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TL;DR:

  • Paul McCartney’s “Coming Up” was supposed to sound different from The Beatles’ songs.
  • John Lennon revealed his opinion of “Coming Up.”
  • “Coming Up” became a No. 1 single in the United States but not in the United Kingdom.
"Coming Up" era Paul McCartney in a sweater
Paul McCartney | Robert R. McElroy / Contributor

Paul McCartney‘s “Coming Up” was supposed to sound very different from The Beatles’ signature style. Paul explained why. In addition, he said the song would work well with an update even if one of his Beatles hits would not.

Paul McCartney’s ‘Coming Up’ was ‘not very Beatles’ but Paul felt it reflected his own style

In the 2015 book Conversations with Paul McCartney, Paul discussed trying to distance himself from The Beatles’ sound after the band broke up. “Something like ‘Coming Up’ was very me, not very Beatles,” he opined. “And that’s what I was trying to do with Wings. 

“People would say, ‘Why don’t you do Beatles songs?'” he continued. “We’d go [gruffly] ‘We don’t do Beatles stuff, we’re Wings.’ We were trying to get our own identity. I was trying to strike out with something new. I thought there’s not much point doing the 10 years after The Beatles, and just repeating it all.”

Paul felt the song could use an update and John Lennon said it was ‘good’

In the same book, Paul discussed the possibility of remaking some of his old songs. “[Bob] Dylan reinvents them every night, and it probably keeps him interested,” he said. “I tend to do them like the record. The Beatles always tried to do them like the record, assuming that people would say, ‘I love that one, but they did it funny.’ I try to please the average punter.” 

Paul discussed which songs he would and would not change. “But I’ve got a fancy for ‘Hello, Goodbye,’ it’s got a modern beat,” he opined. “‘Coming Up’ could be updated. There’s certain ones that could take it.”

The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John said he wasn’t concerned about Wings’ music or their latest album. However, he said he heard “Coming Up” because it was a hit. John described the track as “a good piece of work.”

Related

Paul McCartney Said The Beatles’ ‘Hello, Goodbye’ Is About a ‘Deep Theme of the Universe’

How ‘Coming Up’ performed on the pop charts

The live version of “Coming Up” became a massive hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. The track spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart. Wings included the live song on the album Wingspan: Hits and History. That compilation reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 14 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Coming Up” peaked at No. 2 and lasted on the chart for nine weeks in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, Wingspan: Hits and History peaked at No. 5 and lasted on the chart for seven weeks.

“Coming Up” was a massive hit across the Atlantic even if Paul said it could use an update.

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