Mull of Kintyre (song)

The song dates as far back as at least 1974, appearing on the extended home demo recording known amongst bootleggers as "The Piano Tape". Written on piano originally, at that early stage the lyric only had the completed chorus and a few bits of the lyrics that eventually made the finished version.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/T3lDh1ieQDs Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200810222238/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3lDh1ieQDs Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web |title=Paul McCartney: The Piano Tape (Home Recordings 1974) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3lDh1ieQDs |website=YouTube| date=25 August 2017 }}{{cbignore}}

The lyrics of the first verse, also used as the repeating chorus, are an ode to the area's natural beauty and sense of home:

{{blockquote|Mull of Kintyre

Oh mist rolling in from the sea,

My desire

Is always to be here

Oh Mull of Kintyre}}

McCartney explained how the song came into being: {{blockquote|I certainly loved Scotland enough, so I came up with a song about where we were living: an area called Mull of Kintyre. It was a love song really, about how I enjoyed being there and imagining I was travelling away and wanting to get back there.{{Cite book |title=Wingspan |page=129}}}}

"Mull of Kintyre" was recorded on 9 August 1977 at Spirit of Ranachan Studio at High Park Farm in Scotland, during a break in recording the London Town album caused by Linda McCartney's advanced pregnancy. The song featured Great Highland bagpipes played by the Campbeltown Pipe Band from nearby Campbeltown. Paul's vocals and acoustic guitar were recorded outdoors.Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013), L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013, {{ISBN|978-88-909122-1-4}}, p. 163. "Mull of Kintyre" and "Girls' School" (which had been previously recorded for London Town) were released as a double A-sided single on 11 November 1977, independently of the album. It was included on the Wings compilation Wings Greatest in 1978,{{Cite web |title=Wings Greatest |url=http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pctc256.html |access-date=6 June 2014 |publisher=JPGR |archive-date=21 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121030935/http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pctc256.html |url-status=live }} the UK/Canada version of McCartney's 1987 compilation album All the Best!,{{Cite web |title=Paul McCartney - All The Best CD Cover |url=http://www.coverdude.com/cd-covers/26416-paul-mccartney-all-the-best.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607011511/http://www.coverdude.com/cd-covers/26416-paul-mccartney-all-the-best.html |archive-date=7 June 2014 |access-date=6 June 2014 |publisher=Cover Dude}} the 2001 compilation Wingspan: Hits and History and the 2016 compilation Pure McCartney.

The official music video was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and filmed at Saddell Bay on the eastern side of the Kintyre peninsula about {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} from High Park Farm and two months after recording the song. Paul, Linda and Denny perform the song as they overlook the bay and walk down to the beach where the Campbeltown Pipe Band are marching and playing. It culminates in a bonfire singalong with extras from Campbeltown.[https://www.bigissue.com/culture/making-mull-of-kintyre-paul-mccartney-takes-us-to-high-park-farm-40-years-on/ "Making Mull Of Kintyre: Paul McCartney takes us to High Park Farm 40 years on"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720183737/https://www.bigissue.com/culture/making-mull-of-kintyre-paul-mccartney-takes-us-to-high-park-farm-40-years-on/ |date=20 July 2021 }} The Big Issue, 18 December 2018.

The official video was shown on the nine regular editions of Top of the Pops when the song was number one. For the 1977 Christmas Special, the band were booked for the Mike Yarwood Show, and so the video shown was recorded on an indoor set, including trees, mist and the Campbeltown Pipe Band walking through the shot.{{cite web | url=https://archivetvmusings.blog/2020/12/12/top-of-the-pops-christmas-1977/ | title=Top of the Pops – 1977 Christmas Special | date=12 December 2020 }}

The song's broad appeal was maximised by its pre-Christmas release, and it became a Christmas number-one single in the UK, spending nine weeks at the top of the charts. It also became an international hit, charting high in Australia and many other countries over the holiday period.{{Cite news |date=8 December 1977 |title=Wings Top of Two Cities |publisher=The Canberra Times |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110881925 |access-date=25 May 2019}} It went on to become the first single to sell over two million copies in the UK and became the UK's best-selling single of all-time (eclipsing the Beatles' own "She Loves You") until overtaken by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 (which also featured McCartney on the B-side).McCartney: Songwriter {{ISBN|0-491-03325-7}} p. 121 The song remains the UK's best-selling completely non-charity single, having sold 2.09 million copies.{{Cite web |last=Myers |first=Justin |date=5 December 2018 |title=Official Top 20 biggest selling Christmas songs revealed |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-top-20-biggest-selling-christmas-songs-revealed__12415/ |access-date=20 December 2018 |publisher=Official Charts Company |archive-date=29 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829165628/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-top-20-biggest-selling-christmas-songs-revealed__12415/ |url-status=live }} (Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has sold more in its two releases, but the profits of the 1991 release were donated to charity.)

