with his band, Wings.
“Mull of Kintyre, the whole area of Kintyre and Argyllshire, is very special because of the memories it holds for me and the family,” McCartney said, speaking to Big Issue 40 years after the track’s debut. “It’s really nice to think that the love we have for the area was captured in a song and brought to the attention of many people around the world.”
Paul McCartney hasn’t performed the song in America
McCartney first played “Mull of Kintyre” in 1979 with Wings at Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. On their 1979 UK tour, Paul McCartney and Wings performed the song every night. The song includes bagpipes, which he utilized when he returned to Glasgow, Scotland, on his 1989-1990 world tour. He has also performed the song multiple times in Canada and Australia. According to jambase.com, he played the song once in New Zealand.
However, McCartney has never performed the song in America, despite performing in the U.S. hundreds of times over the years. There is no official reason why the former Beatle hasn’t performed the song in the U.S., but it could be because it wasn’t a hit in America. The track only reached No. 45 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary charts, while it was a smash in many other countries.
‘Mull of Kintyre’ outsold every Beatles song in the U.K.
In America, “Mull of Kintyre” isn’t one of Paul McCartney’s most memorable songs. However, the song was a huge hit when it debuted in the U.K., possibly because it is a tribute to Scotland. The song was a pre-Christmas release and became a No. 1 Christmas song, remaining at its peak for nine weeks. It became the best-selling single ever in the U.K., even passing singles from The Beatles.
However, the song was surpassed in 1984 by Band Aid’s “Do They Know it’s Christmas.” However, “Mull of Kintyre” is still the best-selling non-charity single in the U.K. While it didn’t reach the same level of popularity in the U.S., it reached No. 1 in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, and South Africa. At 80, McCartney is still touring worldwide, so he may perform the song in the U.S. eventually.
