Why did Paul McCartney ever think “Wings” would ever be taken seriously with Linda McCartney in the band?

PLV NESS writes ...

Dude, where have you been for the past fifty years? You need to lay off that wacky weed and pay closer attention to life. ‘Wings’ was always seen as a serious endeavor. All 23 of ‘Wings' U.S. singles registered Top 40 hits. Over the years, the band won six Grammy Awards, while selling some 14 million records, which was plenty enough to earn seven platinum and nine gold discs along the way. And That, my fine feathered friend is serious music in anyone’s repertoire!

MICHAEL W writes ...

As a life-long musician, let me say a few words about Linda McCartney. First of all, her harmonies were on pitch, and in the mix she sounded like Paul. That’s exactly what you want in a harmony singer. Secondly, Paul is no fool and he wouldn’t have allowed bad harmony on his records. Thirdly, Linda was a delightful personality and lovely woman, so it’s easy to see why Paul loved her and wanted her to play in his band.

I wish all the non-musicians would lighten up and love Linda McCartney for the talented and beautiful woman she was.

JOHN C writes ...

Because he was Paul Fucking McCartney, the legend from the Beatles, and any band he ever formed was going to be taken seriously because he was in it. If he picked up four bums off the street in Liverpool, handed them instruments, and called them a band, they were going to get a record deal BECAUSE HE WAS PAUL McCARTNEY.

And given that, why not form his new band and include his wife as part of it? He wanted his wife by his side and to work with her, so he and Linda made that happen.

In a decade of existence, Wings had 23 hits on the US top 40—every single they ever released—with 14 top-10 hits and six that made it to No. 1.

Seems to me they were taken plenty seriously with Linda in the band.

JAY S writes ...

Wings was going to be taken damned seriously because Paul McCartney was in it.

Wings was taken seriously, sold a lot of records, and toured regularly to large crowds. Anybody who did not take them seriously does not have half a clue.

No, Linda was not a musician or a singer with a commercial voice, but Paul did not give a shit. John had Yoko in his band, so Paul was going to have Linda in his band and outdo them. And he did.

The Beatles incessant touring had damaged Paul’s relationship with Jane Asher and took its toll on Lennon’s first marriage and his relationship with his son. Both wanted their new wives to be with them.

Linda really just wanted to please Paul and be a good wife and mother, which she was, but she joined Wings anyway because it pleased Paul. Linda had once been a groupie and she knew that lots of women hung around rock stars. She had landed the biggest fish in the sea and one way to keep the groupies away from Paul was to accompany him on tour. And it had to be fun for her, but as her family grew, so did Linda.

She actually did learn to bang out a tune on the keyboards and sing backup. She may not have been a professional musician like the other band members, but she was not the embarrassment that Yoko was on stage and in the studio. Linda was never pretentious, like Yoko could be, and she knew her limitations. She was quite content when Paul dropped Wings and became a solo artist. She was free to cook and raise the kids and to write books on photography and vegan cooking.

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