Band on the Run cover art

  Studio Album · No. 5

Band on the Run Songwriting Credits by Paul McCartney

1973 Apple Records 9 tracks 41 min

Produced by Paul McCartney, Geoff Emerick  ·  Engineered by Geoff Emerick

Apple Records RockPop rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 9 of 9 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 9 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 9 tracks with documented writers, by whether Paul McCartney carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
9 trackswritten by Paul McCartney 0 tracksoutside writers
Paul McCartney's roles on this album

Share of the 9 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

9
Tracks
3
Lyricists
2
Producers
1
No.1 Single
9 million
Worldwide Copies Sold
1973
Released

Awards & Recognition 2

Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical (Geoff Emerick, 1975)
Grammy Hall of Fame (inducted 2013)
Data Insight

All compositions on Band on the Run were written by Paul and Linda McCartney except No Words, which Paul co-wrote with Wings guitarist Denny Laine. The album was recorded by a trimmed-down Wings after two members left, with Paul, Linda, and Laine carrying the sessions. Engineer Geoff Emerick won a Grammy for his work, and the record became one of McCartney's biggest commercial successes.

Band on the Run is the third studio album by Paul McCartney and Wings, released in December 1973 on Apple Records and produced by McCartney himself, recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, after most of the Wings lineup quit before the sessions, leaving McCartney, Linda, and guitarist Denny Laine to record the bulk of the album with hired local musicians before adding overdubs in London. McCartney wrote all the original material; the album's conceptual theme, escape and freedom from constriction, reflected in song titles like 'Jet,' 'Let Me Roll It,' and the title track's jailbreak narrative, is among the most sustained in McCartney's solo catalog and gives the album a thematic coherence unusual for his work. 'Jet' and 'Helen Wheels' were released as singles, with 'Helen Wheels' reaching the top ten in the United States, and the title track became one of McCartney's most celebrated post-Beatles compositions. Band on the Run was McCartney's first critical and commercial rehabilitation since Ram: it reached number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200, won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal by a Duo, Group or Chorus, and was certified five-times platinum in the United States. The album is universally regarded as McCartney's finest post-Beatles solo work and is cited by critics as a definitive example of mainstream rock album-craft in the early 1970s.

Track Listing & Credits 9 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Band on the Run #1
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
2
Jet #7
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
3
Bluebird
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
4
Mrs Vandebilt
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
5
Let Me Roll It
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
6
Mamunia
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
7
No Words
Paul McCartneyDenny Laine Paul McCartneyDenny Laine Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
8
Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)
9
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyLinda McCartney Paul McCartneyGeoff Emerick Paul McCartney (Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Drums)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 4 contributors

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Frequently Asked Questions Band on the Run

Who wrote Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings?
Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney wrote the title track Band on the Run. Paul also produced the recording. It became the third single from the album.
Did Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings reach number one?
Yes. The single Band on the Run reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the UK it peaked at number three on the Singles Chart.
Who wrote Jet by Paul McCartney and Wings?
Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney wrote Jet. It was the first single released from Band on the Run in both Britain and America, and Paul produced it.
Did Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings win a Grammy?
Yes. Engineer Geoff Emerick won the 1975 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical for the album. Band on the Run was also nominated for Album of the Year and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013.
Who wrote the songs on Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings?
Paul and Linda McCartney wrote all the songs except No Words. That track was co-written by Paul McCartney and Wings guitarist Denny Laine.
How many copies did Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings sell?
Band on the Run went on to sell about 9 million copies worldwide. It was the top-selling album of 1974 in Australia and Canada.

Sources