The millionth copy of the disc sold in the UK included a special certificate. It was sold to David Ackroyd, who was presented with a gold disc of the single by co-writer Denny Laine."Mull of Kintyre" [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928023312/http://www.rockandpopshop.com/articles-details.php?cat=Classic%2BSongs&id=240&PHPSESSID=0b1787abf article], RockAndPopShop.com; retrieved 28 June 2007.

Despite its international appeal, the song was not a major hit in North America, where the flipside "Girls' School" received more airplay and reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #34 on the Canadian RPM charts. "Mull of Kintyre" was not a pop hit at all in the US, but did manage to reach #45 on the Easy Listening chart.{{Cite news |date=14 January 1978 |title=Billboard Hot 100 |page=96 |work=Billboard Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=piQEAAAAMBAJ&q=Wings |access-date=27 September 2012}}{{Cite news |date=4 February 1978 |title=Billboard Top 50 Easy Listening |page=34 |work=Billboard Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=Billboard+Feb+4%2C+1978l&pg=PP1 |access-date=27 September 2012}}

Meanwhile, in Canada, "Girls' School"/"Mull of Kintyre" was initially tracked as a double A-side, and reached #44 on the pop charts before "Mull of Kintyre" was dropped from the chart listings as of 21 January 1978. "Girls' School" continued its chart climb for a few more weeks, reaching #34 in Canada. After the single fell out of the top 40, it was once again tracked as a double A-side (with "Mull of Kintyre" getting first billing) for one week in April, but it did not better its previous #44 chart peak. "Mull of Kintyre" alone (without "Girls' School") did reach #30 on Canada's Adult Contemporary chart.{{Cite web |date=28 January 1978 |title=RPM 100 Singles |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5469a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603170745/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5469a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3 |archive-date=3 June 2013 |access-date=27 September 2012 |publisher=Library and Archives Canada}}{{Cite web |date=18 March 1978 |title=RPM Adult Oriented Playlist |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5552&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603183055/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5552&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3 |archive-date=3 June 2013 |access-date=27 September 2012 |publisher=Library and Archives Canada}}

Record World called it "a lovely Scottish waltz with bagpipes".{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=November 19, 1977|accessdate=2023-02-16|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/RW-1977-11-19.pdf|archive-date=30 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930082753/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/RW-1977-11-19.pdf|url-status=live}}

The song also found popularity in the UK as a terrace chant. Notably, a version with altered lyrics has been sung by fans of English football side Nottingham Forest since their 1978 title victory, and today is sung by supporters at the start of every home match.{{Cite news |date=9 September 2019 |title=Why do Nottingham Forest fans sing 'Mull of Kintyre'? |work=Nottingham Post |url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/nottingham-forest-fans-sing-mull-2410393 |access-date=20 November 2019}} In 2015, McCartney said that he would be willing to perform the song live at the City Ground if Forest were promoted.{{Cite news |last=Collinson |first=Dawn |date=6 January 2015 |title=Paul McCartney could sing Mull of Kintyre at Nottingham Forest if promoted |language=en |work=Liverpool Echo |url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/paul-mccartney-could-sing-mull-8391898 |access-date=21 March 2022 |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518134903/https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/paul-mccartney-could-sing-mull-8391898 |url-status=live }}

McCartney has played "Mull of Kintyre" only occasionally in concert since Wings' 1979 British tour, and has never played it in the United States, Asia, or South America. Performances include 23 June 1990 in Glasgow, Scotland. He played it in Australia and New Zealand and also Canada in 1993, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. He began playing the song again in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. On 11 July 2009, at a concert at the Halifax Common, he played the song accompanied by the 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) Pipe Band. He played the song at the O2 Arena in London on 22 December 2009, accompanied by the 18-piece Balmoral Highlanders Pipe Band.

