Songfacts®:

• The inspiration for "Wild Life" came from Paul McCartney going on an African safari and seeing a sign reading "the animals have the right of way." It made him reflect on our duty to care for the creatures that share our planet. "You just realize the sort of dignity and strength of wild animals because here they've got the right of way," he said in an interview on Paulmccartney.com. "Whereas we're all so full of our own importance. It's kind of nice, you know. You're just a guy in a Land Rover. You don't matter so much! So that was why I wrote that song. Man, you know, we're the 'top species,' and yet we're the ones who eff it up, which is not right."
• On July 9, 1972, Wings set out on a concert tour of Europe in a double-decker bus. McCartney thought it would provide live recordings to be included on a future album, but fans had a long wait for the record. Finally, in 2018, McCartney released the limited edition box set Wings 1971-73, which included a newly compiled live album, Wings Over Europe. Track 15 is a live version of "Wild Life," recorded at the band's August 21, 1972 show at The Hague.
• "Wild Life" is the title track of Wings' debut studio album, McCartney's third after leaving the Beatles. Recorded between July 25 and August 2, 1971 at Abbey Road Studios, the band released it on December 7, 1971. The critics dismissed the record, slamming it as rushed and lightweight. The public reacted in a lukewarm manner too – it only peaked at #10 on the US albums chart and #11 in McCartney's native UK.