She's Given Up Talking

Song facts

“She’s Given Up Talking” is a track from Paul McCartney’s 2001 album “Driving Rain“. 

Recorded on 17th February 2001 onto 16-track analogue tape then loaded into Logic Audio for overdubs. Paul played Martin acoustic guitar and sang the lead vocal then overdubbed Hofner bass with a fuzz effect and his own Ludwig drum kit. Abe played Roland Handsonic electronic percussion. Rusty played Gibson SG electric guitar through a Leslie pedal and overdubbed other guitar parts. Gabe played Hammond Organ. David overdubbed electric guitar.

From the liner notes of the album, and from paulmccartney.com

‘She’s Given Up Talking’ was about someone I know whose kid had gone to school and wouldn’t talk all day that she was in school. For a year she wouldn’t talk at school and his idea of her giving up talking seemed like a good title to me. I wrote the song a couple of years ago; when I was on holiday in Jamaica and remembered this story of this girl who wouldn’t talk to the teachers or anything – which I ended up thinking that was a pretty good strategy for school, I wish I’d have thought of that. Of course I would have just got caned, they were wise to that kind of shit, my school. Then I hastily put together the middle of ‘She’s Given Up Talking’ here in LA. One of the fun things about working here was because I hadn’t told anyone what we were going to do and hadn’t played them any demos, and instead came in and just said ‘right, we’re going to do this song,’ doing that gave me a little freedom and I didn’t have to finish the songs before ten minutes before the session. I’d run upstairs to the lounge above the studio and finish it quickly. I knew what I wanted for the middle – that when she gets home she talks a lot – so I just finished it fast.

Paul McCartney – From “The Driving Rain interview” published on paulmccartney.com, November 2001

Last updated on January 21, 2021

Lyrics