What was Paul McCartney’s only country chart hit?
In July of 1974, Paul and Linda McCartney travelled to Nashville, Tennessee, to stay at a farm belonging to songwriter Curly Putman Jr.
At the time, McCartney was testing out Wings’ revamped lineup. Coming off the success of 1973’s Band on the Run, which saw him, Linda, and backing vocalist Denny Laine as a trio, McCartney had experienced what would be Wings’ most fortunate streak despite being reduced to three, after the abrupt departures of guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell.
Now, they were to be joined by Jimmy McCulloch (formerly of Thunderclap Newman and Stone the Crows) on lead guitar and Geoff Britton on drums, setting out to their first recording session as a full line-up in rural Wilson County, Nashville.
This trip spawned a non-album single in 1974, ‘Junior’s Farm’, capturing the tranquil environment they found themselves in while free from touring obligations. Its B-side, ‘Sally G’, would become a surprise success, released after ‘Junior’s Farm’ to prolong the record.
“We are re-promoting it,” an advertisement read, “So that everyone has a chance to hear another side of Paul, Linda and Wings.”
Both songs would reach the Billboard top 20 in the United States, peaking at number 39 and number 51, respectively. ‘Sally G’ would be released in October 1974, marking McCartney’s sole hit on the country charts. The McCartneys wrote the song during this fateful trip, after visiting a country music club in Printer’s Alley, a famous alley in downtown Nashville.
“Buddy Killen took us out to Printer’s Alley, a little club district,” McCartney later recalled, citing the studio owner and music publisher as the one to immerse him and Linda into the famed Music City. ‘Sally G’ is an amalgamation of the characters encountered in the city’s nightlife, imagining a woman singing behind a bar, “a pretty who made a pretty big fool out of me,” in McCartney’s words. The two begin an impassioned relationship, though McCartney’s love is no match for Sally’s lying ways. As McCartney listens to the voice in his head telling him to leave, he is left alone, wondering why she has taken his heart.
“I never thought to ask her what the letter G stood for,” McCartney sings, “But I know for sure it wasn’t good.”
“I didn’t see anyone named ‘Sally G’ in Printer’s Alley,” the singer explained, “Nor did I see anyone who ran her eyes over me when she was singing ‘A Troubled Mind.’ That was my imagination, adding to the reality of it.”
‘Sally G’ tells of an ill-fated love while immortalising the enticing history of Nashville, granting McCartney the freedom to embrace his love of country music. Alongside the new and improved Wings lineup, McCartney enlisted some esteemed session musicians from Music Row, including Johnny Gimble, a fiddle player known for honing the western swing sound of Bib Wills and his Texas Playboys, Vassar Clements, known as the ‘Father of Hillbilly Jazz’, and Lloyd Green, a pedal steel guitar player. With each lending their talents, ‘Sally G’ harnessed a classic country sound that prompted the record company to promote the single on country radio. The song would debut at number 91 on the charts, later peaking at number 51. On the ‘Easy Listening’ Billboard chart, it peaked at number seven. The song would also mark their final release on Apple Records.
While a wildcard in the Wings catalogue, ‘Sally G’ represented the genesis of Wings: a chance to hear McCartney in post-Beatles fame, outside of his former band and rejuvenated with an increasingly eclectic output.
