At a Glance
- Paul McCartney says he felt “depressed” and feared he would “never write another note” after The Beatles split.
- The documentary Paul McCartney: Man on the Run debuts on Prime Video Feb. 27.
- Wings, mocked early as a “dud,” scored global hits including “Band on the Run” and “Live and Let Die.”
- Why it matters: The film offers the first deep dive into how McCartney rebuilt his career and identity after the world’s biggest band ended.
Paul McCartney believed his songwriting days died with The Beatles. A new documentary, Paul McCartney: Man on the Run, captures how depression gave way to a second act that would produce a fresh string of classics with Wings.
‘My Whole Life Had Been The Beatles’
In the exclusive trailer premiered by News Of Losangeles, McCartney, 83, describes the emotional crash that followed the 1970 break-up.
> “The Beatles had been my whole life, really. When we split up, I thought I’ll never write another note of music ever. I had fear of being a grown-up.”
Director Morgan Neville, whose credits include the Oscar-winning 20 Feet from Stardom, says McCartney hadn’t revisited those memories in decades.
> “Having a chance to revisit this time with Paul took me back like it took him back,” Neville tells News Of Losangeles. “It was a sense of rediscovering things together.”
From Grief to Wings
McCartney credits late wife Linda McCartney for pulling him through the slump. The couple, married in 1969, co-founded Wings after an impromptu discovery of Linda’s singing voice.
> “On the wedding night,” McCartney jokes in the film when asked when he first realized she could sing.
The band’s initial lineup was bare-bones.
> “Well, we’ve got two members,” McCartney remembers saying.
Early reviews were brutal. Critics labeled the group a vanity project.
> “Wings was a dud when it first come out,” McCartney admits.
His response was defiant:
> “If anybody badmouthed us, I was thinking, ‘I’m going to make the best record you’ve ever heard.'”
Chart-Topper Emerges
Persistence paid off. Between 1971 and 1981 Wings landed multiple U.S. and U.K. top-ten singles.
Key tracks:
- “Band on the Run” (1973)
- “Jet” (1973)
- “Live and Let Die” (1973)
- “Silly Love Songs” (1976)
Neville notes that McCartney approached Wings with a deliberate strategy.
> “Wings was a deliberate attempt to stick to the path he had trekked with The Beatles-starting small at first, eventually inching step-by-step to the biggest stages.”
Lingering Shadows of The Beatles
Every new release came pre-measured against the Fab Four’s legacy.
> “Paul always felt that the ’70s were a tough time, since everything he did was judged against The Beatles,” Neville explains. “For years people have told Paul how important Wings has been to them. Yet I’m not sure he truly believed there was as much love for Wings and his ’70s solo work as there was.”
Revisiting the Lennon Rift
Man on the Run also revisits the friction that hastened The Beatles’ end.
> “Me and John, we were just growing apart really,” McCartney reflects on John Lennon. “And now we’re off on another journey. We’d had arguments and all of that, but we’d loved each other all our lives.”
Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980 at age 40.
Archival Treasure Trove
The documentary stitches together never-before-seen footage of Wings rehearsals, arena performances, and candid home movies shot by Linda McCartney. Beatles material includes studio outtakes and personal photographs from McCartney’s private archive.
Why the Story Still Resonates
Neville frames the film as more than a rock retrospective.
> “Beyond the music, which is such a rich well to explore, I think this story is really about someone trying to figure out who they are-all while being observed, judged and criticized from all angles. More than anything, I think Paul figured out his priorities in life and stuck to them tenaciously. I think there are a lot of lessons in it for anybody.”
Viewing Details
- Title: Paul McCartney: Man on the Run
- Platform: Prime Video
- Premiere Date: February 27, 2025
- Director: Morgan Neville
- Executive Producer: Paul McCartney
News Of Losangeles will publish additional clips and interviews throughout release week.
Key Takeaways
- McCartney’s confidence collapsed after The Beatles dissolved; Linda helped him rebuild.
- Wings began as a two-person project and weathered early ridicule.
- The band’s commercial peak delivered signature ’70s anthems still in rotation today.
- Man on the Run frames the era as a blueprint for reinvention under global scrutiny.
