Released 16 June 1978 Recorded May 1977 | Format 7" Genre Rock | |
B-side "Deliver Your Children" Label Parlophone/EMI (UK)
Capitol (US) | ||
"I've Had Enough" is a Wings' single from their 1978 album London Town. It reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 24 in Canada and No. 42 in the UK. In the Netherlands, the 2-sided single "I've Had Enough" combined with its B-side "Deliver Your Children" reached #13.
Contents
Writing and recording
The song was written and sung by Paul McCartney. The music and an improvised chorus were recorded on board the boat Fair Carol in the Virgin Islands prior to the departure of Wings' lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English. According to McCartney, they didn't have any of the words until the band returned to London from the Fair Carol recording sessions. He then wrote "a few" words and overdubbed the lyrics in London. McCartney referred to it as "just one of those 'fed up' songs."
The song is in the key of D major. Music professor Vincent Benitez describes the song as a musically simple "guitar-dominated rocker," with alternating verses and chorus following the introductory section. The lyrics primarily vent the singer's frustration in the face of various circumstances.
Reception
Rolling Stone critic Janet Maslin claimed that "I've Had Enough" hints "at a minor mean streak, which "spices up" the London Town album "with a welcome note of discord." McCartney biographer Peter A. Carlin claimed the song reflects "the righteous outrage of a man who can't find his slippers." Tom Waseleski of Beaver County Times praised McCartney's "raspy, boyish vocal" as a throwback to his early days with the Beatles. Author Tim Riley calls it a "simplistic screamer." Author John Blaney claims that it is "not very effective," despite "a half decent riff and a snappy arrangement," and suggests that the "negative" chorus may reflect McCartney's dissatisfaction with the band at the time. Music critic Joel McNally claimed that it "actually contains a bit of real life political commentary" and that "it is done in the rock styles of the '50s, '60s and '70s. All at the same time." In 2013, Rolling Stone Magazine 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." In that review, Rolling Stone suggested that the song's "sarcastic snarl" was influenced by Elvis Costello.
B-side
The B-side, "Deliver Your Children", was the second (and last) Denny Laine lead vocal on a Wings single. Maslin called "Deliver Your Children" "just wonderful," calling it one of the best songs on London Town.