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"Mary Had a Little Lamb"
"Mary Had a Little Lamb"
	Picture sleeve
Single by Wings
B-side	"Little Woman Love"
Released	19 May 1972 (UK) 5 June 1972 (USA)
Recorded	March 1972
Genre	Children's music
Length	3:30
Label	Apple
Songwriter(s)	Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
Producer(s)	Paul McCartney
Wings singles chronology

"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and released as a non-album single by the British–American rock band Wings in March 1972. It is based on the traditional nursery rhyme of the same name.

Background

At the time, some observers such as Roy Carr and Tony Tyler of New Musical Express presumed the song was recorded by McCartney in response to the BBC ban of his previous single, the political "Give Ireland Back to the Irish",^[1] but McCartney has denied this, saying that it was a sincere effort to write a song for children.^[2] In fact, the song was written before "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", as a demo of the song can be heard during an interview recorded for radio station WRKO in December 1971.^[3] For the front and rear cover and the labels, two illustrations by Clara Miller Burd were used.^[4]

Charts and reception

"Mary Had a Little Lamb" was released as a single on 19 May 1972 in the UK, moved back from its original planned date of the 5th.^[5] The record was released in the US on 5 June.^[6] On 25 May, the band mimed a performance of the song for BBC TV's Top of the Pops TV show.^[5]

The song was attacked by several contemporary rock critics, with one commenting that McCartney had "fallen to tripe" of this genre.^[7] However, some critics suspected this immediate change in musical direction to be a deliberately ironic musical manoeuvre.^[8] Cash Box said of it that "the nursery rhyme we all know and love gets a bouncy treatment."^[9] Record World said it was "the familiar nursery rhyme set to a fine McCartney melody."^[10] It reached the top 10 in the UK, peaking at number nine.^[11] Some US radio stations also played the pop/rock B-side, "Little Woman Love". Apple Records in the US even revised the picture sleeve for the single to credit both sides by name (see reverse cover), but the single still failed to rise above number 28 in the US.^[12]

It was also included on The 7" Singles Box in 2022.^[13]

Charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Australian Go-Set National Top 40^[14]	17
Canadian RPM Top 100^[15]	41
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart	41
UK Singles Chart^[16]	9
US Billboard Hot 100^[17]	28
US Cash Box Top 100^[18]	48
US Record World Singles Chart^[18]	38

References

^ Carr, Roy; Tyler, Tony. The Beatles: An Illustrated Record (1975) p. 100
^ Garbarini, Vic (1980). The McCartney Interview [interview LP], Columbia Records.
^ Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013), L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-88-909122-1-4, p.79.
^ Signature on the image at Wings - Mary Had A Little Lamb, retrieved 2022-07-25
^ ^a ^b Miles, Barry; Badman, Keith, eds. (2001). The Beatles Diary After the Break-Up: 1970-2001 (reprint ed.). London: Music Sales Group. ISBN 9780711983076.
^ Kozinn, Allan; Sinclair, Adrian (2022). The McCartney legacy (1st ed.). New York, NY: Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow. p. 680. ISBN 978-0-06-300070-4. OCLC 1369590509.
^ McGee 2003, p. 27
^ Dempsey, J.M. "McCartney at 60: a body of work celebrating home and hearth", Popular Music & Society, February 2004.
^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 17, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. June 17, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
^ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
^ "Paul McCartney Charts and Awards". allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
^ "'The 7" Singles Box' – Out 2 December 2022". PaulMcCartney.com. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
^ "Go-Set Australian Charts – 20 May 1972". poparchives.com.au. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
^ "RPM Top Singles - Volume 17, No. 10 (April 22, 1972)". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
^ "Give Ireland Back to the Irish (Search results)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
^ "Paul McCartney: Awards" > "Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
^ ^a ^b McGee 2003, p. 244.

Bibliography

McGee, Garry (2003). Band on the Run: A History of Paul McCartney and Wings. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-87833-304-2.