In honor of Sir Paul McCartney’s birthday (June 18), Billboard looks back at his top 40 biggest songs on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist and with his band Wings.
With nine No. 1s — outside of The Beatles’ record-holding 20 — McCartney is no stranger to the Hot 100. His first solo appearance on the chart came with the release of the double single “Another Day”/“Oh Woman Oh Why,” which eventually peaked at No. 5 in April 1971. He went on to chart 22 more top 10 smashes, and a total of 46 hits on the list.
McCartney’s biggest Hot 100 hit is Wings’ “Silly Love Songs,” which ruled the weekly chart for five nonconsecutive weeks in May, June and July of 1976. His No. 2 biggest hit is his chart-topping collaboration with Michael Jackson, “Say Say Say,” which spent six weeks at No. 1 in late 1983 and early 1984.
McCartney — an 18-time Grammy Award winner — has also reigned on the list with further collaborative efforts. “Uncle Albert”/“Admiral Halsey,” his duet with his late wife, Linda McCartney, topped for one week in 1971; while “Ebony and Ivory” with Stevie Wonder spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 1982.
McCartney most recently charted on the Hot 100 with three collaborations with Kanye West, back in 2015, and all of them reached the top 40 on the weekly tally. West’s “Only One,” featuring McCartney, peaked at No. 35; “FourFiveSeconds,” a joint collaboration with West and Rihanna, reached No. 4; and West’s “All Day,” featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and McCartney, hit No. 15.
Paul McCartney’s Top 40 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
Rank, Title, Act, Peak Position, Peak Date
1. “Silly Love Songs,” Wings, No. 1 (5 weeks), May 22, 1976
2. “Say Say Say,” Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson, No. 1 (6 weeks), Dec. 10, 1983
3. “Ebony and Ivory,” Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder, No. 1 (7 weeks), May 15, 1982
4. “My Love,” Paul McCartney & Wings, No. 1 (4 weeks), June 2, 1973
5. “Coming Up (Live at Glasgow),” Paul McCartney & Wings, No. 1 (3 weeks), June 28, 1980
6. “Band on the Run,” Paul McCartney & Wings, No. 1 (1 week), June 8, 1974
7. “The Girl is Mine,” Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney, No. 2, Jan. 8, 1983
8. “Listen to What the Man Said,” Wings, No. 1 (1 week), July 19, 1975
9. “With a Little Luck,” Wings, No. 1 (2 weeks), May 20, 1978
10. “Live and Let Die,” Wings, No. 2, Aug. 11, 1973
11. “Let ‘Em In,” Wings, No. 3, Aug. 14, 1976
12. “Junior’s Farm/Sally G,” Paul McCartney & Wings, No. 3, Jan. 11, 1975
13. “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” Paul & Linda McCartney, No. 1 (1 week), Sept. 4, 1971
14. “Goodnight Tonight,” Wings, No. 5, May 19, 1979
15. “No More Lonely Nights,” Paul McCartney, No. 6, Dec. 8, 1984
16. “Spies Like Us,” Paul McCartney, No. 7, Feb. 8, 1986
17. “Another Day/Oh Woman Oh Why,” Paul McCartney, No. 5, April 17, 1971
18. “Jet,” Paul McCartney & Wings, No. 7, March 30, 1974
19. “Take it Away,” Paul McCartney, No. 10, Aug. 21, 1982
20. “FourFiveSeconds,” Rihanna & Kanye West & Paul McCartney, No. 4, Feb. 28, 2015
21. “Helen Wheels,” Paul McCartney & Wings, No. 10, Jan. 12, 1974
22. “Hi, Hi, Hi,” Wings, No. 10, Feb. 3, 1973
23. “Maybe I’m Amazed,” Wings, No. 10, April 2, 1977
24. “Venus and Mars Rock Show,” Wings, No. 12, Dec. 13, 1975
25. “Press,” Paul McCartney, No. 21, Sept. 13, 1986
26. “So Bad,” Paul McCartney, No. 23, Feb. 11, 1984
27. “My Brave Face,” Paul McCartney, No. 25, July 8, 1989
28. “Getting Closer,” Wings, No. 20, July 28, 1979
29. “Give Ireland Back to the Irish,” Wings, No. 21, April 8, 1972
30. “I’ve Had Enough,” Wings, No. 25, Aug. 5, 1978
31. “Girls’ School,” Wings, No. 33, Jan. 14, 1978
32. “Arrow Through Me,” Wings, No. 29, Oct. 13, 1979
33. “Mary Had a Little Lamb/Little Woman Love,” Wings, No. 28, July 22, 1972
34. “Letting Go,” Wings, No. 39, Oct. 25, 1975
35. “London Town,” Wings, No. 39, Oct. 14, 1978
36. “All Day,” Kanye West Featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney, No. 15, March 21, 2015
37. “Tug of War,” Paul McCartney, No. 53, Oct. 23, 1982
38. “Only One,” Kanye West Featuring Paul McCartney, No. 35, Jan. 17, 2015
39. “The World Tonight (From “Fathers’ Day”),” Paul McCartney, No. 64, May 24, 1997
40. “Stranglehold,” Paul McCartney, No. 81, Nov. 29, 1986
Paul McCartney’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100, through the June 20, 2020, ranking. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
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