Paul McCartney: Tug of War (1982)

Paul McCartney released "Tug of War" on April 26, 1982, one of the finest pop albums of the 80s. The album was recorded at AIR Studios in London and AIR Studios in Montserrat in the Caribbean, with George Martin as the producer.

By Martin Johannessen

The first time I heard the album was through the wall from my sister's bedroom, who had received it for her birthday (the same day). Although I was mostly into KISS, Motörhead, and AC/DC at the time, I had, of course, listened to a lot of Beatles. But I hadn't listened to much of The Fab Four's solo stuff.

I gained renewed respect for McCartney when I read "Paul McCartney: The Biography" (2016) by Philip Norman a few years ago. Since then, I've listened through Wings and the solo albums. There's a lot of gold here! Both the book and McCartney's albums are highly recommended.

The work on the album started in 1980 and continued until John Lennon was shot and killed in New York on December 8. That naturally made a huge impression, and both McCartney and George Martin felt it was best to take a break.

They resumed work in February 1981. Then, they spent about a month finishing the recording. After that, they took another break before continuing to refine and perfect the recordings to create a great album. And that's what it became. "Tug of War" is simply one of the finest pop albums of the entire 80s in my opinion.

There are plenty of big names on the album; Ringo Starr, George Martin, Eric Stewart (10cc), Steve Gadd, Stanley Clarke, and Denny Laine are still on board, playing guitar, bass, and synthesizer.

Carl the Great
The rocking "Ballroom Dancing" has always been a favorite, and "The Pound Is Sinking" is a fantastic song! And the duet with none other than Carl Perkins, an old idol of McCartney's, must have been a highlight.

Paul says: “I rang him up, and he was in the States playing clubs. We met him in the very early days with the Beatles, and he was a good old friend, such a down-home boy. I love Carl - he’s so great.”

Both of them play guitar on "Get It": “I just played a little bit, and Carl played a rhythm part,” says McCartney. They continued their collaboration in the 90s.

The Singles
Three songs were released as singles: "Ebony and Ivory," "Take It Away," and "Tug of War."

Another celebrity featured on the album was Stevie Wonder. They co-wrote "What's That You're Doing?" together, while McCartney wrote the super hit "Ebony and Ivory" alone.

The Stevie Wonder duet "Ebony and Ivory" was released a month before the album hit the stores. Both the album and the single topped charts worldwide. It was impossible to turn on the radio without hearing the duet that spring.

"Take It Away" also became a hit, although not as big as the previous one. It still reached the 10th position in the USA and stayed on the charts for 16 weeks.

Ode to John Lennon

The title track is about Paul McCartney's relationship with John Lennon, and Rolling Stone compared it to "Imagine" (1971). McCartney himself plays bass, electric and acoustic guitar, drums, and synthesizer on the song.

It's "Here Today" that stands as the great tribute to Lennon. The lyrics depict an imaginary conversation with his old partner and one of the most honest texts McCartney has written: "You was always there with a smile." Touching.

Paul says: “I was kind of crying when I wrote it. It’s like a dialogue with John. One of my feelings even when he used to lay into me was that he really didn’t mean it. I could always see why he was doing it.”

The Beatles Bible has its own page dedicated to the song.

"Tug of War" is "the masterpiece everyone has always known Paul McCartney could make," wrote Rolling Stone in their review of the album.