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Tug of War by Released26 April 1982RecordedOctober 1980 – 8 December 1980, February 1981 – December 1981Length41:10,  chronology
(1980)Tug of War
(1982)
(1983) from Tug of War ""
Released: 29 March 1982 ""
Released: 21 June 1982 ""
Released: 6 September 1982

Tug of War is the third solo studio album by , discounting the seven studio albums with Wings, released in April 1982. It was McCartney's first album released after the dissolution of  in April, 1981 and McCartney's first album after the . The album was produced by former Beatles producer  and was a number 1 hit in numerous countries. It was hailed as a return-to-form for McCartney upon release. Its remastered deluxe edition received a nomination for  at the .

Recording

In February 1981, two months after Lennon's death, Paul McCartney resumed his sessions, recording that month with , ,  and  and laying down several songs in the process. The recordings were held at AIR Studios in Montserrat, in the Caribbean and lasted from 3 February to 2 March, ending with "Ebony and Ivory" and "What's That You're Doing," two songs featuring Stevie Wonder.  guitarist  also became a frequent collaborator of McCartney's during this era. Further sessions that summer were also undertaken at George Martin's  studios at , London – with the producer manning the controls and giving McCartney's music the benefit of 1980s technology. The sessions were so productive that several of its tracks would be held over for the next album, , which followed in 1983. The rest of 1981 would be spent in a quiet fashion, with McCartney and Martin touching up the album and perfecting it.Following the release of the solo album , Wings regrouped in July and October 1980 to rehearse several songs which later appeared on Tug of War and . Feeling the need for direction, McCartney called upon his old producer, , to begin recording a song written for the animated  character (to which McCartney owned the rights), entitled "", among others. The productive sessions continued until 9 December, the morning McCartney woke up to discover his old songwriting partner and fellow ex-, , had been  the night before in New York City. Abandoning that day's session part-way through (where he and  were recording future B-Side "Rainclouds"), both Martin and McCartney felt it was best to leave the project for the time being and start anew once they were ready.

Release, critical reception and aftermath Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingB+5/106.7/109/10

In a contemporary review for , music critic  hailed Tug of War as "the masterpiece everyone has always known Paul McCartney could make", and particularly admired its vivid music and consistent songwriting.  was less enthusiastic in his review for  and found the album "exquisitely crafted though lyrically flawed", as he thought McCartney's lyrics were often "cliched or mawkish", but that the album "at its best, is as finely crafted as his work with the Beatles".

In March 1982, McCartney's duet with Stevie Wonder, "", was released to considerable commercial success, reaching number one in many countries. Tug of War followed in April, and similarly became a worldwide number one. The follow-up single, "Take It Away", reached the top ten in the United States. The album went on to sell several million copies and did much to restore McCartney's critical reputation after what was viewed as a lean period for him. Tug of War was nominated for the "Album of the Year"  in 1983.

The album was issued in the US on compact disc on 29 February 1984. In 1993, Tug of War was remastered and re-issued on CD as part of "" series. There were no bonus tracks: "Rainclouds" and "I'll Give You a Ring", B-sides of "Ebony and Ivory" and "Take It Away", respectively, were omitted. In 2007, Tug of War was remastered and re-released on the iTunes Store adding a solo version of "Ebony and Ivory".

Another reissue was released on 2 October 2015, as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection. This edition included a remixed version of the album, along with the original mix, and a series of videos.

Track listing

All songs were written by , except "What's That You're Doing?" co-written by 

Side one "" – 4:22 "" – 4:14 "Somebody Who Cares" – 3:19 "What's That You're Doing?" (Duet with ) – 6:19 "" – 2:27 Side two "Ballroom Dancing" – 4:07 "The Pound Is Sinking" – 2:54 "Wanderlust" – 3:49 "Get It" (Duet with ) – 2:29 "Be What You See (Link)" – 0:34 "Dress Me Up as a Robber" – 2:41 "" (Duet with Stevie Wonder) – 3:46