"Coming Up" is a song written and performed by English musician

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, released as the opening track on his 1980 solo album ''

McCartney II ''McCartney II'' is the second solo album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 16 May 1980. It was recorded by McCartney at his home studio in the summer of 1979, shortly before the dissolution of his band Wings in 1981. Like his fir ...

''. Like other songs on the album, the song has a synthesised sound, featuring sped-up vocals created by using a vari-speed tape machine. McCartney played all instruments. The single was a hit in Britain, peaking at on the singles chart. In the United States and Canada, the live version of the song performed by

Paul McCartney and Wings Wings were a British-American rock band formed in 1971 by former Beatle bassist Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, session drummer Denny Seiwell, and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. Wings were noted for their com ...

in Glasgow the year prior (released as the B-side to the single) saw greater success.

Background

In a ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' interview, McCartney explained how the song came about:

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

described "Coming Up" as "a good piece of work" and it prompted him to return to recording in 1980. After hearing it on the radio for the first time, Lennon reportedly stated “Fuck a pig! It’s Paul!” Lennon later stated his preference for the studio version over the live version that was released as a single: "I thought that Coming Up was great and I like the freak version that he made in his barn better than that live Glasgow one. If I'd have been with him I would've said 'that's the one' too. And I thought that the record company had a nerve changing it round on him, and I know what they mean, they want to hear the real guy singing, but I like the freaky one." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it an "unusually produced but cute track".

Live version

A live version of the song was recorded in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, on 17 December 1979 by

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...

during their tour of the UK. An edited version from the performance was included as one of two songs on the B-side; the other song on the B-side was "Lunchbox/Odd Sox", a Wings song that dated back to '' Venus and Mars''. Both songs were credited to Paul McCartney and Wings.

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

wanted to put the live version on ''McCartney II'' but McCartney resisted the change, wanting to keep it a solo album. Instead, a one-sided 7" white-label promotional copy of the Wings version was included with the album in North America. "Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)" has since appeared on the US versions of the McCartney compilations ''

All the Best! ''All the Best!'' is the second official compilation album of Paul McCartney's music, after 1978's ''Wings Greatest''. It was released in 1987 on Capitol Records and Parlophone Records. Background The album contains tracks from the beginning ...

'' (1987) and '' Wingspan: Hits and History'' (2001), while the solo studio version is included on UK and international releases. The full length version of the song with an additional verse from the 1979 Glasgow show was finally released as bonus track on the ''

Paul McCartney Archive Collection The Paul McCartney Archive Collection is an ongoing project to remaster and reissue Paul McCartney's solo catalogue, including various albums released with Wings. These editions feature deluxe packaging and bonus rare tracks. Thus far, there have ...

'' reissue of ''McCartney II'' in 2011. A different live Wings recording of "Coming Up" appears on the album ''

Concerts for the People of Kampuchea Concerts for the People of Kampuchea was a series of concerts featuring Queen, The Clash, The Pretenders, The Who, Elvis Costello, Wings, and many more artists which took place at the Hammersmith Odeon in London during December 1979 to raise m ...

'', also recorded in 1979.

Music video

The music video for "Coming Up", directed by

Keith McMillan Keith Lionel McMillan (16 April 1934 – 22 March 2012) was an English photographer and artist. He came from a family with many artistic talents: his mother was a dancer, his father a pianist and photographer, and his brother an artist. As a ...

, features Paul McCartney playing ten roles (himself, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a keyboard player, and four saxophone players) and Linda McCartney playing two (one female backing singer and one male backing singer). The "band" identified as "The Plastic Macs" on the drum kit (a homage to Lennon's conceptual

Plastic Ono Band The Plastic Ono Band was a rock band formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 for their collaborative and solo projects based on their 1968 Fluxus conceptual art project of the same name. Lennon and Ono began a personal and artistic relati ...

), features Paul and Linda's imitations of various rock musician stereotypes, as well as a few identifiable musicians. In his audio commentary on the 2007 video collection ''

The McCartney Years ''The McCartney Years'' is a three-DVD set featuring music videos, live performances and other rare footage from Paul McCartney's solo career and Wings. The set spans the years 1970 to 2005. It was released by Warner Music in the UK on 12 Novem ...