The following year, on 20 June 2010 McCartney performed "Mull of Kintyre" at Hampden Park in Glasgow accompanied by the Pipes and Drums of Loretto School. He played the song at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, on 8 and 9 August 2010 with the Paris Port Dover Pipe Band.{{Cite web |date=10 August 2010 |title=Paris-Port Dover Pipe Band plays in concert with Paul McCartney at ACC |url=http://www.parisstaronline.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2704665 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911075223/http://www.parisstaronline.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2704665 |archive-date=11 September 2012 |access-date=28 March 2014 |website=Paris Star |location=Paris, Ontario}} On 20 December 2011, Loretto School played with him again in the final concert of his On The Run tour at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. On 25 November 2012, McCartney performed "Mull of Kintyre" at the On The Run Tour in Vancouver, British Columbia with the Delta Police Pipe Band, and in Edmonton, Alberta with the Edmonton Police Service Pipes and Drums on 28–29 November. On 7 July 2013, McCartney performed "Mull of Kintyre" on his "Out There" tour to a sell-out crowd at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Canada accompanied by the Ottawa Police Service Pipe Band.{{Cite web |date=8 July 2013 |title=Paul McCartney makes Ottawa concert debut |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/paul-mccartney-makes-ottawa-concert-debut-1.1314296 |access-date=28 March 2014 |publisher=CBC |archive-date=29 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329003526/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/paul-mccartney-makes-ottawa-concert-debut-1.1314296 |url-status=live }}

On 19 and 20 April 2016, McCartney performed "Mull of Kintyre" during the One on One tour in the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, again, with the Delta Police Pipe Band. As part of that same tour, on 2 December 2017 he played the song in Perth, Western Australia with the Western Australian Police Force Pipe Band, in Melbourne, Victoria 5–6 December 2017 with the Scotch College pipe band, in Brisbane Queensland on 9 December 2017 with the Brisbane Combined Pipe Band, in Sydney on 11 and 12 December with the Governor Macquarie Memorial Pipe Band and in Auckland New Zealand on 16 December 2017 with the Auckland and Districts Pipe Band.{{Cite web |date=18 December 2017 |title=Paul McCartney performs 'Mull of Kintyre' with Auckland's Pipe Band |url=https://www.thesound.co.nz/home/music/2017/12/paul-mccartney-performs--mull-of-kintyre--with-auckland-s-pipe-b.html |access-date=3 April 2022 |website=thesound.co.nz |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528135223/https://www.thesound.co.nz/home/music/2017/12/paul-mccartney-performs--mull-of-kintyre--with-auckland-s-pipe-b.html |url-status=live }}

The refrain of the song was also played at the funeral of Linda McCartney in June 1998.{{Cite news |agency=Reuters |date=9 June 1998 |title=Linda McCartney Service Reunites 3 Beatles |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/09/arts/linda-mccartney-service-reunites-3-beatles.html |access-date=9 January 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527074221/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/09/arts/linda-mccartney-service-reunites-3-beatles.html |url-status=live }}

Glen Campbell covered the song on his 1981 album Glen Campbell Live and in 1982 on Old Home Town. In concert Campbell would play the bagpipes himself.{{Cite web |title=Glen Campbell - Live at the Dome (1990) |publisher=YouTube |date=4 June 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg86XjwyRmE |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605184957/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg86XjwyRmE |url-status=live}}

Co-writer Denny Laine re-recorded "Mull of Kintyre" for his 1996 album Wings at the Sound of Denny Laine.{{Cite web |title=Performs the Hits of Wings |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/performs-the-hits-of-wings-r1073182 |access-date=28 December 2011 |publisher=Allmusic}}

Irish singing group and stage show Celtic Thunder performed the song in their first concert DVD Celtic Thunder: The Show. The DVD and companion CD, Act Two, were released in 2008.{{Cite web |last=Wete |first=Brad |date=1 October 2013 |title=Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' & 12 More Two-Album/One-Year Releases |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/5740721/justin-timberlakes-the-2020-experience-12-more-two-albumone-year |access-date=4 June 2020 |work=Billboard |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604141546/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/5740721/justin-timberlakes-the-2020-experience-12-more-two-albumone-year |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/9388494-Celtic-Thunder-Act-Two |title=Celtic Thunder - Act Two |website=Discogs |year=2008 |access-date=20 December 2022 |archive-date=20 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220201615/https://www.discogs.com/release/9388494-Celtic-Thunder-Act-Two |url-status=live}}

