Girls School
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Nancy R:
Funny, but I have no memory of Girls School being on the radio and being a hit! I was 22 years old and in Atlanta. Didn't buy the single until 1993 when I went to Virgin records in London!
You don't remember it being a hit because it wasn't a hit. It reached #34 on the Hot 100, which by Paul/Wings '70s standards was a pretty major flop. The year before they hit #1 with Silly Love Songs and #3 with Let 'Em In, and the following year they hit #1 again with With A Little Luck.
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Bruce M.:
Nancy R:
Funny, but I have no memory of Girls School being on the radio and being a hit! I was 22 years old and in Atlanta. Didn't buy the single until 1993 when I went to Virgin records in London!
You don't remember it being a hit because it wasn't a hit. It reached #34 on the Hot 100, which by Paul/Wings '70s standards was a pretty major flop. The year before they hit #1 with Silly Love Songs and #3 with Let 'Em In, and the following year they hit #1 again with With A Little Luck.
Then why do I keep hearing that it was the hit in the U.S.? Maybe they meant it was the side promoted here (stupid) instead of Mull of Kintyre.
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Bruce M.:
I've always thought Girls School was okay but not special,
....which is pretty much my sentiment. 'Move Over Busker' is another uptempo song which kind of falls into the same category for me.
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Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
I've always thought Girls School was okay but not special,
....which is pretty much my sentiment. 'Move Over Busker' is another uptempo song which kind of falls into the same category for me.
Clearly we have different ears for music. To me, Girls School has always been an incredible track.
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Nancy R:
Bruce M.:
Nancy R:
Funny, but I have no memory of Girls School being on the radio and being a hit! I was 22 years old and in Atlanta. Didn't buy the single until 1993 when I went to Virgin records in London!
You don't remember it being a hit because it wasn't a hit. It reached #34 on the Hot 100, which by Paul/Wings '70s standards was a pretty major flop. The year before they hit #1 with Silly Love Songs and #3 with Let 'Em In, and the following year they hit #1 again with With A Little Luck.
Then why do I keep hearing that it was the hit in the U.S.? Maybe they meant it was the side promoted here (stupid) instead of Mull of Kintyre.
I imagine so. But it wasn't a big hit here, and I think Capitol missed a huge opportunity. I almost never bought singles in that era, but I went out and bought this one just so I could hear "Mull."
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I'm from Atlanta and remember hearing Girl's School on American Top-40 on Sundays which was syndicated, so at least it was on the airwaves then. I remember reading the lyrics in Song Hits Magazine and they also had a picture of Wings with it. I was fourteen then so when I got the single I thought Girls School was great and Kintyre was a dirge. I appreciate it more now.
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audi:
Anyway, with lines like "oriental princess," it'll never get played live today. The PC-Police will be all over that.
If Hi Hi Hi can return to the setlist then the lyrics to Girls School don't present a problem. But unfortunately its not going to happen.
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The biggest mystery of all being why Mull of Kintyre, riding on the peak of McCartney in the US, didn't become a big hit in the US, but was a huge hit elsewhere.... still baffles me. The B-side is a fun song, and I really like it, but it wasn't single-worthy.
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toris:
The biggest mystery of all being why Mull of Kintyre, riding on the peak of McCartney in the US, didn't become a big hit in the US, but was a huge hit elsewhere.... still baffles me. The B-side is a fun song, and I really like it, but it wasn't single-worthy.
In general the jocks just didn't play Mull in America...overwhelmingly they opted to play Girl's School. Double A-Side was it??? I think people thought Mull was too UK/Euro centric...
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moptops:
toris:
The biggest mystery of all being why Mull of Kintyre, riding on the peak of McCartney in the US, didn't become a big hit in the US, but was a huge hit elsewhere.... still baffles me. The B-side is a fun song, and I really like it, but it wasn't single-worthy.
In general the jocks just didn't play Mull in America...overwhelmingly they opted to play Girl's School. Double A-Side was it??? I think people thought Mull was too UK/Euro centric...
I think it was officially a double A-side, but it seemed like Capitol promoted Girls School as the radio track. I still think they blew it.
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toris:
The biggest mystery of all being why Mull of Kintyre, riding on the peak of McCartney in the US, didn't become a big hit in the US, but was a huge hit elsewhere.... still baffles me. The B-side is a fun song, and I really like it, but it wasn't single-worthy.
Interesting discussion. With close ties to Scotland, I was one of those Americans who loved Mull of Kintyre as I knew where it was and the bagpipes added so much too it. I remember hearing Mull for the first time in my dorm room when they showed the video on Saturday Night Live, I think it was, and I bought the single over Christmas. I can't recall hearing either it or Girl's School on the radio though, which was a real shame. Pity that Paul has never played it in Atlanta as the area has numerous bagpipe bands he could draw from and I think it would be appreciated by many. The silence from American radio where the song was concerned keeps killing it today.
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I love, love, love GIRLS SCHOOL. In my humble opinion, next to 1985, the second best WINGS rock song. Ever.
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wingsoverkc:
I love, love, love GIRLS SCHOOL. In my humble opinion, next to 1985, the second best WINGS rock song. Ever.
Tastes do very. I'd rank pretty much every other Wings rocker ahead of it.
