Arrow Through Me

"Arrow Through Me"
"Arrow Through Me"
Single by Wings
from the album Back to the Egg
B-side	"Old Siam, Sir"
Released	14 August 1979 (US)
Recorded	12–17 July 1978
Genre	Funk; soft rock;
Length	3:37
Label	Columbia (US)
Songwriter(s)	Paul McCartney
Producer(s)	Paul McCartney Chris Thomas;
Wings singles chronology

"Arrow Through Me" is a song by the British–American rock band Wings, released on their 1979 album Back to the Egg.^[5]

Background

"Arrow Through Me", unlike most songs on Back to the Egg, is more pop-oriented than rock-oriented.^[6]

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

— Laurence Juber, Daytrippin'^[7]

Ultimate Classic Rock contributor Nick DeRiso compared the keyboard bass line to those of Stevie Wonder and also praised the "inventive undulating polyrhythm" played by drummer Steve Holley.^[8] DeRiso rated "Arrow Through Me" to be Wings' 8th greatest song.^[8] Billboard described it as "a light and bouncy midtempo tune with sparse orchestration."^[9] Cash Box called the song "a slightly quirky tune" and said that the instrumentation creates a "somber but light backing for the pleading vocals.^[10] Record World called it a "unique and throroghly refreshing McCartney effort" whose rhythm "struts while the keyboards ring and bold horn charts inject energy."^[11]

Personnel

Paul McCartney – vocals, keyboard bass, electric piano, clavinet^[12]
Steve Holley – drums, Flexatone, drum machine
Howie Casey – horns
Tony Dorsey – horns
Steve Howard – horns
Thaddeus Richard – horns

Release

It was the A-side of the second US single released from Back to the Egg and peaked at number 29. The B-side was "Old Siam, Sir", which was the A-side of the first UK single.

Other

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).^[13]

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.^[14]

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles^[15]	27
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[16]	6
US Billboard Hot 100^[17]	29
US Billboard Adult Contemporary^[18]	29
US Cash Box Top 100	36

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)	Rank
Canada (RPM Chart)^[19]	181
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)^[20]	178

References

^ Hewitt, Paolo (2005). "Ten Solo Gems". NME. NME Originals. 2 (3): 20.
^ 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...
^ DeRiso, Nick (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Paul McCartney and Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock.
^ Petridis, Alexis (16 June 2022). "Paul McCartney's greatest post-Beatles songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
^ McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 219
^ McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 204
^ Terrill, Marshall (10 August 2010). "Exclusive: Ex-Wings guitarist, Laurence Juber, talks about attending 'Paul McCartney University'". Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine.
^ ^a ^b DeRiso, Nick (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 25 August 1979. p. 75. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 August 1979. p. 7. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 25 August 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
^ "Arrow Through Me (song)". The-paulmccartney-project.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
^ My Year of Chevy: One Guy's Journey Through the Filmography of Chevy Chase ISBN 978-1-304-16206-9 p. 15
^ Gonzales, Erica (28 February 2020). "Here's Every Song on 'High Fidelity,' So You Don't Have to Shazam Every Scene". Harper's BAZAAR.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 20 October 1979. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 13 October 1979. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 157.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

External links

Paul McCartney - Arrow Through Me on YouTube

This article about a song by one or more members of the Beatles is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[TSG-1] Hewitt, Paolo (2005). "Ten Solo Gems". NME. NME Originals. 2 (3): 20.

[Sheffield_2024-2] 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...

[3] DeRiso, Nick (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Paul McCartney and Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock.

[Petridis_2022-4] Petridis, Alexis (16 June 2022). "Paul McCartney's greatest post-Beatles songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2024.

[5] McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 219

[6] McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 204

[daytrippin-7] Terrill, Marshall (10 August 2010). "Exclusive: Ex-Wings guitarist, Laurence Juber, talks about attending 'Paul McCartney University'". Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine.

[deriso-8] DeRiso, Nick (27 April 2014). "Top 10 Wings Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 January 2019.

[9] "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 25 August 1979. p. 75. Retrieved 8 July 2020.

[cb-10] "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 August 1979. p. 7. Retrieved 1 January 2022.

[11] "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 25 August 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 11 February 2023.

[12] "Arrow Through Me (song)". The-paulmccartney-project.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.

[13] My Year of Chevy: One Guy's Journey Through the Filmography of Chevy Chase ISBN 978-1-304-16206-9 p. 15

[14] Gonzales, Erica (28 February 2020). "Here's Every Song on 'High Fidelity,' So You Don't Have to Shazam Every Scene". Harper's BAZAAR.

[15] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 20 October 1979. Retrieved 4 April 2017.

[16] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 13 October 1979. Retrieved 4 October 2021.

[17] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[18] Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 157.

[RPM_YearEnd-19] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 14 October 2016.

[20] Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.

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v t e Wings
Paul McCartney Linda McCartney Denny Laine Denny Seiwell Henry McCullough Jimmy McCulloch Geoff Britton Joe English Laurence Juber Steve Holley
Studio albums	Wild Life (1971) Red Rose Speedway (1973) Band on the Run (1973) Venus and Mars (1975) Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976) London Town (1978) Back to the Egg (1979)
Live albums	Wings over America (1976) Wings over Europe (2018) One Hand Clapping (2024)
Compilations	Wings Greatest (1978) Cold Cuts (unreleased) Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)
Singles	"Give Ireland Back to the Irish" "Mary Had a Little Lamb" / "Little Woman Love" "Hi, Hi, Hi" / "C Moon" "My Love" "Live and Let Die" / "I Lie Around" "Helen Wheels" / "Country Dreamer" "Mrs. Vandebilt" / "Bluebird" "Jet" / "Mamunia" "Let Me Roll It" "Band on the Run" / "Zoo Gang" "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" "Junior's Farm" / "Sally G" "Listen to What the Man Said" / "Love in Song" "Letting Go" / "You Gave Me the Answer" "Venus and Mars"/"Rock Show" / "Magneto and Titanium Man" "Silly Love Songs" / "Cook of the House" "Let 'Em In" / "Beware My Love" "Maybe I'm Amazed" / "Soily" "Seaside Woman" "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" "With a Little Luck" / "Backwards Traveller"/"Cuff Link" "I've Had Enough" / "Deliver Your Children" "London Town" / "I'm Carrying" "Goodnight Tonight" / "Daytime Nighttime Suffering" "Old Siam, Sir" "Getting Closer" "Arrow Through Me" / "Old Siam, Sir" "Rockestra Theme" "Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)" "Mama's Little Girl"
Other songs	"Big Barn Bed" "Little Lamb Dragonfly" "Loup (1st Indian on the Moon)" "No Words" "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" "Call Me Back Again" "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" "She's My Baby" "Must Do Something About It" "Warm and Beautiful" "Girlfriend"
Tours	Wings University Tour (1972) Wings Over Europe Tour (1972) Wings 1973 UK Tour (May 1973) Wings Over the World tour (1975–1976) Wings UK Tour 1979 (1979)
Filmography	Wings Over the World (1979) Concert for Kampuchea (1980) Rockshow (1980) Back to the Egg (1981) Wingspan – An Intimate Portrait (2001)
Related articles	1972 Wings Tour Bus Discography Songs McGear Concerts for the People of Kampuchea (album) Japanese Tears Standard Time Suzy and the Red Stripes The Oriental Nightfish Wide Prairie

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