Songfacts®:

• When Paul McCartney & Wings went out to record their 1978 album London Town, they got permission to record on a boat in the Virgin Islands. One of the boats that was available was called Wanderlust, but they ended up using a different boat. Paul liked the name and later wrote this song about it. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Tommy - Flower Mound, TX
• "Wanderlust" is a desire to travel and explore.
• Producer George Martin thought this was Paul's best vocal performance in his solo career and one of his best vocals ever, including with The Beatles. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Ken - Louisville, KY
• The boat captain asked the band to leave when he caught them smoking pot, inspiring the lyrics, "Captain says there'll be a bust, This one's not for me." McCartney explained on his website: "It's all about this captain and him getting uptight about smelling some pot somewhere."
• This features the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, who also appeared on Pink Floyd's 1970 album, Atom Heart Mother. When McCartney revisited the tune in 2015 for his Archive Collection, he wished the ensemble had a larger presence on the track. "I didn't use the brass ensemble enough," he said. "They could have done more, they could have been more often in the song, instead of just the solo."