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Released in 1976

Must Do Something About It

Written by Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney

Last updated on November 2, 2014

Album This song officially appears on the Wings At The Speed Of Sound Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1976

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

From Wikipedia:

“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. A version of the song, recorded with McCartney on lead vocal, remains unreleased.

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 capoed 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.”

Lyrics

I've just seen another sunset on my own.

All day long I've been alone

And I must do something about it

Yes I must do something about it

Played another losing card game with myself

Lonely joker on a shelf

And I must do something about it

Yes I must do something about it

No one on the party line

No one seems to need a dime

No one even knows that I'm feeling this way

No one seems to need my vote

No one has to change a note

No one here to hold my coat

Oh, what a day

I've just watched another movie on T.V

No one's in the house but me

And I must do something about it

Yes I must do something about it

Oh, oh, something about it

I've just dialled another number on my phone

All day long I've been alone

And I must do something about it

Yes I must do something about it

I've just seen another sunset on my own.

All day long I've been alone

And I must do something about it

Yes I must do something about it

Must do something about it

Yes I must do something about it

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Must Do Something About It”

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Going further

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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