Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five


"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released as the final track on their 1973 album Band on the Run. It has been featured on the 2001 documentary DVD Wingspan and Paul McCartney and Wings' 1974 TV special One Hand Clapping. A 2016 remix of the song was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Lyrics and music

Paul McCartney has said that the song originated with just the first line.
The tune is the climactic track from the album Band on the Run. It continues the album's theme of escape by describing the singer achieving artistic freedom through love. Author Andrew Grant Jackson calls the lyrics "gibberish" and mere placeholders for the excitement and "cinematic purpose" of the music."
The song has a grandiose ending with a full orchestra and the band. Other instrumentation includes mellotron, organ and horns. The album version ends with an excerpt of the opening song's chorus. This song is featured on several episodes of Trigger Happy TV. In its early life, it was simply titled "Piano Thing".

Personnel

Personnel per The Beatles Bible.

Live performances

"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" was never performed live by Wings. McCartney performed the song live for the first time ever during his 2010–11 Up and Coming Tour. He played the song live again during his 2011–12 On the Run Tour, his 2013–15 Out There Tour, his 2016–2017 One on One Tour, his 2018-19 Freshen Up tour and at.

Cover versions

included a cover version on their 2006 album Big Eye Little Eye.
In 2016, German producer Timo Maas and Canadian DJ James Teej released a remix of the track with McCartney's approval. Their version received a Grammy nomination for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

Tracklisting

;Download single
  1. "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" – 2:46
  2. "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" – 6:01
  3. "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" – 5:07
;Remix download single
  1. "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" – 7:25
  2. "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" – 10:03
  3. "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" – 8:49