It’s to Paul McCartney‘s credit that he can take a personal experience and use it as a jumping-off point for a song that evokes something special in his listeners. He’s done it numerous times in his career, and audiences tend to be none the wiser about whatever inspired the lyrics, unless they read an interview or a story like this about it.
Such is the case with “Wanderlust,” a beautiful ballad that adorns McCartney’s 1982 album Tug of War. Listeners might have heard the song and thought Paul was talking about his own personal need to get away from it all. Technically, he was, but only after a very specific incident highlighted that need.
Videos by American Songwriter
Out to Sea
Never one to shy away from recording in unusual locations, McCartney and the members of his band Wings headed to the Virgin Islands in 1977 to lay down some tracks on a yacht, of all places. To do that, he fitted a room in the vessel with recording equipment, which apparently didn’t sit too well with boat’s captain.
There was also concern about potential drug use by Macca and his band, which further raised the level of tension. When you add in the typical antics you can expect from musicians in an exotic location with lots of free time in between sessions, it was somewhat predictable there would be some kind of clash between the band and the authority figure trying to protect his ship.
At one point, the captain confronted McCartney, and the former Beatle didn’t back down. He did decide to get away from it all for a night, on a nearby catamaran known as, you guessed it, 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,” McCartney explained in a 1982 interview. “You know, just head us out to sea and take us away from all these headaches, and just wanderlust kind of free.”
The Deeper Meaning of “Wanderlust”
McCartney might have been inspired to write the song in ’77, but he didn’t actually release it until 1982, giving it a suitably dreamy arrangement featuring a brass ensemble. We know it was inspired by the specifics of that incident, and you can hear subtle references to that time in the lyrics (especially in the winking line, Captain says there’ll be a bust.)
But “Wanderlust” leaves all that baggage behind and speaks to something that’s inherent in the human spirit, which is the need to find personal freedom whenever it feels like you’re hemmed in by something beyond your control. Light out, Wanderlust, McCartney sings. Take us out to sea. It’s a plea for deliverance.
Take us from the dark, McCartney begs. Out where we can see. The words he uses are simple and direct, all the better for them to break through to whatever higher power he might be addressing. Once again, the Captain represents something unswerving and obstinate, against which there’s no other sane move but to rebel: Captain’s out to make his mark / This one’s not to be.
In a bit of a twist, McCartney adds a kind of second middle eight to the song. The narrator starts to wonder how he ended up in this stifling situation. But he also realizes that he has it within his spirit to rectify the situation: What better time to find a brand new day / Oh Wanderlust, away. Later, he combines the two middle eights as countermelodies with stirring results.
In the song’s final moments, the narrator realizes the sea road not taken is the one for him: Dropping a line / Maybe this time / It’s Wanderlust for me. With “Wanderlust,” he took a somewhat contentious real-life trip and turned it into a dreamy journey.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Neville Marriner/Daily Mail/Shutterstock
Local News
Comments / 0