Paul McCartney — Take It Away

JUL 01 1982 · 12:00

Paul McCartney — Take It Away (1982) Director: John Mackenzie Era: Post-Beatles Solo Era / Early MTV Age (1982) - McCartney's Tug of War period; high-budget narrative promo film predating MTV's full UK penetration, produced amid the first wave of music video as prestige art form. Exceptionally high. This video sits at the intersection of multiple archival interests: the Beatles legacy, the birth of narrative music video, British cinema of the early 1980s, and the cultural mythology of rock stardom. Directed by a major British filmmaker at the peak of his post-Long Good Friday visibility, shot by a cinematographer fresh from Excalibur, and featuring an ensemble cast drawn from rock history, it is a rare artifact of the transitional moment when music promotion became a legitimate cinematic form. Context: Released in June 1982 as the second single from Tug of War, Take It Away arrived at a pivotal cultural moment: the nascent MTV era was transforming music promotion into a narrative cinematic form, and McCartney—ever alert to media evolution—invested in an unusually high-budget, story-driven promo. The video was celebrated as a partial Beatles reunion, featuring Ringo Starr and producer George Martin in on-screen roles. The fictional narrative of a band seeking stardom, with actor John Hurt playing a Brian Epstein-style manager figure, layered postmodern self-mythology onto a mainstream pop vehicle. The single reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #15 in the UK, cementing Tug of War as McCartney's commercial and critical rehabilitation following the dissolution of Wings. Director notes: Mackenzie directed the Take It Away promotional film in June 1982, shot over five days at EMI's Elstree Studios in Boreham Wood. The film was produced by the Moving Picture Company, with MPL Communications' Trevor Jones serving as executive producer. The treatment was based on an original concept by Paul McCartney himself, framing the video as a fictional story of a band rising to success. Cinematography was handled by Alex Thompson (who had recently shot Excalibur), and wardrobe was by Jane Robinson (Brideshead Revisited). Approximately 600 members of the Wings Fun Club attended as a live studio audience on 23 June 1982. Actor John Hurt played a band manager character. The video features Barbara Bach, as well as Ringo Starr, George Martin, Eric Stewart, Steve Gadd, and Linda McCartney, all of whom were associated with the Tug of War sessions. The horn section was performed by the Q Tips.