Must Do Something About It
Encyclopedia
"Must Do Something About It" is a song credited to Paul
and Linda McCartney
that first appeared on the Wings
1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound
. The lead vocal was sung by Wings drummer Joe English rather than by McCartney, the only Wings song on which English was the lead vocalist. This was part of McCartney's attempt to democratize the band; each of the five members of Wings had at least one lead vocal on Wings at the Speed of Sound. McCartney decided to have English perform the lead vocal after the backing track
had been recorded. An unreleased version of the song was recorded with McCartney on lead vocal.
The song's lyrics tell of the singer's loneliness. In each verse, the singer sings about some aspect of his lonely life, including watching a sunset by himself or playing cards alone. In the chorus
, 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. The music reinforces the meaning of the lyrics. The length of the verses is an asymmetric
five bars
, emphasizing the instability of the singer's loneliness, while the chorus is a symmetric four bars, emphasizing the hoped for stability when the singer does something about it. The harmony
in the chorus is also more stable than that in the verses. Instrumentation for the song includes acoustic guitar
and slide guitar
. The song is in the key
of D major
, although the guitar is capo
ed and tuned to sound more like E-flat major.
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. 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." Vincent Benitez wrote that English's singing "conveys a surprisingly sunny disposition." Chris Ingham claims that English "does a charming job." 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." Blaney argues that the song is a perfect vehicle for English, and that his voice perfectly conveys the feel McCartney was looking for.
Not all the commentators who appreciated English's performance were as enthusiastic about the song itself. Rodriguez claims that the song was "tossed off simply to fill space on an LP
." 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." However, Allmusic's Guarisco calls the song a "nice little ballad whose pop undertones allow it to stick in the listener’s mind."
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
and Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
that first appeared on the Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
1976 album Wings at the Speed of Sound
Wings at the Speed of Sound
Wings at the Speed of Sound is the fifth album by Wings and was recorded and issued in 1976 in the midst of a large world tour as the follow-up album to the popular Venus and Mars.- History :...
. The lead vocal was sung by Wings drummer Joe English rather than by McCartney, the only Wings song on which English was the lead vocalist. This was part of McCartney's attempt to democratize the band; each of the five members of Wings had at least one lead vocal on Wings at the Speed of Sound. McCartney decided to have English perform the lead vocal after the backing track
Backing track
A backing track is an audio or MIDI recording that musicians play or sing along to in order to add parts to their music which would be impractical to perform live.-Uses:...
had been recorded. An unreleased version of the song was recorded with McCartney on lead vocal.
The song's lyrics tell of the singer's loneliness. In each verse, the singer sings about some aspect of his lonely life, including watching a sunset by himself or playing cards alone. In the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, 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. The music reinforces the meaning of the lyrics. The length of the verses is an asymmetric
Asymmetry
Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry.-In organisms:Due to how cells divide in organisms, asymmetry in organisms is fairly usual in at least one dimension, with biological symmetry also being common in at least one dimension....
five bars
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
, emphasizing the instability of the singer's loneliness, while the chorus is a symmetric four bars, emphasizing the hoped for stability when the singer does something about it. The harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
in the chorus is also more stable than that in the verses. Instrumentation for the song includes acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
. The song is in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
, although the guitar is capo
Capo
A capo is a device used on the neck of a stringed instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch. It is frequently used on guitars, mandolins, and banjos. G.B...
ed and tuned to sound more like E-flat major.
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. 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." Vincent Benitez wrote that English's singing "conveys a surprisingly sunny disposition." Chris Ingham claims that English "does a charming job." 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." Blaney argues that the song is a perfect vehicle for English, and that his voice perfectly conveys the feel McCartney was looking for.
Not all the commentators who appreciated English's performance were as enthusiastic about the song itself. Rodriguez claims that the song was "tossed off simply to fill space on an LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
." 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." However, Allmusic's Guarisco calls the song a "nice little ballad whose pop undertones allow it to stick in the listener’s mind."