Is "Figure of Eight" Paul McCartney's Most Underrated Single?*

Lord Woodbine

 

A lot of his singles should have done better especially after "No More Lonely Nights"...
No Other Baby, Lonely Road, This Never Happened Before, Figure of Eight....and the list goes on....

George and Ringo had a lot of that should have done better as well...

 

I love the song but feel it was out of step of the time. If he was to release it now as a new single, I believe we'd be fawning all over it.

 

Somebody from the House of Lords, though nobody can be sure

 

Meh.

"Arrow Through Me" is more undeservingly underrated.

 

Paul talking about the recording process AND some film of the recording of Figure of Eight.

• 
  Paul McCartney - Figure Of Eight - 1989 - The Making Of Flowers In The Dirt - PBS Special
  youtube.com3:25 4 years ago
  More

 

Here's a great live version, dig that "axe."!





"FIGURE OF EIGHT" LIVE ! VIDEOCLIP 1989
youtube.com5:29 2 months a

 

Absolutely love Figure Of Eight!

Also love that bass McCartney is thumpin.

 

Just about the most underrated. Love it. It's a great little number, especially the live version on (I think) Paul is Live.

 

It's on Tripping the Live Fantastic. The live version is better than the album version, it rocks harder. It took balls for McCartney to open his comeback concerts with a new song. He hasn't done so since.

 

spot on. It's a cracking version isn't it. His voice is particularly awesome on that.

 

I think the answer is basically yes. BUT Other 'most underrated' Macca singles for me would be:

Hope of Deliverance
Waterfalls
Press
Pretty Little Head
Stranglehold
This One
Put it There
Off the Ground
Young Boy

 

Yeah, great and underrated. Amazing guitar work by Steve Miller

 

Well, those relatively few people who bought the single in the USA probably bought it for "Girls' School," because that was the A-side here.

 

According to Wicki these are the places on the charts he reached with this song:


single reached number 42 on the UK singles chart[2][3] and number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

 

Yes...and I always thought 'Getting Closer' shoulda done better.

 

The one I was going to pick for most underrated (or better yet, "forgotten" since I don't really get the "underrated" concept): Helen Wheels (could also go with the "hit" b-side Sally G)

 

no

 

Mary Had an Underrated 45.

Underrated School.

Live and Let Underrated.

I prefer

 

I didn't even know it was a single....but I always liked the album version, if that is different.

 

Sally G was an even bigger crossover b-side that has also been forgotten in the compilations and setlists.

 

A discography of the singles to compare it to:


singles
1970sEdit
Year Single Chart position Certifications Album
UK
[1] AUS
[2] BEL
[40] CAN
[41] GER
[7] IRE
[42] JPN
[9] NL
[11] NZ
[43] NOR
[44] US
[18]
1971 "Another Day"
"Oh Woman, Oh Why" 2 1 10 4 6 1 6 3 5 3 5

• JPN: Gold[45][46]

Single release only
"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"
"Too Many People"
(Paul and Linda McCartney) — 5 — 1 30 — — — 1 — 1

• US: Gold[47]

Ram
"The Back Seat of My Car"
"Heart of the Country"
(Paul and Linda McCartney) 39 — — — — — — — — — —
"Eat at Home"
"Smile Away"
(Paul and Linda McCartney) — 21 13 — 28 — 50 7 7 8 —
1972 "Give Ireland Back to the Irish"
"Give Ireland Back to the Irish" (instr. version)
(Wings) 16 17 — 46 — 1 31 — — — 21 Single releases only
"Mary Had a Little Lamb"
"Little Woman Love"
(Wings) 9 17 — 41 — — 41 13 13 — 28
"Hi, Hi, Hi"
"C Moon"
(Wings) 5 29 5 5 16 — 26 6 — 4 10
1973 "My Love"
"The Mess" (live)
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 9 5 17 2 43 — 39 12 3 7 1

• US: Gold[47]

Red Rose Speedway
"Live and Let Die"
"I Lie Around"
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 9 5 — 2 31 20 25 29 — 2 2

• US: Gold[47]

Live and Let Die
"Helen Wheels"
"Country Dreamer"
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 12 17 — 4 33 — 56 23 — — 10 Band on the Run
"Jet"
"Let Me Roll It" (UK and 2nd pressings of US)
"Mamunia" (US 1st pressings only)
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 7 — 26 5 6 — 39 10 2 9 7

• UK: Gold[48]
• JPN: Gold[45]

