"Silly Love Songs" is a song written by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. The song appears on the 1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was also released as a single in 1976, backed with "Cook of the House". The song, written in response to John Lennon and music critics accusing McCartney of predominantly writing "silly love songs" and "sentimental slush", also features disco overtones. The song was McCartney's 27th number one as a songwriter; the all-time record for the most number one hits achieved by a songwriter. With this song, McCartney became the first person to have a year-end No. 1 song as a member of two distinct acts. McCartney previously hit No. 1 in the year-end 'Billboard' chart as a member of the Beatles with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964 and "Hey Jude" in 1968. "Silly Love Songs" has since appeared on multiple McCartney greatest hits compilations, including Wings Greatest and All the Best!. The song has also appeared on the "Hits" section of the compilation album .
Background
"Silly Love Songs" was written as a rebuttal to music critics who had criticized McCartney for writing lightweight love songs. Author Tim Riley suggests that in the song, McCartney is inviting "his audience to have a laugh on him," as Elvis Presley had sometimes done. McCartney allowed the horn section to create their own parts for the song.
Release
"Silly Love Songs" was released in the US on 1 April 1976 and spent five non-consecutive weeks at number 1 on the BillboardHot 100. The song was the number 1 pop song in Billboard's Year-End Charts of 1976; it was also the group's second of three number ones on the Easy Listening chart. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. Billboard listed "Silly Love Songs" as Paul McCartney's all-time biggest Hot 100 single. The single was released in the UK on 30 April 1976 and reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song reached #1 upon the Irish Singles Chart on 27 May.
Critical reception
Upon release, "Silly Love Songs" generally received positive reviews from music critics, despite a common criticism of the song lacking substance. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the song, as well as its follow-up single, "Let 'Em In", as "so lightweight that their lack of substance seems nearly defiant." Music criticRobert Christgau called the two tracks "charming if lightweight singles", while Rolling Stone critic Stephen Holden said "Silly Love Songs" was "a clever retort whose point is well taken." John Bergstrom of PopMatters called the song "an exemplary piece of mid-‘70s pop production and a pure pleasure." In 2008, "Silly Love Songs" was listed at No. 31 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Other recordings
In 1976, Wings recorded "Silly Love Songs" live for their triple live albumWings Over America. In 1984, three years after the dissolution of Wings, Paul McCartney re-recorded "Silly Love Songs" for the soundtrack to the critically panned motion pictureGive My Regards to Broad Street.
In 1999, New Zealand hip hop/funk group Ardijah released an R&B version of the song. It debuted at number 22 on New Zealand's RIANZ Singles Chart on 17 January 1999, then reached the top 10 the next week at number nine. It then moved up to number three, where it stayed for two weeks, then reached number one on 14 February, taking over the top position from "Have You Ever?" by Brandy and becoming the band's highest-charting single in their home country, as well as their first top 10 hit since "Watching U" in 1988. "Silly Love Songs" subsequently returned to number three for another two weeks, then slowly began its descent from the chart, spending four more weeks in the top 10. It last charted at number 45 on 9 May, totaling 17 weeks on the chart altogether. Despite its success, it did not appear on New Zealand's year-end chart for 1999, nor did it receive any certifications.
