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==Reception==
==Reception==
''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' described the song as McCartney's equivalent to [[John Lennon]]'s "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/212835/tug_of_war |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312182001/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/212835/tug_of_war |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 12, 2007 |title=Review of ''Tug Of War'' |last=Holden |first=Stephen |work=[[Rolling Stone]] |accessdate=2009-08-30}}</ref> The song has a clear division between the verses featuring sad lyrics about the struggle to survive, the necessity of conflict (pushing and pulling) and the hopeful refrain, in which McCartney looks for a future where these struggles are no longer necessary.<ref>[http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=17225 Tug of War Songfacts]</ref> The lyrics have been interpreted as a description of his complex relationship with Lennon,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gould|first=Jonathan|title=Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America|publisher=Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group|year=2007|isbn=9780307353382|location=London|language=English}}</ref> who was [[Death of John Lennon|killed two years prior]].
''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' described the song as McCartney's equivalent to [[John Lennon]]'s "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/212835/tug_of_war |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312182001/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/212835/tug_of_war |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 12, 2007 |title=Review of ''Tug Of War'' |last=Holden |first=Stephen |work=[[Rolling Stone]] |accessdate=2009-08-30}}</ref> The song has a clear division between the verses featuring sad lyrics about the struggle to survive, the necessity of conflict (pushing and pulling) and the hopeful refrain, in which McCartney looks for a future where these struggles are no longer necessary.<ref>[http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=17225 Tug of War Songfacts]</ref> The lyrics have been interpreted as a description of his complex relationship with Lennon,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gould|first=Jonathan|title=Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America|publisher=Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group|year=2007|isbn=9780307353382|location=London|language=English}}</ref> who was [[Death of John Lennon|killed two years prior]].

''[[Cash Box]]'' said that the song is "an intriguing mix of the acoustic and the symphonic," saying that "guitar blends with strings while Paul sings of the constant push and pull in our present lives and a more optimistic 'time to come' when 'we will be dancing to the beat played on a different drum.'"<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1982/CB-1982-09-25.pdf|date=September 25, 1982|accessdate=2022-07-07|page=8}}</ref>


The single reached number 11 in Poland, number 53 in the UK and number 53 in the US. It also reached number 31 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul McCartney singles|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4865/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}}|publisher=[[allmusic]]|accessdate=2010-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Official Charts: Paul McCartney|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/paul%20mccartney/|publisher=The Official UK Charts Company|accessdate=2011-10-13}}</ref>
The single reached number 11 in Poland, number 53 in the UK and number 53 in the US. It also reached number 31 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul McCartney singles|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4865/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}}|publisher=[[allmusic]]|accessdate=2010-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Official Charts: Paul McCartney|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/paul%20mccartney/|publisher=The Official UK Charts Company|accessdate=2011-10-13}}</ref>

Revision as of 19:27, 7 July 2022

"Tug of War"
Single by Paul McCartney
from the album Tug of War
B-side"Get It"
Released6 September 1982
RecordedSummer 1981
Genre
Length4:20 (album version)
4:00 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney
Producer(s)George Martin
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"Take It Away"
(1982) 		"Tug of War"
(1982) 		"The Girl Is Mine"
(1982)

"Tug of War" is the title track from Paul McCartney’s 1982 album Tug of War.

Reception

Rolling Stone described the song as McCartney's equivalent to John Lennon's "Imagine".[1] The song has a clear division between the verses featuring sad lyrics about the struggle to survive, the necessity of conflict (pushing and pulling) and the hopeful refrain, in which McCartney looks for a future where these struggles are no longer necessary.[2] The lyrics have been interpreted as a description of his complex relationship with Lennon,[3] who was killed two years prior.

Cash Box said that the song is "an intriguing mix of the acoustic and the symphonic," saying that "guitar blends with strings while Paul sings of the constant push and pull in our present lives and a more optimistic 'time to come' when 'we will be dancing to the beat played on a different drum.'"[4]

The single reached number 11 in Poland, number 53 in the UK and number 53 in the US. It also reached number 31 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[5][6]

The album version starts with the sounds of people grunting as part of a real tug of war- a popular sporting event since ancient times, before Paul goes into the song, and then at the end of the song, it fades into "Take It Away". The single version omits these factors.

Music video

The music video for "Tug of War" was directed by Maurice Phillips.[7]

Personnel

Track listing

7" single
  1. "Tug of War"
  2. "Get It" (with Carl Perkins)

References

  1. ^ Holden, Stephen. "Review of Tug Of War". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  2. ^ Tug of War Songfacts
  3. ^ Gould, Jonathan (2007). Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America. London: Piatkus, Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 9780307353382.
  4. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 25, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  5. ^ "Paul McCartney singles". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  6. ^ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  7. ^ "Paul McCartney: Tug of War (1982)". IMDb. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
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