"Mrs. Vandebilt"
"Bluebird"
(Paul McCartney and Wings) — 41 19 — 33 — — 7 9 — —
1974 "Band on the Run"
"Zoo Gang" (UK)
"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" (US)
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 3 — 21 1 22 7 58 7 1 — 1

• UK: Gold[48]
• US: Gold[47]

"Junior's Farm"
"Sally G"
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 16 12 — 10 — — 77 — — 9 3
17 Single releases only
"Walking in the Park with Eloise"
"Bridge Over the River Suite"
(The Country Hams) — — — — — — — — — — —
1975 "Listen to What the Man Said"
"Love in Song"
(Wings) 6 14 — 1 42 4 46 18 7 3 1

• US: Gold[47]

Venus and Mars
"Letting Go"
"You Gave Me the Answer"
(Wings) 41 34 — 62 — — 64 — — — 39
"Venus and Mars/Rock Show"
"Magneto and Titanium Man"
(Wings) — 34 — 12 — — 99 — — — 12
1976 "Silly Love Songs"
"Cook of the House"
(Wings) 2 20 — 1 14 1 66 11 8 9 1

• UK: Silver[48]
• US: Gold[47]

Wings at the Speed of Sound
"Let 'Em In"
"Beware My Love"
(Wings) 2 65 — 3 29 2 — 25 13 — 3

• UK: Silver[48]
• US: Gold[47]

1977 "Maybe I'm Amazed" (live)
"Soily" (live)
(Wings) 28 — — 9 — — 61 — — — 10 Wings over America
"Seaside Woman"
"B Side to Seaside"
(Suzy and the Red Stripes) — — — — — — — — — — 59 Single releases only
"Mull of Kintyre"
"Girls' School"
(Wings) 1 1 1 44
34 1 1 69 1 1 2 —
33

• UK: 2x Platinum[48]
• GER: Gold[49]

1978 "With a Little Luck"
"Backwards Traveler/Cuff-Link"
(Wings) 5 11 — 1 17 3 — 11 14 6 1

• UK: Silver[48]

London Town
"I've Had Enough"
"Deliver Your Children"
(Wings) 42 99 — 24 — 11 — 13 — — 25
"London Town"
"I'm Carrying"
(Wings) 60 — — 32 — — — — — — 39
1979 "Goodnight Tonight"
"Daytime Nighttime Suffering"
(Wings) 5 6 24 2 34 9 77 24 6 9 5

• UK: Silver[48]
• CAN: Gold[50]
• US: Gold[47]

Single release only
"Old Siam, Sir"
"Spin It On"
(Wings) 35 — — — — 29 — — — — — Back to the Egg
"Getting Closer"
"Baby's Request" (UK)
"Spin It On" (US)
(Wings) 60 57 — 18 — 24 — 29 — — 20
"Arrow Through Me"
"Old Siam, Sir"
(Wings) — — — 27 — — — — — — 29
"Wonderful Christmastime"
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reggae" 6 61 28 — 77 8 69 16 — 7 —

• UK: Silver[51]

Single release only
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
1980sEdit
Year Single Chart position Certifications Album
UK
[1] AUS
[2] BEL
[40] CAN
[41] GER
[7] IRE
[42] JPN
[9] NLD
[11] NZ
[43] NOR
[44] US
[18]
1980 "Coming Up"
(Paul McCartney)
"Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)"
"Lunchbox/Odd Sox"
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 2 2 18 1 11 3 66 20 2 2 1

• UK: Silver[51]
• US: Gold[47]

McCartney II
"Waterfalls"
"Check My Machine" 9 31 — — 55 4 — — 15 9 —
"Temporary Secretary"
"Secret Friend" — — — — — — — — — — —
1982 "Ebony and Ivory"
(with Stevie Wonder)
"Rainclouds" 1 2 2 1 1 1 26 3 2 1 1

• UK: Gold[51]
• JPN: Gold[45]
• US: Gold[47]

Tug of War
"Take It Away"
"I'll Give You a Ring" 15 18 28 17 46 26 — 43 30 7 10
"Tug of War"
"Get It" 53 — — — — — — — — — 53
"The Girl Is Mine"
(with Michael Jackson)
"Can't Get Outta the Rain"
(Michael Jackson) 8 4 8 8 53 4 37 16 3 2 2

• US: Gold[47]

Thriller (Michael Jackson)
1983 "Say Say Say"
(with Michael Jackson)
"Ode to a Koala Bear" 2 4 2 1 12 3 16 8 10 1 1

