"Love in Song" is a song credited to Paul and

Linda McCartney Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, animal rights activist, vegetarian cookbook author and advocate, and entrepreneur. She was the keyboardist in th ...

that was released on Wings' 1975 album '' Venus and Mars''. It was also released as the B-side of Wings' number 1 single " Listen to What the Man Said." It has been covered by artists such as Helen Merrill and

the Judybats The Judybats (sometimes stylized as merely Judybats or JudyBats) were an American alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, active primarily in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. The band released three successful single ...

Writing and recording

"Love in Song" was initially written on Paul McCartney's

12 string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

, and McCartney has claimed the song "just came to him." It was one of the early songs recorded for ''Venus and Mars'', at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

in London in late 1974.

String String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

overdubs were added at Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles on March 10, 1975. In addition to playing

and singing lead vocals, Paul McCartney plays upright bass, using the same bass that Bill Black played on Elvis Presley hits such as " Heartbreak Hotel." Denny Laine and Jimmy McCulloch also play guitar, and

sings backing vocals. "Love in Song" is one of the few ''Venus and Mars'' songs on which Geoff Britton plays drums, as the song was recorded before he was replaced as Wings' drummer by Joe English.

Personnel

* Paul McCartney - vocals, bass, piano, hand bells, string arrangements *

- hand bells, moog synthesizer, backing vocals * Denny Laine - electric guitar, piano, backing vocals * Jimmy McCulloch - 12 string guitar * Geoff Britton - drums, milk bottles * Sid Sharp Strings - bass, celli, viola, violins *

Gayle Levant Gayle or Gayl may refer to: People * Gayle (given name), people with the given name * Gayle (surname), people with the surname * Gayle (singer) (born 2004), American singer-songwriter Places * Gayle, North Yorkshire, England * Gayle, Jamaica, a ...

- harp *

Tony Dorsey Anthony Jerald Dorsey (born July 15, 1970) is an American-born British former professional basketball player. He was born in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. At a height of 6'7" (2.01 m) tall, and a weight of 220 lbs. (100 kg), he played at ...

- string arrangements

Lyrics and music

Several critics have described "Love in Song" as having a melancholy quality. The first and third verses express a degree of sadness, as the singer cries out to his lover in the first verse and he sings of sadness that resulted from a misunderstanding in the third. In contrast, in the second and fourth verses the singer sings of how everything is fine when he has his love. In the bridge, the singer remembers a time when he and his lover were happier. McCartney biographer Peter Carlin describes the song as a "portrait of heartbreak," claiming it "traced the thin line between love and obsession." Author Robert Rodriguez describes the song as a "delicate ballad." '' Beaver County Times'' critic Bob Bonn described the melody as "mysterious sounding." Music professor Vincent Benitez describes the song's

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

as G Aeolian, a melancholy key. Author John Blaney describes the

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

as "measured," claiming that contributes the singer distancing himself from the subject, although he believes that McCartney's warm vocal "more than compensates for the song's guarded tone."

Reception

Rodriguez considers "Love in Song" to be one of McCartney's "better efforts," although he claims that it is neglected today. ''Rough Guide to The Beatles'' author Chris Ingham considers it a "luxurious acoustic ballad." '' Rolling Stone'' critic Paul Nelson found "Love in Song" to be one of several "banal ballads" on ''Venus and Mars''. Music critic Richard Tozier described the song as a "formal, yet easily palatable ballad."

Cover versions

Helen Merrill covered "Love in Song" on the 2005 album ''Love Is Song''.

The Judybats The Judybats (sometimes stylized as merely Judybats or JudyBats) were an American alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, active primarily in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. The band released three successful single ...

covered it on the 2001 album ''Listen to What the Man Said: Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney''.

References

{{authority control 1970s ballads 1975 songs Paul McCartney and Wings songs Songs written by Paul McCartney Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Songs written by Linda McCartney Music published by MPL Music Publishing Paul McCartney songs Rock ballads