“Cut Me Some Slack” by Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic & Pat Smear

On “Cut Me Some Slack”, the narrator wants his addressee to allow him to live freely as he wishes. It is typical of most people to feel tied down by a relationship since it requires a level of dedication to a particular person.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Paul McCartney's Cut Me Some Slack at Lyrics.org.

In this song however, the writer is demanding his freedom while threatening to leave if it is not granted. It is unclear if he is literally addressing his mother who may be inhibiting him from exploring his youthful adventures or he is metaphorically referring to his significant other as ‘mama’ to denote her restrictive attitude.

In short, the narrator is extremely concerned about having fun and being free irrespective of how it might negatively affect this person.

Facts about “Cut Me Some Slack”

“Cut Me Some Slack” was written by all four of its primary artists:

  • Smear
  • Novoselic
  • Grohl
  • McCartney

Considering all the aforementioned artists (with the exception of McCartney) were all former members of Nirvana, McCartney once described the collaboration as a reunion of Nirvana.

The song’s main vocals are handled by Paul McCartney. Dave Grohl handles both the backing vocals as well as the drums. The guitar and bass guitar are handled by Pat Smear and Krist Novoselic respectively.

The group performed this song live in New York a couple of days before its official release. Said performance, which took place on December 12, 2012, was actually a benefit concert for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Two days later, the song was officially released. It was part of the official soundtrack album for the Dave Grohl-directed film “Sound City“.

Despite not receiving a great deal of radio play, this hard rock track charted in a number of countries, including Poland and Canada.

Its greatest achievement came in 2014 when it won a Grammy. It along with the following songs got nominated in the “Best Rock Song” category:

  • Black Sabbath’s “God Is Dead?”
  • Gary Clark Jr.’s “Ain’t Messin ‘Round”
  • Muse’s “Panic Station”
  • The Rolling Stones’ “Doom and Gloom”

It however, defeated all of them and took home the prestigious award. A year earlier, said honor was bestowed upon The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy“.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like...