C Moon

Last updated
"C Moon"
C Moon by Wings pink label UK vinyl.png
Label of the UK 7-inch single
Single by Wings
A-side "Hi, Hi, Hi"
Released1 December 1972
Recorded2 September 1972
Morgan Studios, London
Genre
Length4:33
Label Apple Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Paul McCartney
Wings singles chronology
"Mary Had a Little Lamb"
(1972)
"C Moon"
(1972)
"My Love"
(1973)
Alternative cover art
Wings-c-moon-apple-4.jpg
Back cover of the German release of "Hi Hi Hi"

"C Moon" is a song with a reggae beat, 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" received much airplay in the United Kingdom. [2] [3] In the United States, "C Moon" did not appear on any of the major record charts. [4]

Contents

Lyrics and structure

The title "C Moon" was inspired by lyrics in the song "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. McCartney said, "There's a line in [Wooly Bully] that says, 'Let's not be L7.' Well, L7, it was explained at the time, means a square—put L and 7 together and you get a square... So I thought of the idea of putting a C and a moon together (a half-moon) to get the opposite of a square. So 'C Moon' means cool, in other words." [5]

The recording includes a missed-cue intro that was kept in the released version. [6]

The song is in the key of C and is in 4/4 time. The performers change instruments from their usual places. Guitarist Henry McCullough plays drums and tambourine, guitarist Denny Laine plays bass, and drummer Denny Seiwell plays xylophone and cornet. [7]

The song was recorded around the same time as "Hi, Hi, Hi", in September 1972. [8]

Releases

CountryUKUSGermanyFranceJapan
Label Apple Apple EMI Electrola/AppleAppleApple
Catalogue numberR 597318571C006-052082C006-05208EAR-10241
Release date1 December 19724 December 1972December, 197220 January 1973
Chart ratings5
(16 January 1973)
N/AN/A26
(February, 1973)

The song was included on the Paul McCartney compilation albums All the Best! (1987) and Wingspan: Hits and History (2001) and as a bonus track on the 1993 remastered CD of Red Rose Speedway , as part of The Paul McCartney Collection . It was also included on The 7" Singles Box in 2022. [9]

Personnel

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References

  1. Wawzenek, Bryan (7 March 2014). "Top 10 Reggae Rock Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  2. McGee 2003, p. 35.
  3. "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 333. ISBN   978-0-89820-213-7.
  5. McGee 2003, p. 198.
  6. Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013), L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013, ISBN   978-88-909122-1-4, p.92
  7. Rhino Records 2007.
  8. "Hi, Hi, Hi / C Moon (Album)".
  9. "'The 7" Singles Box' – Out 2 December 2022". PaulMcCartney.com. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.

Sources