"Hi, Hi, Hi" is a song written by

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

and

Linda McCartney Linda Louise, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, cookbook author, and activist. She was the keyboardist and harmony vocalist in the band Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings tha ...

and performed by

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...

. It was released as a double A-side single with "

C Moon "C Moon" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was released as a double A-side with " Hi, Hi, Hi" in 1972. The single reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and since "Hi Hi Hi" was banned by the BBC, "C Moon" re ...

" in 1972.

Release

The single was issued on 1 December 1972 in the UK and three days later in the US. The single peaked at number one in Spain, number five in the United Kingdom and at number 10 in the United States in January 1973. The song also peaked at number 18 in Ireland. The song became a staple of Wings' live shows in the 1970s. The song was included on the Paul McCartney compilation albums: 1978's ''

Wings Greatest ''Wings Greatest'' is a compilation album by the British–American rock band Wings, released in the UK on 1 December 1978. It was the band's last release through Capitol in the US. The album is the first official retrospective release from Pau ...

'', 2001's '' Wingspan: Hits and History'', 2016's deluxe edition '' Pure McCartney'' and as a bonus track on the 1993 and 2018 reissues of ''

Red Rose Speedway ''Red Rose Speedway'' is the second studio album by the English-American Rock music, rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings, although credited to "Paul McCartney and Wings". It was released through Apple Records on 4 May 1973, preceded by its ...

''. It was also included on ''

The 7" Singles Box ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' in 2022.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 ...

'' described it as "good old rock 'n roll as only the McCartney's can perform it, but with lyrics that more than suggest." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it "a steady rocker with an infectious chorus and terrific instrumental breaks" and said that the "suggestive lyrics can only help this one go high."

Ban

In the UK, the song was banned by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

for its

sexually suggestive Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. Sex, SEX or sexual may also refer to: *Sexual intercourse, a sexual activity Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Sex'' (1920 ...

lyrical content. The BBC also assumed that the title phrase, "We're gonna get hi, hi, hi" was a drug reference. The specific lyrics objected to is the apparent phrase "get you ready for my body gun"; McCartney has said that the correct lyrics are "get you ready for my

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...

", an abstract image, and later said, "The BBC got some of the words wrong. But I suppose it is a bit of a dirty song if sex is dirty and naughty. I was in a sensuous mood in Spain when I wrote it." Furthermore, Paul refers back to the song when it's played for a live audience—"Yeah, well, the great laugh is when we go live, it makes a great announcement. You can say "This one was banned!" and everyone goes "Hooray!" The audience love it, you know. "This next one was banned," and then you get raving, because everyone likes to. Everyone's a bit anti-all-that-banning, all that censorship. Our crew, our generation, really doesn't dig that stuff, as I'm sure you know."

References

{{authority control 1972 singles 1972 songs 1973 singles Apple Records singles Music published by MPL Music Publishing Songs banned by the BBC Glam rock songs Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Songs written by Linda McCartney Songs written by Paul McCartney Paul McCartney and Wings songs