C Moon

"C Moon"
Single by Wings
A-side	"Hi, Hi, Hi"
Released	1 December 1972
Format	7" single
Recorded	November 1972
Genre	Reggae
Length	4:33
Label	Apple Records
Writer(s)	Paul and Linda McCartney
Producer	Paul McCartney
Wings singles chronology
"Mary Had a Little Lamb" (1972) "Hi, Hi, Hi" (1972) "My Love" (1973)

"C Moon" is a reggae song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. It was released as a double A-side with "Hi, Hi, Hi" in 1972. With the ban of "Hi Hi Hi" in the United Kingdom, "C Moon" became a top five hit. On the strength of that chart performance, it was included in McCartney's 1987 hits compilation, All the Best!.

Lyrics and structure

The name "C Moon" was inspired by lyrics in the song "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. McCartney said, "There's a line in [Wooly Bully] that says, 'Let's not be L7.' Well, L7, it was explained at the time, means a square—put L and 7 together and you get a square... So I thought of the idea of putting a C and a moon together (a half-moon) to get the opposite of a square. So 'C Moon' means cool, in other words."

The recording includes a missed-cue intro that was kept in the released version. Sometimes, when the song is performed live, McCartney will shout words in Jamaican (including "Rastafari") during the intro, replacing the line "Was that the intro I should have been in?".^{[citation needed]}

The song is in the key of C and is in 4/4 time. The performers change instruments from their usual places. Guitarist Henry McCullough plays drums, guitarist Denny Laine plays bass, and drummer Denny Seiwell plays xylophone.

The song was recorded around the same time as "Hi, Hi, Hi", in November 1972.

Releases

Country	UK	USA	Germany	France	Japan
Label	Apple	Apple	EMI Electrola/Apple	Apple	Apple
Catalogue number	R 5973	1857	1C006-05208	2C006-05208	EAR-10241
Release date	1 December 1972	4 December 1972	December, 1972		20 January 1973
Chart ratings	5 (16 January 1973)	—	N/A	N/A	26 (February, 1973)

Also released on McCartney's All the Best, and later reissued on a remastered Red Rose Speedway in 1993, and finally on the Wingspan 2-CD compilation album.

Personnel

• Paul McCartney – lead, harmony and backing vocals, piano
• Linda McCartney – harmony and backing vocals
• Denny Laine - bass
• Denny Seiwell – xylophone
• Henry McCullough – drums

References

• McCartney, Paul (2007). The McCartney Years (DVD). Rhino Records. 
• McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. New York: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-0-87833-304-2.