This week the prompts for Song Lyric Sunday from Jim Adams are Listen, Hear, Talk and Speak. I went with a sweet Wings song that I particularly like called Listen To What The Man Said. I love the video of Paul and Linda McCartney along with their children. I hope you enjoy it too.
The song was a hit single from Wings’ 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song featured new member Joe English on drums, with guest musicians Dave Mason on guitar and Tom Scott on soprano saxophone. It was a number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and reached number 1 in Canada on the RPM National Top Singles Chart. It also reached number 6 in the UK, and reached the top ten in Norway and New Zealand and the top twenty in the Netherlands. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.
It was recorded in early 1975 by Wings during their New Orleans sessions for Venus and Mars. It was a song for which Paul McCartney had high hopes, but early recordings did not live up to the song’s potential. McCartney said in 1975 of his initial opinion of the song, “It was one of the songs we’d gone in with high hopes for. Whenever I would play it on the piano, people would say ‘Oh, I like that one.’ But when we did the backing track, we thought we didn’t really get it together at all.” After Mason added guitar overdubs, the band was still dissatisfied. However, once Scott recorded the sax solo, judgements were changed. Although several takes of the solo were recorded, the very first take was the one that was used. McCartney said of Tom Scott’s impact on the track, “Someone said [famous jazz musician] ‘Tom Scott lives near here.’ We said, yeah, give him a ring, see if he turns up, and he turned up within half an hour! There he was, with his sax, and he sat down in the studio playing through. The engineer was recording it. We kept all the notes he was playing casually. He came in and I said ‘I think that’s it.’ He said ‘Did you record that?’ I said yes, and we listened to it back. No one could believe it, so he went out and tried a few more, but they weren’t as good. He’d had all the feel on this early take, the first take.” The effect of a kiss smack heard on the track was recorded by engineer Alan O’Duffy, who taped Linda doing it.
Lyrics
Any time, any day
You can hear the people say
That love is blind
Well, I don't know but I say love is kind
Do do do, do do do do do
Do do do, do do do do do
Soldier boy kisses girl
Leaves behind a tragic world
But he won't mind, he's in love
And he says love is fine
Do do do, do do do do do
Do do do, do do do do do
Oh yes, indeed we know
That people will find a way to go
No matter what the man said
And love is fine for all we know
For all we know, our love will grow
That's what the man said
So won't you listen to what the man said
He said
Ah, take it away
Oh yes, indeed we know
That people will find a way to go
No matter what the man said
And love is fine for all we know
For all we know, our love will grow
That's what the man said
So won't you listen to what the man said
He said
Oh yes, indeed we know
That people will find a way to go
No matter what the man said
And love is fine for all we know
For all we know, our love will grow
That's what the man said
So won't you listen to what the man said
He said
The wonder of it all baby
The wonder of it all baby
The wonder of it all baby, yeah yeah yeah
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Linda Mccartney / Paul Mccartney
Listen to What the Man Said lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Story courtesy of Wiki
I always loved this song…Great choice!
Thanks so much. I’m happy you liked it 🙂
Great choice for the prompt! Classic!
Thanks Jilly. It’s such a sweet song 🙂
Loved the song and the video!
Thanks Mel🙂
Linda! She was one of my heroes. She made marrying a rock star and being happy possible. Love this choice and the video of such happy people was a great thing to wake up to.
Thanks so much Violet. Yes, love the song but was really happy to find the heartwarming video. She died too young from cancer
Every week, someone takes me back to high school. This week, it’s YOU! 😄 Thanks for the memories!
Im so happy I can stir up your memories Felicia 🙂💕
I know high school was not a good time for everyone, but I had a blast! 🙂
I’m sure you did! What fun 🙂🥰
I love this Macca and Wings song. So laid-back. Didn’t realize Tom Scott was the horn man on this one. He has played at least some with Joni Mitchell I know. He’s great, and he did his part so easily for the song, which is really cool. I like the video you chose as well <3
Thanks Lisa. Dave Mason was on it too! I love Song Lyric Sunday for pushing us all to research the songs we choose. What we find is always surprising 🙂
<3 Love Dave Mason too! Yes, we all learn through this fun prompt.
I never realized before how great the horns are in this song. thanks for sharing this Christine.
Yes the use of other innstruments really make it sound great. Very Beatlesesque!