I love Paul McCartney, think he’s one of the best songwriters in history. I’ve never been a ride-or-die fan, though. Not the way I’ve been a huge Beatles fan since I was 9, or even the way I was a huge John fan in my late teens and early twenties. There have been albums I’ve bought that I thought would be a good entry point into consuming more of his catalog, but his solo (and Wings) albums have never been able to grab me straight through. So, my ultimate verdict (well, my verdict as of the time I write this)- I think he’s a brilliant songwriter and an ace singles artist.

I didn’t even realize “Arrow Through Me” was a single until I checked the song’s Wikipedia page. I discovered this song via Erykah Badu, who sampled its bass-heavy groove on “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long” (which-SPOILER-will appear on this blog via its own entry.)

“Arrow Through Me” has an appealing, danceable bounce to it. It also features a bit of a rough-around-the-edges vocal from Paul. The sweetness that you’d normally associate with McCartney is cut a little bit–that bite (along with the aforementioned bounce) is what elevates it past most of the Wings-era work that I’ve listened to.