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.
Don't Be Careless Love
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down until the dawn,
I'll keep watch until I'm sure your coming home.
Shadows play and flicker on the bedroom wall
They turn into a bad dream overnight,
Something could be terribly wrong.
Don't be careless love,
Don't be, don't be careless.
In my dream you're running nowhere
Every step you've taken turns to glue,
Walking down a spiral staircase
Failing through, failing through,
Don't be careless love,
Be careless love.
The lamp burns down and out
I'm getting pretty tired of this,
I feel so bad something might be going amiss,
I won't be there so look out for yourself
You're getting in deep whatever you do,
Don't let me go back to sleep,
Don't be careless love,
Don't be careless love,
Don't be, don't be careless.
Saw your face in the morning paper,
Saw your body rolled up in a rug
Chopped up into two little pieces
By some thug,
Don't be careless love,
Be careless love.
But in the morning light
When I wake up again
You're by my side and that's the way it's always been,
But in the dark your mind plays funny tricks on you,
Your mind plays funny tricks on you,
Your mind plays funny tricks on you,
Don't be careless love
The lyrics of "Don't Be Careless Love" by Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello depict a tale of worry and concern for a loved one. The singer of the song is watching over his significant other, who has been away late into the night. As shadows flicker on the bedroom wall, the singer becomes increasingly concerned that something terrible may have happened to his lover. The chorus warns against carelessness in love, emphasizing the importance of safety and mindfulness in a relationship.
The second verse of the song features a dream sequence where the singer envisions his lover failing and becoming stuck in a spiral staircase, unable to escape. The dream serves as a metaphor for the dangers and pitfalls of love, warning against carelessness and the risks that come with it. The lyrics also suggest that the singer is afraid he may lose his loved one, emphasizing the need for caution and safety.
Overall, "Don't Be Careless Love" highlights the importance of staying vigilant and attentive in a relationship, and the potential dangers of carelessness and neglect. The lyrics serve as a warning to those who may take their love for granted, emphasizing the need for caution and diligence.
Line by Line Meaning
Burn the midnight lamp
Stay up all night with the lamp burning
Down until the dawn,
Stay awake until daybreak
I'll keep watch until I'm sure your coming home.
I'll stay up until you return safely.
Shadows play and flicker on the bedroom wall
The shadows in the bedroom move in a scary way.
They turn into a bad dream overnight,
The scary shadows turn into a nightmare as you sleep.
Something could be terribly wrong.
It's possible that something bad could happen.
Don't be careless love,
Don't be reckless, my love.
Be careless love.
Be carefree and reckless, my love.
In my dream you're running nowhere
In my nightmare, you're running aimlessly.
Every step you've taken turns to glue,
Your steps become sticky and slow in the nightmare.
Walking down a spiral staircase
Going down a winding staircase.
Failing through, failing through,
Continuously falling and failing.
The lamp burns down and out
The lamp burns until it goes out.
I'm getting pretty tired of this,
I'm growing very weary of this situation.
I feel so bad something might be going amiss,
I feel terrible that something may be wrong.
I won't be there so look out for yourself
I won't be there to protect you so be careful.
You're getting in deep whatever you do,
No matter what you do, you're getting yourself deeply involved.
Don't let me go back to sleep,
Don't let me fall back into my nightmares.
Saw your face in the morning paper,
Saw news of your face on the newspaper in the morning.
Saw your body rolled up in a rug
Saw news of your body being wrapped in a rug.
Chopped up into two little pieces
Your body was cut into tiny pieces.
By some thug,
By some criminal.
But in the morning light
However, in the bright morning sunlight,
When I wake up again
When I wake up from my nightmare again,
You're by my side and that's the way it's always been,
You're safe and sound by my side, as it has always been.
But in the dark your mind plays funny tricks on you,
But when it's dark, your mind can create scary scenarios.
Your mind plays funny tricks on you,
Your mind can create strange and frightening visions in the darkness.
Don't be careless love
Be cautious, my love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS COSTELLO, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind