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Released in 1986

Angry

Written by Paul McCartney • Eric Stewart

Last updated on December 1, 2024

Album This song officially appears on the Press To Play Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1986

Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1985, when Paul McCartney was 43 years old)

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Other "Press To Play" songs co-written with Eric Stewart

“Angry” is a song from 1986 album “Press To Play“.

From The Beatles Rarity:

[…] This week’s Beatles Rarity Of The Week, a fast paced rocker Paul wrote with Eric Stewart titled “Angry,” includes Pete Townshend on guitar, Phil Collins on drums, and is mixed for the album by Hugh Padgham. However, the version that appears on the Pretty Little Head maxi single is a mix by Larry Alexander that features additional horns and a punchier sound than the album version. Those of you only familiar with the standard version on Press To Play will likely find this ‘angrier’ version quite interesting. The Pretty Little Head maxi single was released on October 27, 1986 on vinyl only, and has never been made available on an official CD or authorized download media. […]

From “Club Sandwich 42 – Autumn 1986“:

A highly publicised song, due to its uncharacteristic belligerence and the presence of Pete Townshend and Phil Collins. “That’s me being pretty straightforward, although there is a crazy synth thing on there. The backing track is me, Phil and Pete, which is a nice little rhythm section!… I’d kept in touch with Pete after ‘Rockestra’ and Live Aid.. .There’s a chord riff… and every time I played it I felt like Pete Townshend!… It actually only took two hours to get that track down, which is incredibly quick these days.. .What makes me angry are things like Thatcher’s attitude to the blacks in South Africa… People who burn children with cigarettes. That sort of thing makes me angry — not bad reviews of my albums.” McCartney is percussing away again here and his galvanising bass line recalls the heyday of Tamla Motown.

Eric Stewart, from CultureSonar, December 3, 2018:

When we started [recording Press To Play], we had John Kelly engineering before Hugh. The first thing we recorded was “Angry.” Paul had these great lyrics “What the hell gives the right to tell me what to do with my life?” I played a really good, heavy guitar riff to that. That night, Gloria picks up the phone and Paul tells her I’m a “fucking genius”… I thought it would carry on, but Padgham screwed it. He said he’d walk away if he didn’t produce it himself, so Paul let me go. That was very sad. Much later on, he did apologize, saying he got it wrong too.

Eric Stewart

Eric Steward, about the production of “Press To Play”:

God knows what happened, but by the time it was finished there were four producers involved and they’d messed up those songs, like ‘Angry’, totally changed them, a great song called ‘Stranglehold’, which was a beautiful song we’d written together, buggered it all up with blipping saxes going all the way through the verses

Eric Steward, 2017, from FarOut Magazine

The session for ‘Angry’ with Phil and Pete Townshend was memorable: done on a Saturday afternoon, very quick.

Hugh Padgham, Club Sandwich N°42, Autumn 1986
From the “Press To Play” sleeve – These coloured diagrams by Paul show the position of the voices and instruments in the mix of each track.

I realised this actually that sometimes I really want to sit down and write a song that sums up my dismay and anger at the political situation that I read about every bloody morning you know.

I read about politicians saying this and this and this and this and it’s like what a twerp. This guy is a complete idiot. So I’ll sit down, okay ‘You are an idiot’, but I can’t do it. It doesn’t really work.

I wrote a song called Angry. That was an attempt at that but it’s not angry. You know, it seems to be something I can feel in myself. I can’t easily translate that into a song. Yeah, so that’s not one of my genres.

Paul McCartney – From “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics – Give Ireland Back To The Irish” podcast, April 3, 2024

Lyrics

What the hell gives you the right to tell me what to do with my life

Especially when you made a mess of every chance you had of success.

Look at you…Just look at you, I said I'm angry just looking at you.

I'm sick and tired of sitting back and listening

To all of your clap-trap.

If you could get me to take the rap I guarantee

You'd leave me with a backslap.

Push me to the left, push me to the right,

Try to take me out of the way.

Even if you kick me off the edge of the world,

You're still going to hear me say…

What the hell gives you the right to tell me what to do with my life

Especially when you made a mess of every chance you had of success.

Look at you…Just look at you, I said I'm angry just looking at you.

Shouting down again mahama. Shouting down again.

Shouting down again mahama. Shouting down again.

I can't begin to tell you all the reasons

Why you're making me crazy.

I've got so many answers.

Like you're stupid, like you're crooked,

Like you're lazy.

Hit me with your left, hit me with your right,

Hit me from the top to the toe.

Even when you chew me up and spit me out,

I'm still going to want to know.

What the hell gives you the right to tell me what to do with my life

Especially when you made a mess of every chance you had of success.

Look at you…Just look at you, I said I'm angry just looking at you.

Shouting down again mahama. Shouting down again.

Shouting down again mahama. Shouting down again…

What the hell gives you the right?

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Angry”

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.

Buy on Amazon

Paul McCartney writing

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Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.

Daniel Albert • 6 years ago

Why even bother to have Phil Collins on drums, when ''Sir'' Paul plays drums on this song anyway? Strange isn't it? I never quite understood those musicians who hire more than two musicians who play the same instruments on the same songs, and as for a drummer, one is enough for me. Weird I tell you.

The PaulMcCartney Project • 5 years ago

Hi Daniel, I guess the joy of mixing and remixing and re-remixing, and also McCartney trying to find relevance again !

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