Jenny Wren
Encyclopedia
"Jenny Wren" is a song from Paul McCartney
's 2005 album
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
. It was released 21 November 2005 as the second single
from the album in the United Kingdom
.
, and is about a character of the same name from Charles Dickens
' novel Our Mutual Friend
. It also refers to a bird known as the wren
, which is reported to be McCartney's favourite. McCartney wrote the tune in the same sort of finger picking style found in "Blackbird
", "Mother Nature's Son
" (The Beatles
) and "Calico Skies
" (Flaming Pie
). The song earned a nomination for the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
category.
The solo is played on an Armenia
n woodwind instrument, called duduk
— a first in pop music history — played by Venezuelan born, world winds specialist & multi-instrumentalist Pedro Eustache
. The guitar's tuning is set to "D", providing a unique sound that reflects upon McCartney's earlier works.
This song was sampled on the song "Brown Girl" by Amanda Diva
from her EP Life Experience.
In the 2006 movie Failure to Launch
, the name of Tripp's wooden boat is Jennie Wren.
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's 2005 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is the thirteenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney released in 2005. A long time in the making, the set was produced by Radiohead and Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich at George Martin's suggestion....
. It was released 21 November 2005 as the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the album in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Background
Jenny Wren was written in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and is about a character of the same name from Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' novel Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining psychological insight with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, "money, money, money, and what money can make of life" but is also about human...
. It also refers to a bird known as the wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
, which is reported to be McCartney's favourite. McCartney wrote the tune in the same sort of finger picking style found in "Blackbird
Blackbird (song)
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
", "Mother Nature's Son
Mother Nature's Son
"Mother Nature's Son" is a Lennon–McCartney song, written primarily by Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles on The Beatles . It was inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while the Beatles were in India. The same lecture inspired Lennon's unreleased song "Child of Nature",...
" (The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
) and "Calico Skies
Calico Skies
Calico Skies is the sixth song on Paul McCartney's 1997 album, Flaming Pie.While it wreaked havoc in the north-east US, the category-three storm Hurricane Bob that made landfall in August 1991 prompted McCartney to sit with an acoustic guitar and write what he describes as "a gentle love song that...
" (Flaming Pie
Flaming Pie
Flaming Pie is an album by Paul McCartney, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney's involvement in the highly successful The Beatles Anthology project. In Flaming Pies liner notes McCartney said: " reminded me of The Beatles'...
). The song earned a nomination for the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
category.
The solo is played on an Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n woodwind instrument, called duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
— a first in pop music history — played by Venezuelan born, world winds specialist & multi-instrumentalist Pedro Eustache
Pedro Eustache
Pedro Eustache , is a creative solo flautist - "World Music" woodwinds-reeds-wind synthesizers and composer with extensive academic studies and more than 35 years of professional experience...
. The guitar's tuning is set to "D", providing a unique sound that reflects upon McCartney's earlier works.
Covers and References
The song has been covered by several artists, such as the Norwegian jazz trio SOLID! who recorded an instrumental version on their 2008 release Happy Accidents (AIM Records).This song was sampled on the song "Brown Girl" by Amanda Diva
Amanda Diva
Amanda Diva is a female rapper, actress, and former replacement of the musical group Floetry.- Personal life :...
from her EP Life Experience.
In the 2006 movie Failure to Launch
Failure to Launch
Failure to Launch is a 2006 American romantic comedy film. In the movie a 35-year-old man lives in the home of his parents and shows no interest in leaving the comfortable life his parents, especially his mother, have made for him there.-Plot:...
, the name of Tripp's wooden boat is Jennie Wren.
Track listing
- Digital single released 31 October 2005
- "Jenny Wren" (radio edit) - 2:09
- 7" R6678
- "Jenny Wren" - 3:47
- "Summer of '59" - 2:11
- CD CDR6678
- "Jenny Wren" - 3:47
- "I Want You to Fly" - 5:03
- Maxi-CD CDRS6678
- "Jenny Wren" - 3:47
- "I Want You to Fly" - 5:03
- "This Loving Game" - 3:15
External links
- Official site
- Beatles.com.hk CD1 page (Hong Kong based)
- Beatles.com.hk CD2 page (Hong Kong based)
- Beatles.com.hk 7" page (Hong Kong based)
- Beatles.com.hk digital single page (Hong Kong based)