Linda McCartney's Music Videos Now On YouTube

15.01.2020
Photo of Linda McCartney 'Wide Prairie' album artwork

In celebration of the Linda McCartney Retrospective making its UK debut at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow and the re-release of Wide Prairie - the posthumous 1998 compilation of Linda McCartney recordings and notably, the only album to be released solely under her name - Linda's official music videos are now available to watch on her official YouTube channel. From award-winning animations to more serious themes of animal rights issues, Linda’s music videos are an eclectic and perceptive insight into her musical life from the early 1970s through to the late 1990s. Read Paul's track-by-track stories about the songs and watch the videos below.

'Seaside Woman'

_“[This] was the first song Linda wrote. Her delight in being exposed to the Caribbean lifestyle inspired this beautiful response. The song was made by Linda and Oscar Grillo into an animated short which went on to win the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or._” - Paul

'Oriental Nightfish'

“Recorded with Wings up at the old Air London Studios, Linda’s dramatic vocal harks back to the Fifties and Sixties when strange stories were told by acts like The Shangri-Las, The Coasters, and others. It was made into an excellent animated film by Ian Emes which was later objected to by some lady writing to a newspaper to complain about the nudity and its effect on her 5-year-old child. A female figure is seen naked, yes, but come on! – it’s only a harmless drawing, the likes of which have been on view in museums around the world for centuries.” – Paul

'Wide Prairie'

“I have always thought of this song as Linda’s fantasy. Her passion for horses and riding started as a young girl and remained with her all her life. Her tongue in cheek attitude and what we called her ‘twangy’ voice combined to make this joyful little rocker. She recorded it during sessions at EMI Studios in Paris where years before I had done the vocal for ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’. We travelled there shortly after Princess Anne’s first wedding in Westminster Abbey, taking the group van with other band members who at that time included Jimmy McCulloch and Denny Laine. As you can probably hear, we had a ball.” - Paul

'The Light Comes From Within'

“If ‘I Got Up’ showed Linda’s strong opposition to oppression, then 'The Light' took it a few steps further. During the last couple of years of her life, we were required to make many trips “up to London” for one treatment or another. We always tried to put the journey time to good use. She and I talked a lot about this album, and the lyrics to this song were finished during one such trip. When we came to record the vocals, which was sadly to be her last, I said half-jokingly, “You can’t sing this”. She looked at me with a sparkle in her eye and said: “You wanna bet?” It was her answer to all the people who had ever put her down and that whole dumb male chauvinist attitude that to her had caused so much harm in our society. God bless her... my little baby literally had the last word. She also loved the idea of our son James playing the guitar on it.” - Paul

'The White Coated Man'

“Linda’s and my involvement with animal rights caused her and our friend Carla Lane to come up with ‘The White Coated Man’. Carla’s poignant lyric explores the vivisection issue. Linda felt deeply about the suffering of innocent animals for mankind’s gain, which still continues to this day and will until we as a society show compassion towards the creatures we share our planet with.” – Paul