{{Use British English|date=February 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox song | name = Arrow Through Me | cover = Arrow Through Me cover.jpg | caption = Japanese single cover | alt = | type = single | artist = Wings | album = Back to the Egg | B-side = Old Siam, Sir | released = {{Start date|1979|08|14|df=y}} (US) | recorded = 29 June – 27 July 1978<ref>https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/album/arrow-through-me/</ref> | studio = Spirit of Ranachan, Campbeltown | genre = *Funk<ref name=TSG>{{cite journal|last=Hewitt|first=Paolo|title=Ten Solo Gems|journal=NME|year=2005|volume=2|series=NME Originals|issue=3|page=20}}</ref><ref name= "Sheffield 2024">{{cite magazine|first= Rob|last= Sheffield|title= The 100 Best Beatles Solo Songs|magazine= Rolling Stone|date= March 6, 2024|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-beatles-solo-songs-1234972758/john-lennon-how-1971-1234974785/|accessdate= April 25, 2024|quote= Arrow Through Me” is impeccably suave mall-funk from ''Back to the Egg''...}}</ref> *soft rock<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/wings-songs/|title=Top 10 Paul McCartney and Wings Songs|first=Nick|last=DeRiso|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=27 April 2014 }}</ref><ref name= "Petridis 2022">{{cite web|first= Alexis|last= Petridis|title= Paul McCartney's greatest post-Beatles songs – ranked!|website= The Guardian|date= June 16, 2022|url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/16/paul-mccartneys-greatest-post-beatles-songs-ranked|accessdate= August 3, 2024}}</ref> | length = {{Duration|m=3|s=37}} | label = Columbia (US) | writer = Paul McCartney | producer = Paul McCartney *Chris Thomas | prev_title = Getting Closer | prev_year = 1979 | next_title = Rockestra Theme | next_year = 1979 }} "'''Arrow Through Me'''" is a song by the British–American rock band Wings, released on their 1979 album ''Back to the Egg''.<ref>''McCartney: Songwriter'' {{ISBN|0-491-03325-7}} p. 219</ref>

==Background== "Arrow Through Me", unlike most songs on ''Back to the Egg'', is more pop-oriented than rock-oriented.<ref>''McCartney: Songwriter'' {{ISBN|0-491-03325-7}} p. 204</ref>

{{quote|"Arrow Through Me", harmonically it is almost like Duke Ellington could have written it.|Laurence Juber, ''Daytrippin'''<ref name=daytrippin>{{cite web|last1=Terrill|first1=Marshall|title=Exclusive: Ex-Wings guitarist, Laurence Juber, talks about attending 'Paul McCartney University'|url=http://daytrippin.com/2010/08/09/exclusive-ex-wings-guitarist-laurence-juber-talks-about-attending-paul-mccartney-university/|website=Daytrippin' Beatles Magazine|date=10 August 2010}}</ref>}}

''Ultimate Classic Rock'' contributor Nick DeRiso compared the keyboard bass line to those of Stevie Wonder and also praised the "inventive undulating polyrhythm" played by drummer Steve Holley.<ref name=deriso>{{cite web|title=Top 10 Wings Songs|author=DeRiso, Nick|date=27 April 2014 |publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/wings-songs/|access-date=2019-01-10}}</ref> DeRiso rated "Arrow Through Me" to be Wings' 8th greatest song.<ref name=deriso/> ''Billboard'' described it as "a light and bouncy midtempo tune with sparse orchestration."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top Single Picks|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2020-07-08|date=25 August 1979|page=75|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-08-25.pdf}}</ref> ''Cash Box'' called the song "a slightly quirky tune" and said that the instrumentation creates a "somber but light backing for the pleading vocals.<ref name=cb>{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=August 25, 1979|page=7|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2022-01-01|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1979/CB-1979-08-25.pdf}}</ref> ''Record World'' called it a "unique and thoroughly refreshing McCartney effort" whose rhythm "struts while the keyboards ring and bold horn charts inject energy."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=August 25, 1979|accessdate=2023-02-11|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/79/RW-1979-08-25.pdf}}</ref>

Beck named the song "one of McCartney's unsung gems from the '70s", commenting, "There's just a hint of punk and new wave seeping in, but I also feel like there’s a little bit of Stevie Wonder."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-05-19 |title=“There’s just a hint of punk and new wave seeping in…” |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/becks-favourite-paul-mccartney-song-theres-just-a-hint-of-punk-and-new-wave-seeping-in/ |access-date=2026-05-19 |website=Mojo |language=en}}</ref>

==Personnel== *Paul McCartney – vocals, keyboard bass, electric piano, clavinet<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/arrow-through-me/|title=Arrow Through Me (song)|website=The-paulmccartney-project.com|access-date=22 April 2021}}</ref> *Steve Holley – drums, Flexatone, drum machine *Howie Casey – horns *Tony Dorsey – horns *Steve Howard – horns *Thaddeus Richard – horns

==Release== It was the A-side of the second US single released from ''Back to the Egg'' and peaked at number 29. The B-side was "Old Siam, Sir", which was the A-side of the first UK single.

==Other== The song was used with the opening credits of, and as a main melody line through, the 1980 movie ''Oh! Heavenly Dog'', starring Chevy Chase, Jane Seymour and Benji. In 2010, neo-soul artist Erykah Badu sampled "Arrow Through Me" on an album track called "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" on her CD ''New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)''. It also appeared in the ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' episode "God Talks to Johnny" (1979).<ref>''My Year of Chevy: One Guy's Journey Through the Filmography of Chevy Chase'' {{ISBN|978-1-304-16206-9}} p. 15</ref>

In 2020, the song appeared in episode 2 (track 2) of Hulu's TV series adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel ''High Fidelity'' starring Zoë Kravitz.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a30845138/high-fidelity-songs/|title=Here's Every Song on 'High Fidelity,' So You Don't Have to Shazam Every Scene|first=Erica|last=Gonzales|date=28 February 2020|magazine=Harper's BAZAAR}}</ref>

==Chart history== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (1979) !Peak<br />position |- |Canada ''RPM'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6835a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6835a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6835a |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=20 October 1979 |access-date=2017-04-04}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|27 |- |Canada ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6844&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6844.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6844|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1979-10-13 |accessdate=2021-10-04}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|6 |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|29 |- |US ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary<ref>{{cite book|first= Joel |last= Whitburn |author-link= Joel Whitburn |year= 1993 |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 |publisher= Record Research |page=157}}</ref> |align="center"|29 |- |US ''Cash Box'' Top 100 |align="center"|36 |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {|class="wikitable" |- !Chart (1979) !Rank |- |Canada (RPM Chart)<ref name="RPM YearEnd">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?file_num=nlc008388.6855b&brws_s=1&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|181 |- |US (Joel Whitburn's ''Pop Annual'')<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=1999 |title=Pop Annual |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |isbn=0-89820-142-X}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|178 |} {{col-end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{YouTube|Z3Db9TSrEDk|Paul McCartney - Arrow Through Me}}

{{Wings songs}} {{Paul McCartney}}

Category:Paul McCartney songs Category:1979 singles Category:1970s ballads Category:Paul McCartney and Wings songs Category:Songs written by Paul McCartney Category:Columbia Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Category:Music published by MPL Music Publishing Category:Pop ballads