• UK: Silver[51]
• CAN: Platinum[52]
• FRA: Gold[53]
• JPN: Gold[45]
• US: Platinum[47]

Pipes of Peace
"Pipes of Peace" (UK A-side)
"So Bad" (US A-side) 1 36 36 11 43 1 — 34 — — 23

• UK: Silver[51]

1984 "No More Lonely Nights"
"No More Lonely Nights"
(playout version)
(original release);
"No More Lonely Nights"
(special dance mix)
(second single) 2 9 28 11 30 2 84 33 19 — 6

• UK: Silver[51]

Give My Regards to Broad Street
"We All Stand Together"
(with The Frog Chorus)
"We All Stand Together"
(humming version) 3 — 12 — — 3 — 7 — — —

• UK: Gold[51]

Single releases only
1985 "Spies Like Us"
(Paul McCartney)
"My Carnival"
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 13 55 26 24 — 8 — — — — 7
"We All Stand Together" (Re-entry)
(with The Frog Chorus)
"We All Stand Together"
(humming version) 32 — — — — — — — — — —
1986 "Press"
"It's Not True" 25 47 25 43 53 15 — — — — 21 Press to Play
"Pretty Little Head"
"Write Away" — — 29 — — — — — — — —
"Stranglehold"
"Angry" — — — 90 — — — — — — 81
"Only Love Remains"
"Tough on a Tightrope" 34 — — 7 — 20 — — — — —
1987 "Once Upon a Long Ago"
"Back on My Feet" 10 58 4 13 13 4 — 11 — — — All the Best!(UK/Canada pressings)
1989 "Ferry Cross the Mersey"
(with The Christians, Holly Johnson, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman)
"Abide with Me"
(Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir) 1 45 28 — 5 1 — 21 — 4 — Single release only
"My Brave Face"
"Flying to My Home" 18 30 16 18 29 6 — 15 — 4 25 Flowers in the Dirt
"This One"
"The First Stone" 18 — 30 60 40 27 — 31 — — 94
"Figure of Eight"
"Où Est le Soleil?" 42 — — 75 — 25 — 42 — — 92
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
1990sEdit
Year Single Chart position Certifications Album
UK
[1] AUS
[3] BEL
[40] CAN
[41] GER
[7] IRE
[42] JPN
[9] NLD
[11] NZ
[43] NOR
[44] US
[18]
1990 "Put It There"
(Paul McCartney)
"Mama's Little Girl"
(Paul McCartney and Wings) 32 — — 9 60 17 — 82 — — — Flowers in the Dirt
"Birthday" (live)
"Good Day Sunshine" (live) 29 — — — — 22 62 68 — — — Tripping the Live Fantastic
"All My Trials" (live)
"C Moon" (live) 35 — — — — — — — — — — Tripping the Live Fantastic: Highlights!
1992 "Hope of Deliverance"
"Long Leather Coat" 18 29 7 5 3 28 88 9 20 4 83

• GER: Gold[54]

Off the Ground
1993 "C'Mon People"
"I Can't Imagine" 41 — — 80 41 — — — — — —
"Off the Ground"
"Cosmically Conscious" — — — 25 54 — — — — — —
"Biker Like an Icon"
"Things We Said Today" — — — — — — — — — — —
"Transpiritual Stomp/Arizona Light Mix"
(The Fireman) — — — — — — — — — — — Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest
1995 "A Leaf"
(Paul McCartney and Anya Alexeyev) — — — — — — — — — — — Working Classical
"Come Together"
(The Smokin' Mojo Filters) — — — — — — — — — — — HELP
1997 "Young Boy"
"Looking for You" 19 — — 22 55 — — 53 — 19 — Flaming Pie
"The World Tonight"
"Used to Be Bad" 23 — — 14 — — — 68 — — 64
"Beautiful Night"
"Love Come Tumbling Down" 25 — — — — — — 75 — — —
1998 "Rushes"
(The Fireman) — — — — — — — — — — — Rushes
1999 "Fluid (Nitin Sawhney Remixes)"
(The Fireman) — — — — — — — — — — —
"No Other Baby"
"Brown Eyed Handsome Man" 42 — — — — — — — — — — Run Devil Run
"Vo!ce"
(Heather Mills feat. Paul McCartney) — — — — — — — — — — — Single release only
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
2000sEdit

