LIVERIGHT/W. W. NORTON UNVEILS COVER AND FURTHER DETAILS FOR UPCOMING RELEASE OF NEW BOOK
WINGS: The Story of a Band on the Run
By Paul McCartney
Edited and with an Introduction by Ted Widmer
A landmark account of Paul McCartneyâs triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the subsequent rise of one of the decadeâs most iconic bandsâtold by Paul and the people who were there.
Publishing November 4, 2025
A unique oral history.
âSuddenly Wings has found its moment. We have a generational shift at work, and itâs like being transported back on a magic carpet. Working on the book has awakened so many beautiful memories of our times back then.â
– Paul McCartney, from the foreword of WINGS: The Story of a Band on the Run
One of musicâs greatest adventures told by a cast of incredible characters who were there, including: Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Mary McCartney, Stella McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, George Martin, Sean Ono Lennon, Chrissie Hynde, Dustin Hoffman, Twiggy and all the members of WingsâDenny Seiwell, Henry McCullough, Jimmy McCulloch, Geoff Britton, Joe English, Steve Holley and Laurence Juber.
This remarkable cast tells the story of a band who made historyâselling over 22 million albums worldwide, spawning singles including #1 hits “My Love,” “Band on the Run,” “Listen to What the Man Said,” “Silly Love Songs,” “Let âEm In,” and “With a Little Luck,” and an Oscar nomination for “Live and Let Die” (the first James Bond theme to receive that nod). A band who pushed the boundaries in both the studio and in live performances, from their first university tour through to pioneering large scale concerts, long before stadiums and arenas were commonly used for rock shows.
The book includes a foreword written by Paul McCartney and is compiled from over 42 hours of brand-new interviews, plus historical interviews, and newly discovered, previously unheard interviews from Paul’s personal archive. WINGS: The Story of a Band on the Run features over 150 photographs capturing Wings throughout the yearsâmany previously unseenâand shot by an array of photographers including Linda McCartney, Mike McCartney, Clive Arrowsmith, Henry Diltz, Robert Ellis and Paul himself. The book also includes memorabilia, including some of Paulâs diary page entries from the time and handwritten lyrics.
WINGS: The Story of a Band on the Run is an international story that moves through space as well as time, including adventures in Scotland, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Nashville, Lagos, Japan, the Virgin Islands, Morocco, Montserrat and other memorable places, against the backdrop of political and social timelines of the 1970s.
Notes to the editor
Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run by Paul McCartney, edited by Ted Widmer
Publishing Tuesday November 4, 2025 in hardback and e-book
Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company
Hardback ISBN: 9781324-096306; $45; 528 pages
About the author and editor
Born in Liverpool in 1942, Paul McCartney was raised in the city and educated at the Liverpool Institute. Since writing his first song at 14, McCartney has dreamed and dared to be different. He lives in England.
Ted Widmer is a prize-winning historian, a former White House speechwriter, and a lifelong music fan. His most recent book is Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington.
For US publicity inquiries:
Steve Martin at [email protected]
Peter Miller at [email protected]
Downloads of the book cover and other related digital assets can be retrieved at: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wydsxe49erus4tgpbi4e9/AP9Rnb9cWSLkcyhsfD_pDiI?rlkey=a62qgj9136z051ofeim61a5y2&e=2&dl=0
