If you were John, Paul, George, or Ringo, how would you follow up arguably the most successful run in music history? Would you take the money and go on to live a quaint life? Or would you throw yourself right back in the game? Well, all four of The Beatles threw themselves right back in the game, and on this day, December 5, 1973, Paul McCartney solidified the success of his career’s second chapter with the release of the hit album, Band On The Run.

Almost everyone knows that following The Beatles, Paul and his late wife, Linda McCartney, went on to form Wings. The band was not a failure in the slightest, as they had a prolific career from 1971 to 1981. However, before that prolific career truly took off, Paul McCartney and the band had to go through some trials and tribulations. Well, they did, and they came out the other side victorious, because the album released on this day went on to peak at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 following its release.

Why and How ‘Band On The Run’ Established Wings as a Major Band

Even if Wings chucked up a bunch of mediocre singles and albums, they still likely would have been a big deal given McCartney’s participation. Though, they didn’t produce mediocre material, and their talent as a band truly started to shine after the release of Red Rose Speedway in 1971. Following the release of Red Rose Speedway, the album went on the peak at No. 1 on the Billboard 200—Paul McCartney and Wings’ first No. 1 album.

Like most bands that score a No. 1 album, the question that ensues is whether or not they can do it again. Many have achieved more than one No. 1 album, and many have also not. However, after this day, December 5, 1973, Paul McCartney proved that the second chapter of his career wasn’t just a retirement hobby of sorts.

After the release of the album, Band On The Run peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Furthermore, its title track garnered the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100, and “Jet” the No. 7 spot. In addition to peaking at No. 1 in the States, the acclaimed album also reached the top spot on the United Kingdom album charts.

To this day, Band on the Run is Wings’ most successful album, and the album that showed the world Paul McCartney was not going to quietly go into the night following his career with The Beatles.

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