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.
Ballroom Dancing
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sailing down the Nile in china cup
With the recipe for a lovely day
Sticking out my back pocket
But it wasn't always such a pretty sight
'Cause we used to fight like cats and dogs
Till me made it up in the ballroom
Ballroom dancing made a man of me
One, two, three, four
I just plain adore your
Ballroom dancing, seen it on TV
I got what I got from ballroom dancing
Big b.d.
Well I used to fly when I was a kid
And I didn't cry if it hurt a bit
On a carpet ride to a foreign land
At the time of Davy Crockett
But it wasn't always such a pretty sight
'Cause we used to fight like cats and dogs
Till me made it up in the ballroom
Ballroom dancing made a man of me
One, two, three, four
I just plain adore your
Ballroom dancing, seen it on TV
I got quite a lot from ballroom dancing
Big b.d.
Well went so fast and we all grew up
Now the days have passed in the china cup
Are the memories of another day
And I wouldn't want to knock it
But it wasn't always such a pretty sight
'Cause we used to fight like cats and dogs
Till we made it up in the ballroom
Ballroom dancing made a man of me
One, two, three, four
I just plain adore your
Ballroom dancing, seen it on TV
I got quite a lot from ballroom dancing
Big b.d.
The song "Ballroom Dancing" by Paul McCartney is essentially about how ballroom dancing helped the singer to mature and become a man. He reflects on his past as a young and carefree individual who used to sail down the Nile River in a china cup, or fly on a "carpet ride to a foreign land at the time of Davy Crockett." However, as he grew older, he acknowledges that they experienced some fights like "cats and dogs" with their loved ones. But, the solution was the ballroom where they found a way to reconcile their differences.
The song talks about how ballroom dancing made Paul McCartney a better individual. He repeats the phrase "ballroom dancing made a man of me," throughout the song, stressing the point that ballroom dance helped him become a better person. The memorable chorus, "One, two, three, four, I just plain adore your ballroom dancing, seen it on TV" complements the fun, upbeat rhythms throughout the song, emphasizing the joy and pleasure that can be found in dancing.
Overall, the song is a tribute to the joy of ballroom dancing, which helped the singer remembers both good and bad times nostalgically. It also reflects the role that ballroom dancing can play in bringing people together and helping them grow up and mature.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I used to smile when I was a pup
I used to be carefree and happy when I was young.
Sailing down the Nile in china cup
Metaphorically describing luxurious travels in my youth.
With the recipe for a lovely day
I had the secret to happiness within me.
Sticking out my back pocket
I carried this secret with me wherever I went.
But it wasn't always such a pretty sight
Life wasn't always easy and peaceful.
'Cause we used to fight like cats and dogs
I had conflicts with others like anyone else.
Till me made it up in the ballroom
But dancing brought us together and resolved our issues.
Ballroom dancing made a man of me
Dancing taught me valuable lessons and helped me mature.
One, two, three, four
This is a common dance rhythm/counting sequence.
I just plain adore your
Expressing my love for ballroom dancing.
Ballroom dancing, seen it on TV
Dancing is even showcased through media.
I got what I got from ballroom dancing
I learned and gained a lot from dancing.
Big b.d.
Abbreviation for ballroom dancing.
Well I used to fly when I was a kid
Another example of carefree youth.
And I didn't cry if it hurt a bit
I was strong, resilient and brave even as a child.
On a carpet ride to a foreign land
A fanciful representation of imaginative flights of fancy.
At the time of Davy Crockett
The reference to the American folk hero possibly alludes to my fondness for adventure.
Well went so fast and we all grew up
Life passes by quickly and everyone grows older.
Now the days have passed in the china cup
Metaphor for my memory of my travels in youth fading over time.
Are the memories of another day
The memories of the past are distant.
And I wouldn't want to knock it
Despite changes in life, I don't want to criticize or negate the past.
I got quite a lot from ballroom dancing
Reiterating how much I learned from ballroom dancing.
Big b.d.
Abbreviation for ballroom dancing.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sungodv
The man had THE BEST voice in Rock/Pop...never will be another Macca
Harry S. Anchan
One of his very best. Listen to it over headphones.
X
I am! Unless you have a killer stereo, headphones let you hear music in a way the radio or a Bluetooth speaker never can.
Meyzen76
Memories of my childhood. I remember this album being played on loop in my dads 325 BMW. When we got close to home, he would let me sit on his lap and help steer it home (Back when you could get away with something like that).Vividly remember when Paul counts "1,2,3,4" in this song, my dad would point to the shifter and we would count the gears together. Such a simple memory, but brings it me back to being a 6 yr. old every time. This album is embedded in me.
Kim Philby
Thanx for sharing..sending love ..Northern Ireland..
Javier Villa Labrada
La parte musical del 2:30 al 3:10 es impresionante
Marcella Simone
Love when he screams, BALLROOM DANCING.
icespittingfire
BIG B.D.
Mina #9
Literally the only part I like of this song lol
Kroneexe
@Mina #9 gay