WINGS: The Story of a Band on the Run, Cover Revealed

A landmark account of Paul McCartney’s triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the subsequent rise of one of the decade’s most iconic bands—told by Paul and the people who were there.

Publishing November 4, 2025

A unique oral history.

“Suddenly Wings has found its moment. We have a generational shift at work, and it’s like being transported back on a magic carpet. Working on the book has awakened so many beautiful memories of our times back then.”
– Paul McCartney, from the foreword of WINGS: The Story of a Band on the Run

One of music’s 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 Wings—Denny 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 history—selling 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 ‘Em 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 years—many previously unseen—and 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 Paul’s 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.