Jenny Wren by Paul McCartney

Album: Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)

Charted: 22

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Songfacts®:

Paul McCartney describes "Jenny Wren" as the daughter of "Blackbird," the 1968 song he wrote and sang for The Beatles. Both songs are driven by Paul's voice and his acoustic guitar, and in both, he assigns a kind of bird to a girl and has them metaphorically fly away.
In what could be a pop music first, this song features a duduk solo, played by the Venezuelan musician Pedro Eustache. A duduk is an Armenian wind instrument.
There's a character named Jenny Wren in the 1864 Charles Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend that may have subconsciously given Paul the title. He explained in an interview to promote the album: "To me it was just something to do with 'Blackbird.' A wren is one of my favorite birds, little English bird, it's the smallest English bird, and I always feel very privileged to see a wren because they're very shy and it's just 'Ah!' So a combination of all of that. It's a favorite bird for me, and then instead of making it a bird, again like 'Blackbird,' only more definitely this time I made it a woman."
"Blackbird" came about musically from a classical piece by Bach that McCartney and George Harrison would play in their early years as a "showoff party piece." The Back composition, Bourrée in E minor, has a melody line and a bass line going at the same time, which McCartney used for "Blackbird" and revisited for "Jenny Wren."

"I enjoyed that style so much that on this new record, I thought, I haven't written anything in that style since then, so I wanted to revisit that," he said. "So I was sitting around trying to write something like that with a top line and a bass line and came up with this song."

Comments: 20

Jason from Vancouver CanadaThis is a song and lyric that Lennon would have liked. Paul can get caught up in his positivity vibe and some easy rhymes but Jenny Wren is as good as anything he did lyrically for Abbey Road. Musically it could have fit into any late Beatles album.
Oleg from Moscow Region, Russia FederationSeems, it's about very sad little heroine from Ch. Dickens novel "Our mutual Friend". She called herself Jenny Wren, though her real name was Funny. She always sing and work, doing dolls and clothes for them. very sad girl.
Marisol from San José, Costa RicaThis song is beautiful, but sounds too much like Blackbird... so.. it will always be compared to that one. And Blackbird kicks ass.
Christy from Palm Springs, CaI have been trying to learn to play this song for ages but haven't had the time to figure it all out. It's harder than blackbird, which I can play, but I only have down like the first few notes of this one.
Kevin from Reading , PaI find it hard to criticize Paul for anything he does, though in my mind this is recycled McCartney and not worthy of mention with his best stuff. I find the the lyrics somewhat trite. Sorry.
Horatio from Atlanta, GaSorry but the lyrics on this site are incorrect; the line is "like the other girls, Jenny Wren took wing" NOT "rink" as written. Also, Jenny Wren is a character in the Dickens' novel, "Our Mutual Friend" but she was also a cripple, which is a significant part of the story line.
Lisa from Flower Mound, TxAlso, if you like this song, check out "Within You" by Ray LaMontagne (another beautiful song).
Lisa from Flower Mound, TxThis song is hauntingly beautiful. It has quickly become one of my favorites.
Andrew from Lake Balboa, CaAbsolutely Genius, my favorite song of Paul so far. Based on this song alone I will be checking out more of his stuff, including the Beatles stuff that I'm not familiar with.
Rich from Birmingham Uk, EnglandGodrich produced Beck aswell.
Michael from Kearny, NjA simple but very effective song. The quality of the recording is simply amazing, thanks to Nigel Godrich. Paul orginally wanted George Martin to produce the Chaos and Creation album, but Martin has since retired and suggested that Paul contact Godrich (most famous for producing Radiohead). The resulting album is one of Paul's finest in years.
Rene from Chicago, IlJenny Wren is a charachtor from Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend.

She was a child with no childhood. Her father was an alcoholic while she labored as a doll's dressmaker.
Tim from Houston, TxThis song is special to me because it reminds me of my sister. "Wounded warriors took her song away," means to me that when my sister got married she stopped singing.
Jeff from Federal Way, Wai cant believe how good this song is; if it had been written when the beatles were still together, it would have made it onto any of their albums. really stands out on the album.
Ian from Lethbridge, CanadaThis guy is in his 60's, and he still sounds totally awesome! If you didn't know better, you'd guess that this came from a guy who was in his 20's or 30's. If only most of the music that circulates on the radio these days sounded this good and had this much lyrical meaning. :(
Joey from Nowhere Land, CaI love this song! my dad said it was the worse song in the world...but he was wrong
Ariana from Lima, Peruno wonder i love this song that much8-)
Julian from Anaheim, CaThis is really a good song. When he performed it at a concert in MGM Grand it sounded great! I want to see Paul again I hope he tours again!
Andrew from Glasgow, ScotlandThe song uses the same "bass line following the melody" that The Beatles' "Blackbird" does (the trick he says he learned from Bach's BourÃ?e) and was written in the same style.
Kristina from Small Town, NeI adore this song. Of all the new McCartney stuff, this is my favorite. The lyrics and melody are simply beautiful. Even at 63, the man is a genius.