B-side "Country Dreamer" Format 7" single Length 3:44 | Released 26 October 1973 Genre Rock | |
Recorded August–September 1973, EMI Studios, Lagos, Nigeria | ||
"Helen Wheels" is a song by Paul McCartney and Wings. The song was named after Paul and Linda McCartney's Land Rover, which they nicknamed "Helen Wheels".
Contents
Release
The song was released as a single prior to Band on the Run and was not included on British release of the album. However, Capitol Records vice president of promotion Al Coury persuaded McCartney to include it on the American release. The song peaked at number 10 in the United States on 12 January 1974 and at number 12 in the United Kingdom charts.
In the book Paul McCartney In His Own Words published in 1976, McCartney said:
"Helen Wheels is our land rover. It's a name we gave to our land rover, which is a trusted vehicle that gets us around Scotland. It takes us up to the Shetland Islands and down to London. The song starts off in Glasgow, and it goes past Carlisle, goes to Kendal, Liverpool, Birmingham and London. It's the route coming down from our Scottish farm to London, so it's really the story of the trip down. Little images along the way. Liverpool is on the West coast of England, so that is all that means."
Cover versions
The song was covered by Def Leppard on the album The Art of McCartney in 2014.