2000sEdit
Year Single Chart position Certifications Album
UK
[1] AUS
[3] CAN
[55] FRA
[56] GER
[7] JPN
[9] NLD
[11] NZ
[43] SPA
[57] SWE
[17] US
[18]
2001 "From a Lover to a Friend"
"Riding into Jaipur" 45 — 6 — — — 71 — — — — Driving Rain
"Freedom"
"From a Lover to a Friend" — — — — — — — — — — 97
2004 "Tropic Island Hum"
"We All Stand Together" 21 — — — 30 — — — — — — Single releases only
2005 "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (live)
(with U2) — — — — — — — — — — 48
"Fine Line"
"Growing Up Falling Down" 20 — — — 70 112 28 — 20 46 — Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
"Jenny Wren"
"Summer of '59" 22 — — — — — 58 — — 40 —
2007 "Dance Tonight"
"Nod Your Head" 26 — — — — — — — — — 69 Memory Almost Full
"Ever Present Past"
"House of Wax" (live) 85 — — — — — — — — — 110
"Nod Your Head"
"Nod Your Head" — — — — — — — — — — —
"Wonderful Christmastime"
(1st digital re-entry) 44 — 32 — — — — — — — — Single release only
2008 "Heal the Pain"
"Heal the Pain"
(with George Michael) — — — — — — — — — — — Twenty Five(George Michael)
"Sing the Changes"
(The Fireman) — — — — — — — — — — — Electric Arguments
2009 "Walk with You"
(with Ringo Starr) — — — — — — — — — — — Y Not (Ringo Starr)
"The Girl Is Mine"
(with Michael Jackson)
(Digital re-entry) — — — — — — 80 — — — — Thriller(Michael Jackson)
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
2010sEdit
Year Single Chart position Certifications Album
UK
[1] AUS
[3] CAN
[55] FRA
[56] GER
[7] JPN
[9] NLD
[11] NZ
[43] SPA
[57] SWE
[17] US
[18]
2010 "(I Want to) Come Home" — — — — — — — — — — — Single release only
"We All Stand Together"
(with The Frog Chorus)
(1st Dutch digital re-entry) — — — — — — 79 — — — —
2011 "My Valentine" — — — — — — 93 — — — — Kisses on the Bottom
"Wonderful Christmastime"
(2nd digital re-entry) 72 — — — — — — — — — — Single releases only
"We All Stand Together"
(with The Frog Chorus)
(2nd Dutch digital re-entry) — — — — — — 90 — — — —
2012 "Only Our Hearts" — — — — — 84 — — — — — Kisses on the Bottom
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" — — — — — — — — — — — Kisses on the Bottom – Complete Kisses
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"
(as part of The Justice Collective) 1 — — — — — 36 — — — —

• BPI: Gold[58]

Single releases only
"Wonderful Christmastime"
(1st Japanese digital re-entry) — — — — — 25 — — — — —
"We All Stand Together"
(with The Frog Chorus)
(3rd Dutch digital re-entry) — — — — — — 92 — — — —
2013 "Out of Sight"
(The Bloody Beetrootsfeaturing Paul McCartney and Youth) — — — 97 — — — — — — — Hide
"New" — — — 134 — 4 — — — — — New
"Queenie Eye" — — — — — 42 — — — — —
"Wonderful Christmastime"
(2nd Japanese digital re-entry) — — — — — 21 — — — — — Single release only
2014 "Save Us" — — — — — 84 — — — — — New
"Appreciate" — — — — — — — — — — —
"Early Days" — — — — — 75 — — — — —
"Hope for the Future" — — — — — — — — — — — Single releases only
"Only One"
(Kanye West featuring Paul McCartney) 28 8 31 30 32 34 82 8 35 85 35

• RIAA: Gold[59]

2015 "FourFiveSeconds"
(with Rihanna and Kanye West) 3 1 7 2 3 37 12 1 4 1 4

• BPI: Platinum[60]
• ARIA: 3× Platinum[61]
• GLF: Gold[62]
• RIAA: 2× Platinum[63]
• RMNZ: 2× Platinum[64]

"All Day"
(Kanye West featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney) 18 42 28 28 57 — 93 38 — — 15

• RIAA: Gold[65]

"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Other appearances

 

Yes it's underrated.
One more vote for the live version. That one is superb!

 

I was going to say maybe his most underrated single is "Only Love Remains" or maybe even "Give Ireland Back To The Irish", but I saw the post saying "Girl's School" is the most underrated single and that poster was right. Not on any compilations, a double A-side, not on iTunes or streaming services and it was apart of the most successive selling single in the UK... ouch.