Wild Life

‘Wild Life’ is the fourth song and title track on Wings’s debut album.

The song was inspired by a safari trip to Nairobi, Kenya, which Paul McCartney and Mal Evans took in November 1966. While there they visited the Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County.

We didn’t stand up for millions of causes and stuff, like conservation, but the first song we did saying something was ‘Wild Life’ and that just said that nature was all right. The wild state is a good state so why are we getting rid of it? Let’s not. The animals are in zoos, instead of just running, like they are supposed to. Once I was in a game park in Africa, just doing the tour through and there was a big sign at the entrance and it said, ‘All you people in motor cars, remember the animals have the right of way.’ I liked that. I like that somewhere the animals have right of way over you.

At nearly seven minutes, ‘Wild Life’ is the longest song on the Wild Life album.

It was recorded at Abbey Road in three takes on 26 July 1971, with overdubs following on 2 October. The harpsichord-sounding instrument was an RMI Electra-piano played by Linda McCartney.

In Venezuela the Odeon label issued ‘Wild Life’ as a single, split into two parts.

Wings performed ‘Wild Life’ during their University Tour and Wings Over Europe Tour in 1972, and the following year’s British Tour.