| "I've Had Enough" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byWings | ||||
| from the albumLondon Town | ||||
| B-side | "Deliver Your Children" | |||
| Released | 16 June 1978 | |||
| Recorded | May 1977 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:04 | |||
| Label | Parlophone/EMI(UK) Capitol(US) | |||
| Songwriter | Paul McCartney | |||
| Producer | Paul McCartney | |||
| Wings singles chronology | ||||
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"I've Had Enough" is a song by the British–American rock bandWings, released as a single from their 1978 albumLondon Town. It reachedNo. 25 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart,No. 24 in Canada andNo. 42 in the UK as well as reached No. 11 in Ireland. In the Netherlands, the 2-sided single "I've Had Enough" combined with its B-side "Deliver Your Children" reachedNo. 13.
"I've Had Enough" was written and sung byPaul McCartney. The music and an improvisedchorus were recorded on board the boatFair Carol in the Virgin Islands prior to the departure of Wings' lead guitaristJimmy McCulloch and drummerJoe English.[1][2] According to McCartney, they did not have any of the words until the band returned to London from theFair Carol recording sessions.[2] He then wrote "a few" words and overdubbed the lyrics in London.[2]
The lyrics of "I've Had Enough" primarily vent the singer's frustration in the face of various circumstances.[1] McCartney referred to it as "just one of those 'fed up' songs."[2] Wings' labelCapitol Records described it as "a driving rock 'n' roll tune that lyrically describes an artist's ultimatum to the taxman, a self-serving manager, or both."[3] Syndicated columnist Joel McNally regarded the song as containing political commentary.[4]
The song is in thekey ofD major.[1] Music professor Vincent Benitez describes the song as a musically simple "guitar-dominated rocker," with alternating verses and chorus following the introductory section.[1] According to McNally, "it is done in therock styles of the '50s, '60s and '70s. All at the same time."[4]Billboard found the song structure to be similar to early songs McCartney wrote for theBeatles.[5]
Rolling Stone criticJanet Maslin claimed that "I've Had Enough" hints "at a minor mean streak, which "spices up" theLondon Town album "with a welcome note of discord."[6] McCartney biographer Peter A. Carlin claimed the song reflects "the righteous outrage of a man who can't find his slippers."[7] Tom Waseleski ofBeaver County Times praised McCartney's "raspy, boyish vocal" as a throwback to his early days withthe Beatles.[8] Author Tim Riley calls it a "simplistic screamer."[9] Beatles' biographer John Blaney claims that it is "not very effective," despite "a half decentriff and a snappy arrangement," and suggests that the "negative" chorus may reflect McCartney's dissatisfaction with the band at the time.[2]
On the other handKingsport Times-News critic Michael Clark regarded "I've Had Enough" to be the best song onLondon Town, calling it "guitar-riff oriented in Paul's best Beatle tradition" and stating that the lyrics evoke "Get Back" and similar Beatle songs "without drawing specifically from the same sources."[10]Billboard suggested that "McCartney's growling vocal and an insistent beat" make the song "a decisive statement in release of pent-up frustrations."[5]Cash Box suggested that it could follow "With a Little Luck" to the top of the charts and called it "a jaunty, shuffle-rocker," saying "the tune rides a crisp handclap beat and simple guitar chording."[11]Record World said that "McCartney in top pop vocal form" and that "the back beat is strong and the hook instantly singable."[12] In 2013,Rolling Stone rated it the #35 all-time Paul McCartney post-Beatles song, describing how it contrasted with Wings' prior single, the "easygoing" "With a Little Luck" with "tough talk and guitars to match."[13] In that review,Rolling Stone suggested that the song's "sarcastic snarl" was influenced byElvis Costello.[13] McCartney biographer Martin A. Grove, writing at about the time the single was released described "I Had Enough" as a "hard–rocking" song, which he (as it turned out over-optimistically) predicted may become aNo. 1 hit.[3]
According to The Paul McCartney Project:[14]
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 11[15] |
| Netherlands | 13[16] |
| UK | 42[17] |
| Canada | 24[18] |
| USBillboard Hot 100 | 25[19] |
{{cite book}}:|magazine= ignored (help)
