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.
Can't Buy Me Love
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't buy me love
I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend
If it makes you feel all right
I'll get you anything my friend
If it makes you feel all right
'Cause I don't care too much for money
I'll give you all I've got to give
If you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give
But what I've got I'll give to you
For I don't care too much for money
For money can't buy me love
Can't buy me love
Everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love
No, no ,no, no
Say you don't need no diamond ring
And I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want those kind of things
That money just can't buy
For I don't care too much for money
For money can't buy me love
Can't buy me love
Everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love
No, no ,no, no
Say you don't need no diamond ring
And I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want those kind of things
That money just can't buy
For I don't care too much for money
For money can't buy me love
Ooh, can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love, no
In Paul McCartney's song "Can't Buy Me Love," he explores the idea that love cannot be purchased with money. The opening lines make this point clear as he repeats the phrase "can't buy me love" twice. McCartney then goes on to offer to buy his friend a diamond ring or anything else that would make them happy. However, he emphasizes that he does not care too much for money and that what he has to offer is his love. He is willing to give everything he has to someone who loves him. He then repeats the chorus, underlining the idea that love cannot be bought.
In the second verse, McCartney declares that he will give all he has to someone who says they love him too. He may not have an abundance of money or material possessions, but what he has, he is willing to give to the person he loves. McCartney repeats that he does not care too much for money as he believes that love is more important than material wealth. In the final verse, McCartney states that if someone tells him they do not need a diamond ring or anything that money can buy, he will be satisfied. He acknowledges that money cannot buy the things that truly matter, such as love and happiness.
Overall, "Can't Buy Me Love" is a song that highlights the importance of love, friendship, and genuine connections. McCartney emphasizes that material wealth and possessions cannot bring happiness or love. Instead, what truly matters is the love we have within ourselves and share with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't buy me love, love
Love cannot be purchased with money.
Can't buy me love
Love is not something that can be purchased with money.
I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend
If it makes you feel all right
I will buy you material possessions if it makes you happy, even if they do not matter to me personally.
I'll get you anything my friend
If it makes you feel all right
I will acquire anything for you if it makes you feel good, even if it does not hold personal value for me.
'Cause I don't care too much for money
For money can't buy me love
Money does not matter much to me personally, as it is not something that can purchase love.
I'll give you all I've got to give
If you say you love me too
If you reciprocate my feelings of love, I will give you everything I can offer.
I may not have a lot to give
But what I've got I'll give to you
I may not have many material possessions, but I will give you everything I can offer.
Can't buy me love
Everybody tells me so
Many people have told me that love cannot be purchased with money.
Say you don't need no diamond ring
And I'll be satisfied
If you tell me that you do not require material possessions to be happy with me, I will be content.
Tell me that you want those kind of things
That money just can't buy
If you express to me that you want things that cannot be purchased with money, I will understand and appreciate it.
Ooh, can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love, no
Love is not something that can be purchased with money.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Diego Studios
Can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love
I'll buy you a diamond ring, my friend
If it makes you feel all right
I'll get you anything, my friend
If it makes you feel all right
'Cause I don't care too much for money
Money can't buy me love
I'll give you all I've got to give
If you say you love me, too
I may not have a lot to give
But what I've got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money
Money can't buy me love
Can't buy me love
Everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love
No, no, no, no
Say you don't need no diamond rings
And I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of things
That money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money
Money can't buy me love
Can't buy me love
Everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love
No, no, no, no
Say you don't need no diamond rings
And I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of things
That money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money
Money can't buy me love
Can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love, oh
Traducir al español
ed baer
Thank you, thank you for this free, live concert!
Sir Paul...you are the man!
Love the versatility of your voice and the fact that you are a multi instrumentalist!
Btw, you are not only my favorite Beatle but my favorite Beatle vocalist (sorry John) and Beatle guitarist (sorry George)
Hope you keep on rocking for many more years!!!!
Joe
Think about this: he's been with this band longer than he's been with any band in his life. Their first public concert together was the Concert for New York City in October 2001. They've been together ever since.
Sportshub500
But this is not the Beatles
Uetti
Not exactly, because Brian Ray wasn't there at the Concert For New York City (As well as Wix). Their first concert together was the Superbowl in February 2002. They are nonetheless the band Paul has played for the longest time (18 years)
Uetti
@Sportshub500 This is irrelevant in this context, isn't it?
IBR
@Sportshub500 Thanks, I had not realized
Aidan Quinlan
There a great backing band
Theresa Wilkinson
?
BAKARDY TV
I LOVE THE BEATLES WITH ALL MY LOVE
MrPanacea999
George Harrison's solo is so good that both guitarists play it