I’ve Had Enough

Written by: Paul McCartney
Recorded: 5, 9 May; 30 November 1977
Producer: Paul McCartney

Released: 27 March 1978 (US), 31 March 1978 (UK)

Available on:
London Town

Personnel

Paul McCartney: vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano
Linda McCartney: keyboards, tambourine
Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch: electric guitar
Joe English: drums

‘I’ve Had Enough’ was the second single released from Wings’ album London Town.

That came about when I was just sitting around in the studio one day, doing rock ‘n’ roll kind of chords, just very simple bluesy kind of chords. And I just had the chorus. And the rest of it I used to just mumble. So we did it on the boat with me mumbling the vocal track and just shouting ‘I’ve had enough’ when it comes to the chorus. And I wrote some words to it and again we finished that off in London.

Wings performed ‘I’ve Had Enough’ during their UK Tour in 1979.

In the studio

Wings recorded ‘I’ve Had Enough’ on 5 May 1977 on board the Fair Carol, a yacht moored in Francis Bay, St John, in the US Virgin Islands.

We hired a charter boat that people use for holidays. The captain went spare when he saw all the instruments. We remodelled his boat for him, which he wasn’t too keen on. We converted his lounge into a studio and we turned another deck into a sound control room, and it was fantastic! We had a recording boat and two others we stayed on. We didn’t have any problems with salt water in the machines or sharks attacking us. At night, there was much merriment, leaping from top decks into uncharted waters and stuff. I had a couple too many one night and nearly broke something jumping from one boat to another. But then you always break yourself up on holiday. The studio worked out incredible well and the very first day we got a track down. There was a nice free feeling. We’d swim in the day and record at night.

The backing track had Paul McCartney on bass guitar and guide vocals, Denny Laine on rhythm guitar, Jimmy McCulloch on lead guitar, Linda McCartney on Moog synthesizer, and Joe English on drums. One of the studio technicians also played tambourine.

Overdubs added on 9 May included more lead guitar by Jimmy McCulloch, and piano by Paul McCartney, recorded simultaneously.

‘I’ve Had Enough’ was completed on 30 November 1977. Paul McCartney and Denny Laine overdubbed electric guitar parts, and McCartney added Mellotron with the pipe organ setting, and handclaps. He then hastily finished writing the lyrics and recorded his lead vocals, which took several takes to complete.

The release

‘I’ve Had Enough’ is the eighth song on London Town, which was released in the USA on 27 March 1978, and four days later in the UK.

It was issued as a single on 2 June in the USA and 16 June in the UK, as Wings’ follow-up to ‘With A Little Luck’. The album track ‘Deliver Your Children’ was on the b-side.

‘I’ve Had Enough’ was not a commercial success, peaking at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and 42 on the UK singles chart.