# Paul McCartney left The Beatles behind, picked up an amateur band on the way to Scotland, and outsold everything they ever did

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/paul-mccartney-left-the-beatles-behind-picked-up-an-amateur-band-on-the-way-to-scotland-and-outsold-everything-they-ever-did/
- Published: 2026-10-29T09:01:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T04:40:00+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/amateur-band-helped-paul-mccartney-outsell-the-beatles/
- Topics: Art, Culture, Entertainment, Music, UK, World

## Key points

- “Mull of Kintyre” became Wings’ biggest hit.
- The song drew inspiration from McCartney’s Scottish home.
- The Campbeltown Pipe Band featured on the recording.

## Summary

After leaving The Beatles, Paul McCartney formed Wings and drew on his time in rural Scotland to write “Mull of Kintyre”. Released in 1977, the song became an unexpected Christmas hit and, according to the article, went on to sell more copies in Britain than any Beatles track.

The song was inspired by the Mull of Kintyre, where McCartney had found refuge after the Beatles split, and was written with Wings bandmate Denny Laine. The Campbeltown Pipe Band played on the recording, helping give it its distinctive sound; the article says it became the first single to sell more than two million copies nationwide.

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