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.
Daytime Nightime Suffering
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There on the ladder of regrets?
Mighty river, give her all she gets
What does she get for all the love she gave you
There on the ladder of regrets?
Daytime night time suffering is all she gets
Where all the prizes for the games she entered
Daytime night time suffering is all she gets
Come on, river, all the flow
Let your love of you people show
Come on, river, flow through me
Let your love of you people be
You are the river, I am the stream
Flow mighty river through me
What does it pay to play the leading lady
When like the damsel in distress
Daytime night time suffering is all she gets
No less (no less), no more (no more)
No sea (no sea), no shore (no shore)
No sand (no sand), no pail (no pail)
No fairy tale anymore
Come on, river, flow through me
Don't be stopped by insanity
Come on, river, overflow
Let your love for your neighbors grow
You are the river, I am the stream
Flow mighty river, through me
Daytime night time suffering is all she gets?
Oh, oh, daytime night time suffering is all she gets
Oh, oh, daytime night time, night time suffering is all, is all she gets, she gets
What does she get for all the love she gave you
The lyrics of Paul McCartney's "Daytime Nightime Suffering" speaks about the pain and suffering of a woman who has given her love unconditionally, yet has received nothing in return. The lyrics allude to a "ladder of regrets," possibly implying that the woman has climbed this ladder of regrets herself, sacrificing her own dreams and desires in the process. Despite this sacrifice, she still suffers through the day and night, with no rewards or recognition for her efforts.
The song highlights that life is not a fairytale anymore, with no sea or shore, sand or pail. The song emphasizes that despite the challenges and pains, the river must keep flowing, overflowing and spreading love to others around, and the singer compares himself to the river's stream. The song implies that the woman deserves more in life, yet life has only left her with "daytime night time suffering."
Overall, the lyrics of "Daytime Nightime Suffering" speak to the pain and suffering of those who have given their all to others and received little in return. The river represents the hope that love should still flow, and in spreading love to others, we can make the world a better place.
Line by Line Meaning
For all the love she gave you
What did she receive in return for all the love she gave you?
There on the ladder of regrets?
On the path of regret, does she feel rewarded?
Mighty river, give her all she gets
Provide her with everything she deserves, o great river.
Daytime night time suffering is all she gets
However, all she receives is suffering, both day and night.
Where all the prizes for the games she entered
Did she ever win any rewards for the effort she put into everything?
With little chance of much success?
Was there even a small chance of obtaining great success?
Come on, river, all the flow
Please, river, flow freely and without obstruction.
Let your love of you people show
You should reveal and express your love for your people.
Come on, river, flow through me
Please, river, flow through me and bestow your love on others.
Let your love of you people be
Express your adoration for your people, river.
You are the river, I am the stream
You are the river, and I am simply a small part of you.
Flow mighty river through me
Through me, let your endless waters flow, oh great river.
What does it pay to play the leading lady
What is the reward for playing the lead female character?
When like the damsel in distress
But always needing to be rescued like the typical female character.
Daytime night time suffering is all she gets
Even though she played a prominent role, all she received was endless suffering.
No less (no less), no more (no more)
Nothing less and nothing more than this.
No sea (no sea), no shore (no shore)
Without a sea or a shore.
No sand (no sand), no pail (no pail)
Without sand or a pail.
No fairy tale anymore
This is no longer a fairy tale with a happy ending.
Come on, river, flow through me
Please, river, let your waters flow through me without any obstacles.
Don't be stopped by insanity
Don't let insanity or irrationality prevent the flow of the river.
Come on, river, overflow
Please let the river overflow and pour generously on others.
Let your love for your neighbors grow
The river should grow in love for its surrounding neighbors.
You are the river, I am the stream
You are the river, and I am simply a small part of you.
Flow mighty river, through me
Flow through me, river, with all your might.
Daytime night time suffering is all she gets?
Is it really true that all she gets is suffering, day and night?
Oh, oh, daytime night time suffering is all she gets
Unfortunately, yes, her life is filled with daytime and nighttime suffering.
Oh, oh, daytime night time, night time suffering is all, is all she gets, she gets
It is a constant cycle of suffering, torturing her every day and night.
What does she get for all the love she gave you?
This is the overarching question of the song. What is the reward for all the love that she gave?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Paul James McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind