The Horrific 1972 Incident That Led Paul McCartney to Write Wings’ Debut Single

In February 1972, Paul McCartney‘s band Wings debuted with the single “Give Ireland Back To The Irish.” Written by McCartney and his wife, Linda, the song was a rare political statement from the ex-Beatle, and he was condemned in the U.K. upon its release for seemingly expressing support for the Irish Republican Army during the height of the Troubles.

Videos by American Songwriter

Supporting the IRA at the time, especially as a citizen of the U.K., was a bold move. While the song was more of a general statement supporting the Irish people as a whole in their fight for independence, the press took it in a different direction. The single was banned from U.K. radio stations and largely ignored in the U.S. In addition to being condemned for the apparent IRA support, McCartney was also accused of leeching off of the Bogside Massacre in order to announce his new band.

However, “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” hit No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart for a week in March. Lyrically, the song is simplistic, which was one of the larger criticisms. As a political statement, though, it does its job—”Give Ireland back to the Irish / Don’t make them have to take it away / Give Ireland back to the Irish / Make Ireland Irish today” is a simple yet effective chorus, and also featured Northern Irish guitarist Henry McCullough.

[RELATED: Paul McCartney’s Biggest Professional Risk, According to the Artist Himself]

Bloody Sunday: The Northern Irish Massacre That Led Paul McCartney to Write His First Overt Protest Song

The Bogside Massacre—also known as Bloody Sunday, a moniker that inspired U2 to write their own song in 1983—was an unjustifiable murder by British soldiers of unarmed Irish protesters in Derry, Northern Ireland, in late January 1972. 13 men were killed, with a 14th succumbing to his wounds months later. According to an account compiled by the Conflict Archive on the Internet, many of the protesters were gunned down as they fled from the soldiers. Some others were beaten, and two were killed when they were run over by British Army vehicles.

As a whole, the Troubles lasted from the 1960s until 1998. Ireland’s fight for independence was long, bloody, and exceedingly violent, with Bloody Sunday standing out among the tragedies of that time. Additionally, the soldiers who massacred the protesters during Bloody Sunday were part of the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. They had previously been implicated in the Ballymurphy massacre in August 1971.

Paul McCartney made a bold career move by releasing “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” as Wings’ first single. However, the fact that it was released at all, nevertheless as the band’s debut, should make it clear how serious McCartney was about the statement; things like that aren’t released lightly.

Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns