Fans of the legendary songwriter Paul McCartney are trying to figure out why a non-album song is his most-played live.
The Beatles member and Wings frontman has more than a few hits under his belt and often boasts a setlist filled with classics from his early years, alongside solo and contemporary material. McCartney’s frequently played live songs include Hey Jude, Band on the Run, and Yesterday, three of his all-time best songs, but fans took to the r/PaulMcCartney forum and shared their confusion about which song was number one. McCartney has performed the song in question a total of seven hundred and fifty-seven performances, which he wrote during his time in The Beatles. One user asked: “Is anyone else surprised that Paul has played Lady Madonna in concert more than any other song?”
Fans were somewhat surprised by the fact, but say it makes sense given it was one of the first Beatles songs to return to McCartney’s live set after he began playing his older works again on the Wings Over America shows. One user wrote: “It’s a banger and I know he really likes it, but I’m more surprised there were concerts where he didn’t play Hey Jude or Let It Be.”
Another user explained: “Those early days of Wings had very few Beatles songs in the mix. They were all actively trying to distance themselves from The Beatles’ shadow. I think you mentioned the top couple; he would still play, but Paul was especially reluctant to bring out the old standards. You can’t imagine a show now where he doesn’t play Hey Jude or Let It Be.”
A third wrote: “Mostly Wings concerts (I’m assuming those are included). Wings never played Hey Jude and they only played Let It Be on their final tour. Wings didn’t play any Beatles songs on the University Tour, Wings Over Europe, or the 1973 U.K tour.
“They only played five Beatles songs during Wings Over the World (Yesterday, I’ve Just Seen A Face, Blackbird, Lady Madonna, and The Long and Winding Road), and four during the 1979 U.K tour (Got to Get You Into My Life, Fool On the Hill, Let It Be, and Yesterday).”
A separate user noted the Lady Madonna stat may be padded somewhat as soundcheck tests from McCartney, which are included on SetlistFM, could have boosted the number. One user wrote: “I think that statistic will be skewed higher by Paul often playing Lady Madonna during sound checks, which are also counted on setlist.fm.”
Another added: “I came here to mention that the time I saw him, he played that at both the sound check and during the show later that night.”
A third remained stunned, writing: “He played Lady Madonna with Wings…. So it’s no big surprise that it’s one of the top ones. But I wouldn’t have thought it was the most played!!” Other users believe Band on the Run is likely McCartney’s most-performed song, if you remove the soundcheck additions.
They wrote: “It has to be wrong: Lady Madonna is on the 75-76 tour as is Band on the Run but it’s not on the 79 or 89-90 tours while Band on the Run is. Both were in the shows afterwards, with only two public performances of Lady Madonna alone – the ’95 Royal Academy show, and the pandemic fundraiser.
“By the same token, Band on the Run was played on every tour Let It Be was… but the Beatle song wasn’t included on the 75-76 tour while the Wings track was. Unless there’s a tour I’m missing, they’re using soundcheck and other performances that weren’t full concerts.”
