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Released in 1982

Wanderlust

Written by Paul McCartney

Last updated on July 6, 2024

Album This song officially appears on the Tug Of War Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1982

Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1980, when Paul McCartney was 38 years old)

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interviews

“Wanderlust” is a song from 1982 album “Tug Of War“.

We were recording in the Virgin Islands for the album which became London Town. We had hired a mobile studio and put it on a boat and it was a holiday with the kids and everything. During that time we were staying on a boat with a very macho captain who had made his fortune in condominiums.

We fell out with him, and I said “Who wants to stay on your lousy tub?” and we went on to a trimaran called Wanderlust. So Wanderlust became associated with freedom, breaking away from oppression – let’s get out of here. Years later I wrote this song based on this experience.

Paul McCartney – From the “Give My Regards To Broad Street” book, Pavilion Books, 1984

Is “Wanderlust” an emotional song?

It’s actually a personal experience. What happened was that we were recording (we went out to the Virgin Islands to record an album called ‘London Town‘) and we were on boats, in a little bay recording for a month. The captain of the boat that we were on was a little, sort of, heavier than the other captains – you know, he sort of took it a little more seriously – and at some stage we had a sort of argument with him, and I sort of said, “You know, we don’t need all this aggro stuff”, and we wanted to get off onto this other boat that happened to be in the harbour. These people had said we could come on this, and this boat happened to be called “Wanderlust”, so it became like a symbol of freedom to me, this catamaran, as it was, called “Wanderlust”. We only actually stayed one night on it, but it was like, after this hassling that this other fellow had given us, to get onto this boat was like freedom, you know, so the song for me is actually just carrying on the idea. You know, just head us out to sea and take us away from all these headaches, and just wanderlust kind of free.

Paul McCartney – From an interview for Club Sandwich, 1982

Paul McCartney wanted George Harrison to add a guitar solo to the song “Wanderlust“. He, his wife Linda, George Martin (producer of the album) and Denny Laine went visiting George at his house, Friar Park, where he had located his personal studio (named FPSHOT – Friar Park Studio, Henley-On-Thames). Before working on “Wanderlust“, George Harrison asked Paul to record some backing vocals for his song “All Those Years Ago“. In the end, the guitar overdub for “Wanderlust” was never recorded. And instead of a guitar solo, McCartney decided to use a brass ensemble.

I enjoyed doing that track, and the brass ensemble was great; we did that back in England. They were fabulous, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. I think, listening to the record again recently, I didn’t use the brass ensemble enough. They could have done more; they could have been more often in the song, instead of just the solo.

Paul McCartney – from the Tug Of War Archive Collection, 2015
Paul’s handwritten lyrics for Wanderlust – From the “Tug Of War Archive Collection” @ 2015 MPL Communications Inc
From PaulMcCartneyPodcast / Twitter – A quick snap from the back of Club Sandwich no. 75. Taken Spring of 1977 off the coast of the Virgin Islands. “Light out Wanderlust, head us out to sea…”

“Wanderlust” was re-recorded for the McCartney’s 1984 movie, “Give My Regards To Broad Street“ (still with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble). The complete version lasting 4:07 appeared on the CD version of the soundtrack, while a shortened 2:48 version was released on the LP version.

From “Give My Regards To Broad Street”, movie section showing Paul and the band playing “Wanderlust”

Lyrics

Light out Wanderlust

Head us out to sea

Captain says there'll be a bust

This one's not for me

Take us from the dark

Out where we can see

Captain's out to make his mark

This one's not to be

Light out Wanderlust

Help us to be free

Light out Wanderlust

Do it just for me

Wanderlust

Oh where did I go wrong my love?

What petty crime was I found guilty of?

What better time to find a brand new day?

Oh - Wanderlust away

Light out Wanderlust

Help us to be free

Light out Wanderlust

Do it just for me

Wanderlust

Captain's out to make his mark

This one's not to be

Light out Wanderlust

Head us out to sea

Captain says there'll be a bust

This one's not for me

COUNTER MELODY

Oh where did I go wrong my love?

What petty crime was I found guilty of?

What better time to find a brand new day?

Oh Wanderlust away

Dropping a line

Maybe this time

It's Wanderlust for me

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Wanderlust”

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989

With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.

Buy on Amazon

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

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Mike • 6 years ago

Brian Wilson wins a beautiful version of this song on Art of McCartney. I always thought it has echoes of Saint Saens 3rd symphony. Lovely song and has a great brass band quality to it. Love about of brass band me! Toot toot!

The PaulMcCartney Project • 6 years ago

Thanks Mike. I haven't listened to the Art Of McCartney yet - sthg to do !

meanderer06513 • 5 years ago

I'd read (or heard) an interview from about the time of "Tug of War"'s release (or it could have been "London Town"s?) that the captain of the boat the McCartneys were staying on was trying to instigate some sort of drug bust on McCartney, and that they'd left that boat and got on 'Wanderlust', just to get away from that first captain.

Serguei • 2 years ago

Still, the question remains who plays drums on the Tug of War version of the song: Ringo Starr or Adrian Sheppard?

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