Women and Wives
| "Women and Wives" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Paul McCartney | ||||
| from the album McCartney III | ||||
| B-side | "Women and Wives (St. Vincent remix)" | |||
| Released | 17 June 2022 | |||
| Recorded | April–June 2020 | |||
| Studio | Hogg Hill Mill (Icklesham, UK) | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter | Paul McCartney | |||
| Producer | Paul McCartney | |||
| Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Women and Wives" (Official Lyric Video) on YouTube | ||||
"Women and Wives" is a song by Paul McCartney, released as the fourth track from McCartney's 2020 album McCartney III.[1] It was released exclusively as a Record Store Day single.[2]
Background
McCartney wrote "Women and Wives" after reading a biography of American blues guitarist Huddy William Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, as McCartney stated: "I wrote this when I was in Los Angeles and I had just been reading a book on the blues artist Lead Belly, so I was trying to get in this bluesy mood so I played on the piano, played some simple chords and started singing in what I imagined was like bluesy [sings], so that was that and then I recorded it at the studio in England."[3]
Recording
"Women and Wives" was recorded primarily on piano,[3] and also includes the exact double bass Bill Black used when recording with Elvis Presley, as revealed in a Spotify Storyline,[4] a feature on Spotify that would give the listener information about a song if available.[5]
Reception
Writing for the A.V. Club, Gwen Ihnat believed McCartney is "admonishing the rest of us [..] while the song ultimately has a hopeful tinge as McCartney urges each generation to teach compassion to the next, the song’s piano-led nostalgic melancholy is undeniable.[6] Mark Beaumont wrote the song is a "wise and austere piano shuffle worthy of Nick Cave or Johnny Cash".[7] Rob Sheffield called it in a Rolling Stone review a "London Town-style yacht-rock ballad".[8] It is the most played track from McCartney III live.[9] McCartney named it as his favourite track on the album.[10]
Personnel
According to the McCartney III booklet:[11]
- Paul McCartney – piano, Bill Black's double bass,[12] drums, vocals
St. Vincent remix
| "Women and Wives (St. Vincent remix)" | |
|---|---|
| Promotional single by Paul McCartney featuring St. Vincent | |
| from the album McCartney III Imagined | |
| Released | 16 April 2021 |
| Length | 3:00 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter | Paul McCartney |
| Producers |
|
| Visualizer | |
| "Women and Wives" (St. Vincent Remix) (Visualizer)" on YouTube | |
A remix of the track was done by American musician St. Vincent and included on McCartney III Imagined, a remix album.[13]
Reception
Stuart Berman wrote St. Vincent "amps up the film-noir melodrama of “Women and Wives” by multi-tracking herself into a girl-group chorus line"[14]
References
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (17 December 2020). "Paul McCartney Delivers a Playful Gem with 'McCartney III'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ Paul McCartney | Women and Wives, retrieved 13 December 2025
- ^ a b Smith, Thomas (23 December 2020). "Paul McCartney: read the exclusive track-by-track story of 'McCartney III'". NME. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Women And Wives (song)". The Paul McCartney Project. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ Porter, Jon (14 May 2019). "Spotify's Storylines are like Instagram Stories for musicians". The Verge. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ Ihnat, Gwen (25 November 2020). "Paul McCartney's McCartney III offers lessons from a legendary life". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ Beaumont, Mark (15 December 2020). "Paul McCartney – 'McCartney III' review: an unpredictable quest of musical evolution". NME. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (17 December 2020). "Paul McCartney Delivers a Playful Gem with 'McCartney III'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ DeRiso, Nick (8 September 2025). "The Solo Songs Paul McCartney Isn't Playing in Concert". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Paul McCARTNEY sits down with Chris Rock on RELEASED". The Paul McCartney Project. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Credits from 'McCartney III' booklet". Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Paul McCartney - McCartney III". www.xsnoize.com. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ Rapp, Allison (11 March 2021). "Paul McCartney Tabs Beck, St. Vincent for 'III Imagined' Album". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ Berman, Stuart (17 April 2021). "Paul McCartney - McCartney III Imagined". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 December 2025.