The Story and Meaning Behind "Hi, Hi, Hi," a Briefly Banned Hit by Paul McCartney and Wings
Needing a bit of a hit, Paul McCartney and Wings embraced a little bit of controversy on the 1972 single “Hi, Hi, Hi.” Some of that controversy was accidental, some of it was warranted, but all of it helped boost the song to become the band’s biggest hit to that point.
What was the song about? Why was McCartney’s band somewhat reeling at the time of the song’s release? And how did a misheard lyric lead to a ban from the BBC? Let’s get the lowdown on “Hi, Hi, Hi.” Wings Struggling to Fly.
It was never going to be a cakewalk for Paul McCartney to get Wings off the ground. There were always going to be comparisons, not only to The Beatles as a group but also to what the former Beatles were doing as solo artists in the early ’70s. But the extent to which Wings struggled to gain acceptance from critics was a bit of an eye-opener.
Their 1971 debut album Wild Life was purposely kept loose and disheveled by McCartney, but many writers felt it came off sounding lazy and unfinished. Macca decided to spend 1972 releasing non-album singles while the band toured. But while the first two of these did moderately well in the charts, they also earned their share of criticism.
“Give Ireland Back to the Irish” drew ire from those who liked McCartney writing simple, tuneful ditties and didn’t want him getting involved in politics. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” overcorrected, drawing derision from those who thought that McCartney was releasing trivial stuff and wasting his talents. Wings really needed their third single of ’72 to do some damage.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
