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.
Be-Bop-A-Lula
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be-Bop-A-Lula She's My Baby
Be-Bop-A-Lula Don't Mean Maybe
Be-Bop-A-Lula She's My Baby
Be-Bop-A-Lula Don't Mean Maybe
Be-Bop-A-Lula She's My Baby Doll
My Baby Doll My Baby Doll
Well
She's The Queen Of All The Team
She's The Woman Walkin' That I Know
She's The Woman That Loves Me So
Repeat *
Well
She's The Woman Who's Got That Beat
She's The Woman With The Flying Feet
She's The Woman Walk Around The Store
She's The oman Gives Me More More More
Repeat*
(Come On Riggs, Clamp 'Em)
Repeat*
Paul McCartney: Thank You, Thank
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a classic rock-and-roll song by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, originally released in 1956. Paul McCartney's rendition of the song, which he performed with various bands throughout his career, including the Beatles and Wings, imbues the song with a renewed energy and modern sensibility. The lyrics of the song are relatively straightforward, touching on classic themes of love, lust, and admiration for a beautiful woman. The singer declares that his lover is his baby and that their connection is definitive, not open to interpretation or hesitation. The repetition of the phrase "don't mean maybe" reinforces the idea that their love is uncomplicated and absolute. The chorus provides a lively, upbeat backdrop to the verses, with McCartney's voice soaring as he sings the iconic refrain of "She's my baby doll, my baby doll, my baby doll."
The verses of the song focus on the woman's physical attributes, describing her as the one in the red blue jeans, the queen of all the team, and a woman with flying feet. While these descriptions can be seen as objectifying, the upbeat tone of the song and the way McCartney delivers the lyrics suggest a sense of admiration and joy rather than lechery or misogyny. In fact, the woman in the song is portrayed as a powerful figure, one who has that beat and gives the singer more more more. Overall, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a fun and energetic celebration of love and desire, made timeless by the infectious melody and McCartney's signature vocal style.
Line by Line Meaning
Well
Introduction to the song
Be-Bop-A-Lula She's My Baby
My girl's name is Be-Bop-A-Lula and she's my baby
Be-Bop-A-Lula Don't Mean Maybe
Be-Bop-A-Lula is my girl and there's no uncertainty about it
Be-Bop-A-Lula She's My Baby
Reaffirming that Be-Bop-A-Lula is his girl
Be-Bop-A-Lula Don't Mean Maybe
Reiterating that there's no maybe involved with Be-Bop-A-Lula being his girl
Be-Bop-A-Lula She's My Baby Doll My Baby Doll My Baby Doll
Be-Bop-A-Lula is not only his girl, but also his baby doll
Well
Reintroduction to the song
She's The One In The Red Blue Jeans
Be-Bop-A-Lula is the one he's referring to, and she's wearing red blue jeans
She's The Queen Of All The Team
Be-Bop-A-Lula is the queen of all teams, top of her game
She's The Woman Walkin' That I Know
Be-Bop-A-Lula is the only woman he knows who walks that way
She's The Woman That Loves Me So
Be-Bop-A-Lula is the one who loves him so much
Repeat *
Repeating the earlier verses
Well
Reintroduction to the song
She's The Woman Who's Got That Beat
Be-Bop-A-Lula is the one who's got the beat, rhythm in her soul
She's The Woman With The Flying Feet
Be-Bop-A-Lula has great moves and dancing skills
She's The Woman Walk Around The Store
Be-Bop-A-Lula is the woman he sees walking around the store
She's The oman Gives Me More More More
Be-Bop-A-Lula is the woman who gives him more, and he wants more of her
Repeat*
Repeating earlier verses
(Come On Riggs, Clamp 'Em)
A fun, playful interjection to the song
Repeat*
Repeating earlier verses
Paul McCartney: Thank You, Thank
Closing acknowledgment by the artist
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gene Vincent, Tex Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jessica Samek
Paul is so fantastic! He was fantastic fifty years ago, and he's still fantastic today! He will always be fantastic!!!! I wish i can go to his concerts someday... :)
Robert Cuevas
2021!!!!..inmortal! !
Randy Mann
Paul came to Austin five years ago for the first time. It was my all-time favorite concert, edging out seeing Led Zeppelin's very last US concert in Los Angeles.
Jessica Samek
I KNOW!
Pam H
+Jessica Samek Me, too. But his concerts are so expensive and I'm broke. What a performer, though!
Wern Lee
This version is done so well by McCartney. Feels so bluesy
IslandGirl 9152
Paulie totally rocked this one!!! He still looks so much like he used to on stage, all the same mannerisms, smiles, everything. Love this guy forever!!!
FRANKIESIXTOES
Nice version of the song, could tell Paul was really enjoying performing it.
danette McDougall
XThis is an artistic rare occurrence,where a " copy" actually supersedes the original. Well done. Puts me in a very funky-groove dance. I love this rendition!!!
SeattleSteve
It's only rare if you're not in the Beatles.
See:
Words of Love (Buddy Holly cover > original);
Twist and Shout (Isley Brothers cover > original);
Till There Was You (cover of Broadway musical song > original).