'', McCartney identified characters that were impersonations of specific artists:

Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...

(guitarist from

the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

Ron Mael Ronald David Mael (born August 12, 1945) is an American musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is the keyboard player and principal songwriter in the band Sparks which he founded with vocalist, occasional songwriter and younger ...

of Sparks (keyboards), a ' Beatlemania-era' version of himself (bass), and a drummer vaguely inspired by

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...

from

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

. Others, such as authors

Fred Bronson Fredric M. "Fred" Bronson (born January 10, 1949) is an American journalist, author and writer. He is the author of books related to #1 songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and other books related to various music charts as well. He is also k ...

and

Kenneth Womack Kenneth Womack (born January 24, 1966) is an American writer, literary critic, public speaker, and music historian, particularly focusing on the cultural influence of the Beatles. He is the author of the bestselling ''Solid State: The Story of A ...

, have suggested that there are other identifiable impersonations in the video, such as Andy Mackay,

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

and

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

;Bronson, Fred
''The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits''
Billboard Books, 2003, p. 526. McCartney said the other roles were simply comic relief. The video premiered in the UK on ''

The Kenny Everett Video Show ''The Kenny Everett Video Show'' (later renamed ''The Kenny Everett Video Cassette'') is a British television comedy and music programme that was made by Thames Television for ITV from 3 July 1978 to 21 May 1981. Overview Philip Jones, Tham ...

'' on 14 April 1980 and in the US on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' on 17 May 1980.

Release

In the UK, the single was an immediate hit, reaching in its third week on the chart. In the US,

promoted the live version, which subsequently received more airplay than the studio version. McCartney was unaware of Columbia's move; otherwise, he might have pushed for the A-side, which he thought was the stronger version. An executive from Columbia Records explained the switch by stating "Americans like the sound of Paul McCartney's real voice." The live version reached on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for sales of over one million copies. Although the live version received more airplay and was considered to be the "hit", ''Billboard'' listed the A-side on the Hot 100 for the first 12 weeks on the chart, including three weeks at , before switching to the more popular B-side for the remaining nine weeks on the chart.Billboard Hot 100
''Billboard'' 12 July 1980: 60

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Track listing

;7" single (R 6035) # "Coming Up" – 3:49 # "Coming Up" (Live at Glasgow) – 3:51 #* Performed by Paul McCartney & Wings # "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" – 3:54 #* Performed by Paul McCartney & Wings

Personnel

Studio version

– lead vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums * Linda McCartney - Backup Vocals

Live version

– lead vocals, bass * Linda McCartney – keyboards, vocals *

Denny Laine Denny Laine (born Brian Frederick Hines, 29 October 1944) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, known as a founder of two major rock bands: the Moody Blues, with whom he played from 1964 to 1966, and Wings, with whom he played from 1 ...

– guitar, vocals *

Laurence Juber Laurence Ivor Juber (born 12 November 1952) is an English musician, fingerstyle guitarist and studio musician. He played guitar in the rock band Wings from 1978 to 1981. Biography Early life Born in Stepney, East London, Juber was raised and ...

– guitar * Steve Holley – drums *Tony Dorsey – trombone *Thaddeus Richard – saxophone *

Howie Casey Howard William Casey (born 12 July 1937) is a British rhythm and blues and rock saxophonist. He came to prominence in the early 1960s as a member of Derry and the Seniors, the first rock and roll band from Liverpool to play clubs in Germany, ...

– saxophone *Steve Howard – trumpet

"Lunch Box / Odd Sox"

*Paul McCartney – piano *Linda McCartney –

moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

*Denny Laine – guitar *

Geoff Britton Geoffrey Britton (born 1 August 1943) is an English rock drummer known for his work with Wings from August 1974 to January 1975, where he was featured on the '' Venus and Mars'' album. Career Britton was born in Lewisham, South East London). H ...

– drums *Tony Dorsey – bass

References

{{authority control 1980 songs 1980 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Columbia Records singles Music published by MPL Music Publishing Parlophone singles Paul McCartney songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Songs written by Paul McCartney Paul McCartney and Wings songs Funk rock songs

Background

Live version

Music video

Release

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Track listing

Personnel

Studio version

Live version

"Lunch Box / Odd Sox"

See also

References