# Dear Friend (Wings song)
"Dear Friend" is a song by the English rock band Wings, released as the penultimate track on their debut studio album *Wild Life* (1971).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / album | Wings, *Wild Life*, released 7 December 1971 on Apple Records; track 9 of 10[1](https://www.paulmccartney.com/discography/albums/wild-life) |
| Writers | Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman/McCartney[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/) |
| Length | 5:59 (studio version)[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/) |
| Recording | Basic track July 24, 1971; orchestral overdubs and mixing October 16, 1971, at EMI Studios, Abbey Road[3](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/session/wild-life-mixing-4/) |
| Orchestra | Arranged and conducted by Richard Hewson: two French horns, oboe, four flutes, two trombones, tenor saxophone, harp, four cellos[3](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/session/wild-life-mixing-4/) |
| Later versions | 2018 Archive Collection reissue added Home Recording I (4:49) and Home Recording II (2:02) demos, circa 1970, Campbeltown, Scotland[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/) |
## Background and meaning
McCartney later explained his intent directly: "after John had slagged me off in public I had to think of a response, and it was either going to be to slag him off in public, and some instinct stopped me, which I'm really glad about, or do something else. So I worked on my attitude and wrote 'Dear Friend', saying, in effect, let's lay the guns down, let's hang up our boxing gloves."[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/)
The lyric addresses Lennon as a letter would. It opens "Dear friend, what's the time / Is this really the borderline" and asks "Are you afraid, or is it true?", which McCartney glossed as meaning "Why is this argument going on?"[4](https://www.beatlesbible.com/people/paul-mccartney/songs/dear-friend/) A later verse runs "Dear friend, throw the wine / I'm in love with a friend of mine / Really, truly, young and newly wed / Are you a fool, or is it true?"[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/) McCartney said in 2021 that at the time of writing, in early 1971, Lennon had called the *McCartney* album "rubbish" in *Rolling Stone* magazine, and that "I just felt sad about the breakdown in our friendship, and this song kind of came flowing out."[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/)
## Composition and recording
The song is a slow piano ballad with just two verses and no real chorus or bridge[5](https://mark-markmywords.blogspot.com/2019/06/album-review-paul-mccartney-and-wings.html). Its arrangement is built on a laconic piano, bass guitar, minimal drumming and a dark glimmer of vibraphone, with each verse individually colored by a small string orchestra, a couple of oboes, and, briefly in the final minute, a grainy horn section[6](https://thebluemoment.com/tag/dear-friend/). The credited musicians on the basic track are [Paul McCartney](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-mccartney) on bass, piano, possibly vibraphone, and vocals, and Denny Seiwell on drums and possibly trumpet[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/).
Recording began on July 24, 1971, the first day of sessions for the still-unnamed band's debut album at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, with [Tony Clark](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-clark) as recording engineer[7](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/session/wild-life-session-1/). The song remained the only one still incomplete when the final *Wild Life* session took place on October 16, 1971: in a 2 pm to 4 pm session, orchestral overdubs arranged and conducted by Richard Hewson were recorded, and the song was mixed afterwards, with [Alan Parsons](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-parsons) as engineer assistant[3](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/session/wild-life-mixing-4/) • [8](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1971/10/16/recording-mixing-dear-friend-wings/).
Although many listeners heard the song as a response to Lennon's "[How Do You Sleep?](https://www.edgepedia.org/how-do-you-sleep-john-lennon-song)", released on *Imagine* in September 1971, the timeline argues against it: "Dear Friend" was recorded in July 1971, before *Imagine* appeared, and McCartney said in November 1971 that "the album was completed before John's album came out."[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/) The French-language history of the album likewise records that the song was recorded on July 24, before Lennon's attack appeared, but was finished, orchestrated and published afterward[9](https://yellow-sub.net/lactu/745812-paul-mccartney-wild-life-1971).
## Release and reception
Initial reviews of the album generally reflected press rancor toward McCartney over the Beatles' break-up. John Mendelsohn in *Rolling Stone* wrote that the song portrays McCartney as the "unjustly-hurt but nevertheless understanding golden boy", while Robert Hilburn of the *Los Angeles Times* called it a "disappointing, even empty" journey lacking direction. The *Record Mirror* review of November 20, 1971, named "Dear Friend" and "Tomorrow" as the two tracks that were "classic, vintage McCartney, sharply bringing into focus his flair for melody and harmony"[10](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/70s/71/Record-Mirror-1971-11-20-S-OCR.pdf).
Retrospectively, critics have generally considered "Dear Friend" a highlight of *Wild Life*. Reviewers of the album have repeatedly grouped it with "Tomorrow" as the record's standout track[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/).
## McCartney's later reflections and reissues
McCartney has returned to the song repeatedly. In a 1994 *Club Sandwich* interview he confirmed it was written about John, and in 2018 he said, "I find it very emotional when I listen to it now. I have to sort of choke it back." He also expressed relief that he and Lennon reconciled before Lennon's murder in 1980: "it would have been terrible if he'd been killed as things were at that point and I'd never got to straighten it out with him. This was me reaching out."[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/) In his book *The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present* (2021), McCartney revealed that after they reconciled the two never personally discussed the song, although he imagined Lennon had heard it.
The 2018 *Wild Life* Archive Collection reissue added several versions of the song: a rough mix, an "Orchestra Up" version released as a 2018 exclusive download, and two home demos, Home Recording I (4:49) and Home Recording II (2:02), performed by McCartney alone and recorded circa 1970 in Campbeltown, Scotland[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/). A 50th-anniversary half-speed master followed in 2022[2](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/). McCartney's official album notes describe the track as "the plaintive and heart wrenching ballad" of the *Wild Life* sessions, which were completed in about two weeks in the spirit of spontaneity[1](https://www.paulmccartney.com/discography/albums/wild-life) • [11](https://www.paulmccartney.com/news/50th-anniversary-half-speed-mastering-release-of-wild-life).
## References
1. [Wild Life, paulmccartney.com](https://www.paulmccartney.com/discography/albums/wild-life)
2. [Dear Friend (song), The Paul McCartney Project](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/dear-friend/)
3. [Recording & mixing "Dear Friend", October 16, 1971, The Paul McCartney Project](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/session/wild-life-mixing-4/)
4. [Dear Friend, The Beatles Bible](https://www.beatlesbible.com/people/paul-mccartney/songs/dear-friend/)
5. [Album Review: Paul McCartney and Wings, Wild Life (1971), Mark My Words](https://mark-markmywords.blogspot.com/2019/06/album-review-paul-mccartney-and-wings.html)
6. [A song for a friend, thebluemoment.com](https://thebluemoment.com/tag/dear-friend/)
7. [Recording "Bip Bop", "Love Is Strange", "I Am Your Singer", "Dear Friend", July 24, 1971, The Paul McCartney Project](https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/session/wild-life-session-1/)
8. [Recording, mixing: Dear Friend by Wings, The Beatles Bible](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1971/10/16/recording-mixing-dear-friend-wings/)
9. [« Wild Life » (Wings, 1971) : histoire complète, Yellow-Sub.net](https://yellow-sub.net/lactu/745812-paul-mccartney-wild-life-1971)
10. [Record Mirror, November 20, 1971, WorldRadioHistory](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/70s/71/Record-Mirror-1971-11-20-S-OCR.pdf)
11. [50th Anniversary Half-Speed Mastering release of 'Wild Life', paulmccartney.com](https://www.paulmccartney.com/news/50th-anniversary-half-speed-mastering-release-of-wild-life)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop rock songs › 1960s and 1970s pop rock songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license