Which 1972 Wings single was banned by the BBC over its political message about Northern Ireland?

The 1972 Wings single banned by the BBC for its political message about Northern Ireland was “Give Ireland Back to the Irish.”

Written by Paul and Linda McCartney, the song responded to Bloody Sunday, the 30 January 1972 shootings in Derry, Northern Ireland. Wings recorded it in London just days later, making it the group’s debut single and one of McCartney’s most overtly political releases.

The BBC banned the record from broadcast, and Radio Luxembourg and the Independent Television Authority also barred it. Its release nevertheless produced significant chart results: it reached number 16 in the United Kingdom, number 21 in the United States and number one in Ireland for one week.

The song is often confused with “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Wings’ follow-up single from the same year. That track was not the politically controversial release. “Give Ireland Back to the Irish” was also absent from a major album until it appeared as a bonus track on the 1993 CD reissue of Wild Life.