A self-taught musician, McCartney is proficient on bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums. He is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing (mainly playing with a plectrum), his versatile and wide tenor vocal range (spanning over four octaves), and his eclecticism (exploring styles ranging from pre-rock and roll pop to classical and electronica). McCartney began his career as a member of the Quarrymen in 1957, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Starting with the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, he gradually became the Beatles' de facto leader, providing the creative impetus for most of their music and film projects. His Beatles songs "And I Love Her" (1964), "Yesterday" (1965), "Eleanor Rigby" (1966) and "Blackbird" (1968) rank among the most covered songs in history.
In 1970, McCartney debuted as a solo artist with the album McCartney. Throughout the 1970s, he led Wings, one of the most successful bands of the decade, with more than a dozen international top 10 singles and albums. McCartney resumed his solo career in 1980. Since 1989, he has toured consistently as a solo artist. In 1993, he formed the music duo the Fireman with Youth of Killing Joke. Beyond music, he has taken part in projects to promote international charities related to such subjects as animal rights, seal hunting, land mines, vegetarianism, poverty, and music education.
McCartney is one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. He has written or co-written 32 songs that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2009, had sales of 25.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States. His honours include two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999), 18 Grammy Awards, an appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1965, and a knighthood in 1997 for services to music. As of 2020, he is also one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated fortune of £800 million.
Best known for primarily using a plectrum or pick, McCartney occasionally plays fingerstyle. He was strongly influenced by Motown artists, in particular James Jamerson, whom McCartney called a hero for his melodic style. He was also influenced by Brian Wilson, as he commented: "because he went to very unusual places". Another favourite bassist of his is Stanley Clarke. McCartney's skill as a bass player has been acknowledged by bassists including Sting, Dr. Dre bassist Mike Elizondo, and Colin Moulding of XTC.
During McCartney's early years with the Beatles, he primarily used a Höfner 500/1 bass, although from 1965, he favoured his Rickenbacker 4001S for recording. While typically using Vox amplifiers, by 1967, he had also begun using a Fender Bassman for amplification. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he used a Wal 5-String, which he said made him play more thick-sounding basslines, in contrast to the much lighter Höfner, which inspired him to play more sensitively, something he considers fundamental to his playing style. He changed back to the Höfner around 1990 for that reason. He uses Mesa Boogie bass amplifiers while performing live.
McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of the Beatles and again as a solo artist in 1999. In 1979, the Guinness Book of World Records recognised McCartney as the "most honored composer and performer in music", with 60 gold discs (43 with the Beatles, 17 with Wings) and, as a member of the Beatles, sales of over 100 million singles and 100 million albums, and as the "most successful song writer", he wrote jointly or solo 43 songs which sold one million or more records between 1962 and 1978. In 2009, Guinness World Records again recognised McCartney as the "most successful songwriter" having written or co-written 188 charted records in the United Kingdom, of which 91 reached the top 10 and 33 made it to number one.
McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: twenty with the Beatles; seven solo or with Wings; one as a co-writer of "A World Without Love", a number-one single for Peter and Gordon; one as a co-writer on Elton John's cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"; one as a co-writer on Stars on 45's "Medley"; one as a co-writer with Michael Jackson on "Say Say Say"; and one as writer on "Ebony and Ivory" performed with Stevie Wonder. As of 2009, he has 15.5 million RIAA certified units in the United States as a solo artist plus another 10 million with Wings.
Credited with more number ones in the UK than any other artist, McCartney has participated in twenty-four chart topping singles: seventeen with the Beatles, one solo, and one each with Wings, Stevie Wonder, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Band Aid 20 and "The Christians et al." He is the only artist to reach the UK number one as a soloist ("Pipes of Peace"), duo ("Ebony and Ivory" with Wonder), trio ("Mull of Kintyre", Wings), quartet ("She Loves You", the Beatles), quintet ("Get Back", the Beatles with Billy Preston) and as part of a musical ensemble for charity (Ferry Aid).
