‘Wino Junko’ is the fifth song on Wings’ fifth studio album Wings At The Speed Of Sound.
The music was written by the band’s guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, with lyrics by Stone The Crows drummer Colin Allen.
At around the time I wrote the lyric I was doing some rehearsing with Jack Bruce. Also involved was STC keyboard player Ronnie Leahy. ‘Wino Junko’ was really born out of the fact that Jack – a well-documented heroin user – was also into fine wines, which at the time I thought was a bit of a contradiction. The rest of the lyric is just stringing some words and ideas together. ‘Doctor Tom’ does actually relate to a real doctor. His name wasn’t Tom, I used that ’cos it rhymed with on. He was in actual fact a private doctor used by many musicians and people in showbiz. He would, often without regard for a patient’s well-being, give prescriptions out for whatever pills a person wanted – uppers, downers. So ‘Doctor Tom is getting on/All he does is sign his name’ meant he was getting rich just by signing prescriptions.
Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story, Paul Salley
Although the song is a warning against drink and drug abuse, there is an inherent irony in the lyrics. In September 1979, two years after he left Wings, McCulloch died at the age of just 26 from morphine and alcohol poisoning.
This song, and ‘Medicine Jar’, is about someone who knows he can’t resist to extremes. And this was very much Jimmy. It was the story of his life. You sort of want to be able to go back in time and say, ‘Look Jim, these are warnings to yourself, you’re writing them and singing them. What’s the logic here? You straighten up.
Wings At The Speed Of Sound deluxe edition liner notes
The song was recorded at Abbey Road on 13 January 1976.
Wings never performed ‘Wino Junko’ live.
It turned out less of a McCartney production and more of a Wings effort. It wasn’t intended like that. There was one of the songs that I had sung but I just let Joe, our drummer, sing it because he’s got a very nice voice, and he sang it great. Denny is a natural for a couple of tracks because he is, after all, a lead vocalist. So I wrote one track for him, which I called ‘The Note You Never Wrote’ and he wrote one track himself, ‘Time To Hide’, and then Jimmy, who writes a bit with Colin Allen, did one track this time, ‘Wino Junko’. It seems he can’t get off the plonk!
Lyrics
Doctor Tom is getting on
All he does is sign his name
I get things, my brainbox sings
But I’ll go down again
Play with fire, getting higher
Higher than a nine foot flame
My soul is spent and so’s the rent
But I’ll go down again
Wino Junko can’t say no
Wino Junko, eyes aglow
Pill freak spring a leak
You can’t say no till you go down again
This and that you crazy cat
Flying sideways once again
I’m in a spin, it makes me grin
But I’ll go down again
Wino Junko can’t say no
Wino Junko, eyes aglow
Pill freak spring a leak
You can’t say no till you go down again
Wino Junko can’t say no
Wino Junko, eyes aglow
Pill freak spring a leak
You can’t say no till you go down again
Till you go down (you go down) again
Till you go down again
Till you go down
Take what I need until I bleed
People will say I’ve gone insane
Ain’t scared to die, it’s such a high
Till I go down again
Wino Junko can’t say no
Wino Junko eyes aglow
Pill freak spring a leak
You can’t say no till you go down again
Wino Junko can’t say no
Wino Junko eyes aglow
Pill freak, spring a leak
You can’t say no till you go down again
Till you go down (you go down) again
Till you go down again
Wino Junko. Wino Junko