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Bruce M.:
wingsoverkc:
I love, love, love GIRLS SCHOOL. In my humble opinion, next to 1985, the second best WINGS rock song. Ever.
Tastes do very. I'd rank pretty much every other Wings rocker ahead of it.
Same with me, especially like the early Wings rockers like Soily, The Mess, Big Barn Bed. Give Ireland Back, and its nice that Hi Hi Hi is part of the set list now.
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Big Barn Bed? Zzzzzzzzz.The Mess? Please. Girl's School is a much superior song, in structure, voice, guitar, bass, etc. Always ticked that McCartney didn't place GS and Mull on London Town. Would have made a good album a classic album.
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wingsoverkc:
Big Barn Bed? Zzzzzzzzz.The Mess? Please. Girl's School is a much superior song, in structure, voice, guitar, bass, etc. Always ticked that McCartney didn't place GS and Mull on London Town. Would have made a good album a classic album.
The Mess runs circles around Girl's School, which is one of the most uninteresting rocker's Paul's ever done., IMHO. To each his own, of course.
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Well it was played in Cleveland, it certainly got some airplay. I remember when it came on the radio and thinking it was very cool that Paul did a song about a girls' school because I had just started high school at the time--at an all girls Catholic school. So I loved that.
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Bruce M.:
I've always thought Girls School was okay but not special, and that Capitol blundered badly by promoting it in the U.S. instead of really pushing Mull of Kintyre.
I don't blame Capitol. I think it was not a hit here or was even played on the radio because (a) people in the America could not relate to a "Mull," didn't know what one was or wanted to find out; (b) it was just too British for American tastes, a bar-type/sing-along song one could imagine being sung in ever pub throughout the UK and Europe; and (c) "Girls School" was a rocker, which Paul sang very very well. I never heard the "A" side until I purchased the 45...and then I rarely played it for all of the above reasons. I DO love it now; it may be Paul's "own" "Hey Jude". "Mull...." and "Girls School" were pretty much the entire output for Paul in 1977, I do believe. I did monitor how "Mull..." was doing in Billboard back then, and it stayed No 1, not only in England, but all over the world for several weeks. But not in America!
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Beatles4Ever&Ever:
Bruce M.:
I've always thought Girls School was okay but not special, and that Capitol blundered badly by promoting it in the U.S. instead of really pushing Mull of Kintyre.
I don't blame Capitol. I think it was not a hit here or was even played on the radio because (a) people in the America could not relate to a "Mull," didn't know what one was or wanted to find out; (b) it was just too British for American tastes, a bar-type/sing-along song one could imagine being sung in ever pub throughout the UK and Europe; and (c) "Girls School" was a rocker, which Paul sang very very well. I never heard the "A" side until I purchased the 45...and then I rarely played it for all of the above reasons. I DO love it now; it may be Paul's "own" "Hey Jude". "Mull...." and "Girls School" were pretty much the entire output for Paul in 1977, I do believe. I did monitor how "Mull..." was doing in Billboard back then, and it stayed No 1, not only in England, but all over the world for several weeks. But not in America!
Well there's a chicken-and-egg situation here. Did Mull get little airplay because it failed to catch on in America, or did it fail to catch on because radio hardly touched it. I lived in L.A. at the time, and radio there totally ignored Mull. Girl's School got a bit of play, but not that much. Theoretically it was a double-A side, but I always had the impression (though I can't prove it) that Capitol really promoted Girls School to radio. Most Americans never got a chance to hear Mull of Kintyre. I sure didn't till I went out and bought the single, which I purchased just based on hearing that it was a huge hit in England.
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Bruce M.:
Beatles4Ever&Ever:
Bruce M.:
I've always thought Girls School was okay but not special, and that Capitol blundered badly by promoting it in the U.S. instead of really pushing Mull of Kintyre.
I don't blame Capitol. I think it was not a hit here or was even played on the radio because (a) people in the America could not relate to a "Mull," didn't know what one was or wanted to find out; (b) it was just too British for American tastes, a bar-type/sing-along song one could imagine being sung in ever pub throughout the UK and Europe; and (c) "Girls School" was a rocker, which Paul sang very very well. I never heard the "A" side until I purchased the 45...and then I rarely played it for all of the above reasons. I DO love it now; it may be Paul's "own" "Hey Jude". "Mull...." and "Girls School" were pretty much the entire output for Paul in 1977, I do believe. I did monitor how "Mull..." was doing in Billboard back then, and it stayed No 1, not only in England, but all over the world for several weeks. But not in America!
Well there's a chicken-and-egg situation here. Did Mull get little airplay because it failed to catch on in America, or did it fail to catch on because radio hardly touched it. I lived in L.A. at the time, and radio there totally ignored Mull. Girl's School got a bit of play, but not that much. Theoretically it was a double-A side, but I always had the impression (though I can't prove it) that Capitol really promoted Girls School to radio. Most Americans never got a chance to hear Mull of Kintyre. I sure didn't till I went out and bought the single, which I purchased just based on hearing that it was a huge hit in England.
Dear Beatles4Ever&Ever and Bruce, Oops! There is more than a touch of irony when you talk about MoK being No.1 in "England". : England doesn't publish a separate chart, there is only a British chart.