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Released in 1973

Mrs. Vandebilt

Written by Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney

Last updated on March 19, 2022

Album This song officially appears on the Band On The Run (UK version) Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1973

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interviews

From Wikipedia:

“Mrs. Vandebilt” is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings from the album Band on the Run. The track was not issued as a single in the UK or US, but was a single in Continental Europe and Australia.

Writing and recording

The opening lines of the song are taken from the catchphrase of English music hall performer Charlie Chester. Chester’s catchphrase was “Down in the jungle living in a tent, better than a bungalow, no rent”; the lyrics subsequently changed to “Down in the jungle living in a tent, You don’t use money you don’t pay rent”.

Howie Casey is featured with a saxophone solo.

The song was recorded during the album sessions in Lagos, Nigeria. The studio suffered a power outage during the session, but the recording continued with backup generators. Additional overdubs were later done in London.

The forced laughter that closed “Mrs Vandebilt” was influenced by Charlie Chester’s effects on his studio audience. Wings added more laughter in London’s AIR Studios after returning from Lagos, Nigeria. McCartney recalled: “The laughing? It started off in Africa. We were doing sort of daft laughs at the end. When we got back we eventually overdubbed this crowd of people who were laughing. It was great listening to the tapes, trying to select the little bit of laughter that we would use. Most of it was us, but we need a little bit to cushion it up. It was great listening to a roomful of people laughing in stereo. They were getting into all these laughing bits, and we were on the floor.”

Live performances

McCartney had not played the song live until a free concert on 14 June 2008 in Kyiv, Ukraine, on account of it receiving the most requests in a web poll. McCartney played the song in his concert for Quebec City, and then at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 25 September 2008, his first show in Israel. It became a fixture in his setlist, as he also performed the song in Halifax, the first show of his 2009 summer tour, as well as in his three July 2009 performances at the Citi Field in New York City. In addition, the song was featured in his Up and Coming Tour in 2010, his On the Run Tour in 2011-12, and most of his Out There Tour in 2013. It was dropped for the performances in Japan at the end of the latter tour in November 2013. […] […]

This was recorded during a power cut in Lagos. Suddenly everything went black, and eventually, we found ourselves doing it on EMI generator power, and just hoping the hum wouldn’t come over on the record. There’s a phrase on this track that is also on a song I wrote for Rod Stewart, one he’s just recorded. It fitted so well into this one, too, that I pinched it! So the phrase is in both songs.

Paul McCartney – From interview with Disc Magazine, 1973

Lyrics

Down in the jungle living in a tent

You don't use money you don't pay rent

You don't ever know the time

But you don't mind

Ho Hey Ho . . .

When your light is on the blink

You never think of worrying

What's the use of worrying?

When your bus has left the stop

You'd better drop your hurrying

What's the use of hurrying?

Leave me alone Mrs Vandebilt

I've got plenty of time of my own

What's the use of worrying?

What's the use of hurrying?

What's the use of anything?

Ho Hey Ho . . .

What's the use of worrying?

What's the use of hurrying?

What's the use of anything?

Ho Hey Ho . . .

When your pile is on the wane

You don't complain of robbery

Run away don't bother me

What's the use of worrying?

What's the use of anything?

Leave me alone Mrs. Washington

I've done plenty of time on my own

What's the use of worrying?

What's the use of hurrying? (no use!)

What's the use of anything?

Ho Hey Ho...

Officially appears on

See all official recordings containing “Mrs. Vandebilt”

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Mrs. Vandebilt”

Videos

Concert Dec 10, 2009 in Paris

Concert Aug 15, 2010 in Philadelphia

Concert May 09, 2013 in Fortaleza

Live performances

“Mrs. Vandebilt” has been played in 122 concerts and 16 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where “Mrs. Vandebilt” has been played

See all concerts where “Mrs. Vandebilt” has been played

Going further

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

"Mrs. Vandebilt" is one of the songs featured in the book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present," published in 2021. The book explores Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career. It pairs the lyrics of 154 of his songs with his first-person commentary on the circumstances of their creation, the inspirations behind them, and his current thoughts on them.

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Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989

With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.

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Paul McCartney writing

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musicman707 • 2 years ago

Who does Mrs. Vandebilt refer to? Is this about a real person?

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