The Wings Single Paul McCartney Loves Most: “I Was in a Sensuous Mood”

Paul McCartney‘s immediate follow-up to his tenure with the Beatles wasn’t readily accepted. Fans weren’t so sure about the DIY, diverse sound he was peddling as a solo artist. Then, when he tried to form a second band, fans were equally as hesitant. Eventually, though, listeners got on board, thanks to McCartney’s legendary and timeless songwriting. His post-Beatles career delivered countless hits, but there was one Wings single that McCartney counted above the rest.

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[RELATED: On This Day in 1984, Paul McCartney Was at No. 1 With a Single You’ve Probably Forgotten About—Despite Making Chart History]

Paul McCartney’s Favorite Wings Single

Though the efforts of every member of Wings can’t be discounted, the sound of the group was an extension of McCartney’s solo music. The songwriting was vividly McCartney’s, giving the former Beatle a sense of freedom to explore more of his tastes.

In 1972, McCartney hit a stride, releasing what he considered the best Wings single ever: “Hi, Hi, Hi.” Though this is a beloved track, it isn’t the flashiest Wings single. Not everyone would count this track as a favorite, but McCartney’s opinion in this arena is paramount.

“I was in a sensuous mood in Spain when I wrote it,” McCartney once said. “To me, it was just a song to close our act, and since it went down well when we toured the continent, I thought it would be a good single. I think it’s the best single we’ve done as Wings.”

BBC Ban

This song became controversial when the BBC banned it for “suggestive” lyrics. According to the broadcasters, McCartney flew too close to the sun when it came to drug innuendos. McCartney tried to suggest that the single wasn’t about drugs, but about sex. Neither topic played well with the BBC.

“I thought the ‘Hi, Hi, Hi’ thing could easily be taken as a natural high, could be taken as booze high and everything,” McCartney once said. “It doesn’t have to be drugs, you know, so I’d kind of get away with it. Well, the first thing they saw was drugs, so I didn’t get away with that, and then I just had some line ‘Lie on the bed and get ready for my polygon.’”

“Hi, Hi, Hi” is certainly not the only McCartney song to deal with drugs or any other vice, but for some reason, the makeup of this track was boundary-testing enough to get it banned. Revisit this Wings single below.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)