In the winter of 1977, a soft Scottish folk song beat punk and disco to become the UK’s Christmas No. 1. The track was “Mull of Kintyre” by Wings, led by former The Beatles icon Paul McCartney.
The single stayed at the top of the UK charts for nine weeks and sold more than two million copies, per BBC, making it the first UK single ever to hit that mark. For years, it stood as the biggest-selling single in British history.
Released on Nov. 11, 1977, as a double A-side with “Girls’ School,” the song quickly raced up the charts. It held the No. 1 spot through December 1977 and into January 1978. Its record-breaking run lasted until 1984, when Band Aid released “Do They Know It’s Christmas.”
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Unlike the loud rock hits of the time, “Mull of Kintyre” was gentle and warm. That contrast helped it stand out. While punk bands like the Sex Pistols and disco acts filled the airwaves, McCartney’s love song to Scotland quietly won over millions.
The Story Behind ‘Mull of Kintyre’
The idea for the song began in 1974. McCartney later shared that he wrote the main melody years before finishing it. He completed and recorded the track in August 1977 during a break from sessions for the album London Town.
McCartney co-wrote the song with Denny Laine, a longtime member of Wings. Laine once recalled how the song came together at breakfast at McCartney’s farm in Scotland.
“Paul said he was having a go at writing a Scottish song but wasn’t sure how people would feel about it, an Englishman singing a Scottish song,” Laine said.
The next day, the pair sat outside with a bottle of whisky and looked at the hills and sea around them.
“We just looked around at all the hillsides and the glens and everything and just wrote the words and the rest of the song that afternoon,” Laine explained.
The song is about the Mull of Kintyre, the southwestern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland. McCartney had owned High Park Farm there since 1966. He bought it as a quiet place to escape fame at the height of Beatlemania. Over the years, he said the farm helped him stay grounded, especially during the breakup of The Beatles.
According to Gold Radio, one key reason the song became unforgettable was the sound of bagpipes. McCartney invited the local Campbeltown Pipe Band to play on the record.
The music video was filmed in October 1977 at Saddell Bay, just a few miles from McCartney’s farm. The local band also appeared in the video, adding to the song’s strong community feel.
Even decades later, “Mull of Kintyre” remains one of McCartney’s most successful singles. It outsold any Beatles single in the UK at the time and is still considered the biggest-selling non-charity single in British chart history based on physical sales.
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