Cheyenne Kimball covered the song on the album "Let Us In" Nashville – A Tribute to Linda McCartney, consisting of country-themed covers of Paul McCartney songs by various artists, released in 2011, a benefit album for the Women and Cancer Fund.{{Cite web |title="Let Us In" Nashville – A Tribute To Linda McCartney Now Available - Country Music Tattle Tale |url=http://countrymusictattletale.com/2011/11/22/let-us-in-nashville-a-tribute-to-linda-mccartney-now-available |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422170843/http://countrymusictattletale.com/2011/11/22/let-us-in-nashville-a-tribute-to-linda-mccartney-now-available/ |archive-date=22 April 2012 |access-date=5 December 2011}}

Charlie Gracie and the group Clutch Cargo covered the song as a benefit single in 2012 to help raise funds for the Philadelphia Police and Fire, Pipes & Drums Band. Their version of the single also featured the R&B vocal group the Orlons on backing vocals.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina, sang the song at a high school graduation in Florence, South Carolina.{{Cite web |date=1 June 2020 |title=Gov. Henry McMaster plays guitar, sings at high school graduation |url=https://www.wltx.com/article/features/henry-mcmaster-sings-plays-guitar/101-733464e1-3614-4c62-8718-09187ceb0875 |access-date=10 August 2022}}

• Paul McCartney – lead vocal, acoustic bass guitar, acoustic guitar
• Linda McCartney – backing vocal, percussion
• Denny Laine – backing vocal, acoustic and electric guitars
• Campbeltown Pipe Band – bagpipes and drums

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Mull of Kintyre"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|relyear=1977|region=Australia|award=Gold|certyear=1977|certref={{Cite magazine |date=31 December 1977 |title=Australia buys Wigs |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-12-31.pdf |magazine=Cash Box |page=122 |access-date=25 November 2021 |via=World Radio History |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308002507/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-12-31.pdf |url-status=live }}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=single|title=Mull Of Kintyre|artist=Wings|nocert=true|salesamount=300,000|salesref={{cite book|url=http://www.top-france.fr/html/annuel/1978.htm|title=TOP – 1978|publisher=40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles|author=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP)|editor=Fabrice Ferment|access-date=19 December 2023|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111092235/http://www.top-france.fr/html/annuel/1978.htm|archive-date=11 January 2021|via=Top-France.fr|oclc=469523661}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|relyear=1977|region=Germany|award=Gold|certyear=1978|artist=Wings|title=Mull Of Kintyre|access-date=14 January 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|relyear=1977|region=Ireland|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=1978|certref={{Cite web |title=Eil.com – "Mull of Kintyre" Irish Double Platinum Award – Memorabilia ID 9362190 |url=http://www.directupload.net/file/d/4125/pa69sy5m_jpg.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929150259/http://www.directupload.net/file/d/4125/pa69sy5m_jpg.htm |archive-date=29 September 2015 |access-date=14 January 2021 |website=Eil.com |publisher=Directupload.net}}|salesamount=65,000|salesref={{Cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1981/Music-Week-1981-01-24.pdf|title=EMI enters 1981 with a new fighting spirit|date=January 23, 1981|publisher=Music Week|page=I-4 (page 30)|access-date=December 19, 2023|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309082929/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1981/Music-Week-1981-01-24.pdf|url-status=live}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|relyear=1977|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=1986|id=4421-1142-1|artist=Wings|title=Mull Of Kintyre|salesamount=2,080,000|salesref=|access-date=14 January 2021}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

• List of best-selling singles by year (UK)
• List of Christmas number one singles (UK)
• List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1977
• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s
• List of number-one singles from the 1970s (UK)
• List of number-one hits of 1978 (Germany)
• List of number-one hits of 1978 (Switzerland)

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311074111/http://www.mplcommunications.com/song_display.asp?SongNum=1893 MPL Communications - Song Archive]
• [http://www.jpgr.co.uk/r6018.html Paul McCartney - Mull of Kintyre] at Graham Calkin's Beatles Pages.

{{Wings}}

{{Paul McCartney}}

{{UK Christmas No. 1s in the 1970s}}

{{UK best-selling singles (by year) 1970–1989}}

{{UK best-selling singles (by decade)}}

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Category:1974 songs

Category:1977 singles

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Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles

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