"Yesterday" is one of the most covered songs in history with more than 2,200 recorded versions, and according to the BBC, "the track is the only one by a UK writer to have been aired more than seven million times on American TV and radio and is third in the all-time list ... [and] is the most played song by a British writer [last] century in the US". His 1968 Beatles composition "Hey Jude" achieved the highest sales in the UK that year and topped the US charts for nine weeks, which is longer than any other Beatles single. It was also the longest single released by the band and, at seven minutes eleven seconds, was at that time the longest number one. "Hey Jude" is the best-selling Beatles single, achieving sales of over five million copies soon after its release.
In July 2005, McCartney's performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with U2 at Live 8 became the fastest-released single in history. Available within forty-five minutes of its recording, hours later it had achieved number one on the UK Official Download Chart.
In December 2020, the release of his album McCartney III and its subsequent charting at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 earned McCartney the feat of being the first artist to have a new album in the top two chart positions in each of the last six decades.
14. Only Our Hearts
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I’d be taking the time to feel it
Washing over my body and soul
If only my love, only my love was here
I wish that my heart was strong
I’d be letting it beat, much faster
At the thought of you holding me near
Hoping to be where you are
I’m longing to be your lover
Don’t want to ever be far
Apart from you my love
But only our hearts will know
If we’re gonna spend it together
Holding on to the dreams that we share
Only our hearts, know how much love is there
Hoping to be where you are
I’m longing to be your lover
I don’t want to ever be far
Apart from you my love
But only our hearts will know
If we’re gonna to spend it together
Holding on to the love that we share
Only our hearts, know how much love is there
Yes only our hearts, know how much love is there
Paul McCartney's song "Only Our Hearts" is a love ballad imbued with passion and longing. McCartney uses the metaphor of the heart to convey the intensity of his feelings - both the physical sensations of love washing over his body and the emotional strength he wishes he had to fully embrace his love. The repetition of the refrain, "Only our hearts will know," emphasizes the private and intimate nature of the relationship between the two individuals in love. McCartney recognizes that their connection is unique and special, and only they can truly understand the depth of their love for one another. The song's lyrics are simple but powerful in their expression of love's complexity.
The song was released on McCartney's album "Kisses on the Bottom" in 2012. The album was a departure for McCartney, as it featured covers of classic American standards, but "Only Our Hearts" was one of two original songs included on the album. The song was co-written with jazz pianist and composer Diana Krall, who also performed on the album.
Line by Line Meaning
If only my love was here
I wish my significant other was here with me right now
I’d be taking the time to feel it
I would cherish every moment with them and be present in the experience
Washing over my body and soul
Their love would have a profound impact on me and uplift my spirit
If only my love, only my love was here
I crave their presence deeply and feel incomplete without it
I wish that my heart was strong
I wish I had the courage and emotional fortitude to express my love to them fully
I’d be letting it beat, much faster
I would let my heart beat with excitement and passion at the mere thought of them
At the thought of you holding me near
The idea of their warm embrace brings me immense comfort and happiness
I wish that my heart, wish that my heart was strong
I yearn to have the confidence to fully embrace my love for them
Hoping to be where you are
I long to be in their presence and feel their love firsthand
I’m longing to be your lover
I deeply desire to express my love to them and become their partner
Don’t want to ever be far
I never want to be apart from them or lose their love
Apart from you my love
Without their affection and companionship, life feels empty and lacking
But only our hearts will know
The depth of our love is something only felt between us and cannot be explained to others
If we’re gonna spend it together
The possibility of building a life together is something we both hope for and cherish
Holding on to the dreams that we share
We both have a shared vision for our future together and aspire to make it a reality
Only our hearts, know how much love is there
The extent of our love for one another is something only we can truly understand and appreciate
Yes only our hearts, know how much love is there
Our love is something special and unique, only felt between us and cannot be replicated
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kerrymcmanus9188
Lovely tune!