| "Must Do Something About It" | |
|---|---|
| Song byWings | |
| from the albumWings at the Speed of Sound | |
| Published | McCartney Music Ltd. |
| Released | 25 March 1976 |
| Recorded | 5 January 1976 |
| Genre | Soft rock[1] |
| Length | 3:42 |
| Label | MPL Communications (UK) MPL Communications/Capitol (US) |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Paul McCartney |
| Wings at the Speed of Soundtrack listing | |
11 tracks
| |
"Must Do Something About It" is a song credited toPaul andLinda McCartney that first appeared on theWings 1976 albumWings at the Speed of Sound.
The lead vocal was sung by Wings drummerJoe English rather than by McCartney, the only Wings song on which English was the lead vocalist.[2][3] This was part of McCartney's attempt to democratize the band; each of the five members of Wings had at least one lead vocal onWings at the Speed of Sound.[2] McCartney decided to have English perform the lead vocal after thebacking track had been recorded.[3] A version of the song was recorded at the time with McCartney on lead vocal and remained unreleased until November 2014 when it was included as a bonus track on the remastered album.
The song's lyrics tell of the singer's loneliness.[2][4] In eachverse, the singer sings about some aspect of his lonely life, including watching a sunset by himself or playing cards alone.[4] In thechorus, the singer sings that he "must do something about" his loneliness, and the phrase "must do something about it" is repeated several times throughout the song.[2][4] The music reinforces the meaning of the lyrics. The length of the verses is anasymmetric fivebars, emphasizing the instability of the singer's loneliness, while the chorus is asymmetric four bars, emphasizing the hoped for stability when the singer does something about it.[4] Theharmony in the chorus is also more stable than that in the verses.[4] Instrumentation for the song includesacoustic guitar andslide guitar.[2] The song is in thekey ofD major, although the guitar iscapoed and tuned to sound more likeE-flat major.[4]
Most commentators have remarked on English's singing. Robert Rodriguez wrote that English's vocals added "a needed authenticity" to the song and wasn't sure that McCartney's vocals would have been as convincing.[5]Allmusic's Donald Guarisco states that "English sings the song with gusto, moving back and forth between a full-throated belting style and a gentle croon with ease."[2] Vincent Benitez wrote that English's singing "conveys a surprisingly sunny disposition."[4] Chris Ingham claims that English "does a charming job."[6] John Blaney felt that English "provided the biggest surprise on the album" and that his "performance is on par with anything on the album, and it's debatable whether anyone could have improved on it."[7] Blaney argues that the song is a perfect vehicle for English, and that his voice perfectly conveys the feel McCartney was looking for.[7]
On the song itself, Rodriguez claims that it was "tossed off simply to fill space on anLP."[5] Chip Madinger and Mark Easter, while saying English has a "passable voice," state that "Must Do Something About It" is "an agreeable if not particularly memorable song."[3] However, Allmusic's Guarisco calls the song a "nice little ballad whose pop undertones allow it to stick in the listener’s mind."[2]
