Arrow Through Me

"Arrow Through Me"
Japanese single cover
Single by Wings
from the album Back to the Egg
B-side"Old Siam, Sir"
Released14 August 1979 (1979-08-14) (US)
Recorded29 June – 27 July 1978
StudioSpirit of Ranachan, Campbeltown
Genre
Length3:37
LabelColumbia (US)
SongwriterPaul McCartney
ProducerPaul McCartney
Wings singles chronology
"Getting Closer"
(1979)		 "Arrow Through Me"
(1979)		 "Rockestra Theme"
(1979)

"Arrow Through Me" is a song written by Paul McCartney that was first released on Wings' 1979 album Back to the Egg. It was also released as the second single off the album in the US, backed by "Old Siam, Sir", which was the lead single off the album in the UK. The single peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

McCartney recorded the main instrumental backing for "Arrow Through Me" on 10 July 1978 at the Spirit of Ranachan Studio that was set up on Low Ranachan Farm in Campbeltown, Scotland. He played his bass part on a Fender Rhodes electric piano, while Wings' drummer was the only other player in the session. After the initial tracks were laid, producer Chris Thomas suggested that Holley add an additional snare drum part that he recorded at half speed so that when played back at normal speed the part would be heard an octave higher than it was played and have an unusual sound. At this session, McCartney sang a rough vocal and also sang the melody where he intended to overdub horn parts. The horn parts were added in October. Mixing was completed on 9 March 1979.

"Arrow Through Me", unlike most songs on Back to the Egg, is more pop-oriented than rock-oriented. McCartney biographers Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair described it as a "soft-rock number with an R&B tinge.

"Arrow Through Me", harmonically it is almost like Duke Ellington could have written it.

— Laurence Juber, Daytrippin'

Music journalist Andrew Wild described it as "slick, horn-driven pop/soul with crisp Isley Brothers drums and the bass line played on a Fender Rhodes – Stevie Wonder style".

Reception

Something Else! critic S. Victor Aaron called it "McCartney when he’s on his A-game in the songcraft department." Fellow Something Else! critic Nick DeRiso felt it was the best song on Back to the Egg, criticizing the lyrics as "indecipherable" but saying that they are "superfluous anyway" given the song's groove. DeRiso later compared the keyboard bass line to those of Stevie Wonder and praised the "inventive undulating polyrhythm" played by drummer Steve Holley. DeRiso rated "Arrow Through Me" to be Wings' 8th greatest song. Billboard described it as "a light and bouncy midtempo tune with sparse orchestration." Cash Box called the song "a slightly quirky tune" and said that the instrumentation creates a "somber but light backing for the pleading vocals. Record World called it a "unique and thoroughly refreshing McCartney effort" whose rhythm "struts while the keyboards ring and bold horn charts inject energy."

Beck named the song "one of McCartney's unsung gems from the '70s", commenting, "There's just a hint of punk and new wave seeping in, but I also feel like there’s a little bit of Stevie Wonder."

Music video

A music video was shot for "Arrow Through Me" directed by Keith McMillan. In the video, Wings is shown pretending to play the song. Besides Paul McCartney, band members Linda McCartney, Denny Laine and Laurence Juber are shown playing keyboards, even though Linda, Laine and Juber did not perform on the song. The video incorporates special effects in which multiple images of a band member are often shown on screen at the same time.

Other

"Arrow Through Me" was later featured on the compilation albums Pure McCartney (2016), The 7" Singles Box (2022) and Wings (2025).

The song was used with the opening credits of, and as a main melody line through, the 1980 movie Oh! Heavenly Dog, starring Chevy Chase, Jane Seymour and Benji. In 2010, neo-soul artist Erykah Badu sampled "Arrow Through Me" on an album track called "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" on her CD New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). It also appeared in the WKRP in Cincinnati episode "God Talks to Johnny" (1979).

In 2020, the song appeared in episode 2 (track 2) of Hulu's TV series adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity starring Zoë Kravitz.

Personnel

Chart history

References

  1. ↑ "Arrow Through Me (album)". Retrieved 10 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Hewitt, Paolo (2005). "Ten Solo Gems". NME. NME Originals. 2 (3): 20.
  3. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (6 March 2024). "The 100 Best Beatles Solo Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 April 2024. Arrow Through Me" is impeccably suave mall-funk from Back to the Egg...
  4. ↑ DeRiso, Nick (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Paul McCartney and Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  5. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (16 June 2022). "Paul McCartney's greatest post-Beatles songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  6. ↑ McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 219
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kozinn, Allan; Sinclair, Adrian (2024). The McCartney Legacy: Volume 2 1974=80. Dey Street Books. pp. 596–597, 622, 643, 665. ISBN 9780063000759.
  8. ↑ McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 204
  9. ↑ Terrill, Marshall (10 August 2010). "Exclusive: Ex-Wings guitarist, Laurence Juber, talks about attending 'Paul McCartney University'". Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine.
  10. ↑ WIld Andrew (2019). The Solo Beatles 1969–1980. Sonicbond. p. 135. ISBN 9781789520309.
  11. 1 2 DeRiso, Nick; Aaron, S. Victor; Paterson, Beverly (8 June 2015). "Paul McCartney's attempt to revitalize Wings with 'Back to the Egg' fell just short". Something Else!. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  12. 1 2 DeRiso, Nick (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 25 August 1979. p. 75. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 August 1979. p. 7. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 25 August 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  16. ↑ ""There's just a hint of punk and new wave seeping in…"". Mojo. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Blistein, Jon (31 March 2016). "Paul McCartney Preps Sprawling Post-Beatles Compilation". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "'The 7" Singles Box' – Out 2 December 2022". PaulMcCartney.com. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2026. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  19. ↑ Skinner, Tom (9 September 2025). "Wings announce self-titled anthology collection". NME. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  20. ↑ My Year of Chevy: One Guy's Journey Through the Filmography of Chevy Chase ISBN 978-1-304-16206-9 p. 15
  21. ↑ Gonzales, Erica (28 February 2020). "Here's Every Song on 'High Fidelity,' So You Don't Have to Shazam Every Scene". Harper's BAZAAR.
  22. ↑ "Arrow Through Me (song)". The-paulmccartney-project.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  23. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 20 October 1979. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  24. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 13 October 1979. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  25. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  26. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 157.
  27. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  28. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.