Paul McCartney's first solo album after Wings' split was confirmed, Tug Of War, followed the death of John Lennon, whose memory is poignantly evoked on the track "Here Today." While the title hints at an album about power struggles, Paul saw it more as an album “of opposites.” As he says, it focuses on “duality. Yes and No, Up and Down, Man and Woman. Always some kind of conflict, even if you’re married and in love, she’s still a girl, you’re still a boy… It’s not easy to bring together two sides of a coin.”

The album saw him reunite with producer George Martin and included two duets with Stevie Wonder, one of which, "Ebony And Ivory," was Number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic. The sessions were so fruitful that a number of songs were held over for Pipes Of Peace, which followed in 1983.

Upon its release, Tug Of War was nominated for the 1983 Grammy for Album of the Year.