C Moon
1972 single by Wings
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"C Moon" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was released as a double A-side with "Hi, Hi, Hi" in 1972. The single reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and since "Hi, Hi, Hi" was banned by the BBC, "C Moon" received much airplay in the United Kingdom.[2][3] In the United States, "C Moon" did not appear on any of the major record charts.[4]
| "C Moon" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Label of the UK 7-inch single | ||||
| Single by Wings | ||||
| A-side | "Hi, Hi, Hi" | |||
| Released | 1 December 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 2 September 1972 | |||
| Studio | Morgan Studios, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:33 | |||
| Label | Apple Records | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Paul McCartney | |||
| Wings singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover art | ||||
 Back cover of the German release of "Hi Hi Hi" | ||||
Lyrics and structure
The title "C Moon" was inspired by lyrics in the song "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. McCartney said, "There's a line in [Wooly Bully] that says, 'Let's not be L7.' Well, L7, it was explained at the time, means a square—put L and 7 together and you get a square... So I thought of the idea of putting a C and a moon together (a half-moon) to get the opposite of a square. So 'C Moon' means cool, in other words."[5]
The recording includes a missed-cue intro that was kept in the released version.[6]
The song is in the key of C and is in 4
4 time. The performers change instruments from their usual places. Guitarist Henry McCullough plays drums and tambourine, guitarist Denny Laine plays bass, and drummer Denny Seiwell plays xylophone and cornet.[7]
The song was recorded around the same time as "Hi, Hi, Hi", in September 1972.[8]
Releases
| Country | UK | US | Germany | France | Japan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Label | Apple | Apple | EMI Electrola/Apple | Apple | Apple |
| Catalogue number | R 5973 | 1857 | 1C006-05208 | 2C006-05208 | EAR-10241 |
| Release date | 1 December 1972 | 4 December 1972 | December, 1972 | 20 January 1973 | |
| Chart ratings | 5 (16 January 1973) |
— | N/A | N/A | 26 (February, 1973) |
The song was included on the Paul McCartney compilation albums All the Best! (1987) and Wingspan: Hits and History (2001) and as a bonus track on the 1993 remastered CD of Red Rose Speedway, as part of The Paul McCartney Collection. It was also included on The 7" Singles Box in 2022.[9]
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – lead, harmony and backing vocals, piano, cornet
- Linda McCartney – harmony and backing vocals
- Denny Laine – bass
- Denny Seiwell – xylophone, cornet
- Henry McCullough – drums, tambourine