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.
Down To The River
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, take me down to the river,
You can take me down to the river,
Where the waters flow, oh yeah.
Down to the river,
Can you take me down to the river,
Baby, take me down to the river,
Where the waters flow.
Yeah, I know,
Well, I know,
I know I wanna go.
Now, down to the river,
You can take me down to the river,
You can take me down to the river,
Where the waters flow,
Flow, down, down, down.
Oh yeah, taking me, taking me down to the river,
Oh, down, down, down, down, down, yeah,
Down to the river,
Where the waters flow.
Down, take me down.
Take me now.
Down, down, down, down,
Taking me down to the river,
Down to the river,
Will you take me down to the river,
Where the waters flow.
Take me down, yeah!
Yeah, yeah, well, I know,
Ah, well, I know,
Well, I know,I know I wanna go.
Yeah, take me down to the river,
You can take me down to the river,
Can you take me down to the river,
Where the waters flow.
The song "Down To The River" by Paul McCartney is a simple song with a powerful message. The lyrics are repetitious but elude to something deeper, referencing baptism in the river as a metaphor for transformation and renewal. As the song progresses, McCartney asks to be taken down to the river repeatedly, indicating his desire for change and for shedding his old self.
The repetition of the phrase "down to the river" creates a hypnotic effect, making the listener feel as though they are being pulled towards the metaphorical river of change. The chorus is uplifting, with the repeated lines of "take me down to the river, where the waters flow," reinforcing the idea of movement and progression towards a new beginning.
Overall, "Down to the River" can be interpreted as a song about personal growth and the desire for change. McCartney uses the metaphor of baptism and the river as a symbol for cleansing and renewal, and the repetition of the chorus makes the listener feel as though they are being pulled towards transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
Now take me down to the river,
I want to be taken to the river now.
Baby, take me down to the river,
I'm requesting my partner to take me to the river.
You can take me down to the river,
My partner has the ability to take me to the river.
Where the waters flow, oh yeah.
I want to go to the part of the river where the water flows.
Down to the river,
I want to go down to the river.
Can you take me down to the river,
I'm again requesting my partner to take me to the river.
Baby, take me down to the river,
I'm again requesting my partner to take me to the river.
Where the waters flow.
I want to go where the water is flowing.
Yeah, well, I know,
I acknowledge the situation.
Yeah, I know,
I am confident about what I want.
Well, I know,
My knowledge of the situation is clear.
I know I wanna go.
I am sure that I want to go to the river.
Now, down to the river,
I am urging my partner to take me to the river now.
You can take me down to the river,
I reassure my partner that he/she can take me to the river.
You can take me down to the river,
Again, I reassure my partner that he/she can take me to the river.
Where the waters flow,
I don't want to be stagnant, I want to be where the water is flowing.
Flow, down, down, down.
I want the water to keep moving and flowing down the river.
Oh yeah, taking me, taking me down to the river,
I'm excited about my partner taking me to the river.
Oh, down, down, down, down, down, yeah,
I want to keep going down the river with the flowing water.
Down to the river,
I want to be taken to the river.
Where the waters flow.
I want to go where the water is flowing.
Down, take me down.
I want to go down to the river.
Take me now.
I want to go to the river immediately.
Down, down, down, down,
I want to go down to the river quickly.
Taking me down to the river,
I'm being taken to the river.
Down to the river,
I have arrived at the river.
Will you take me down to the river,
I'm asking my partner if he/she will take me to the river.
Where the waters flow.
I want to be where the water is flowing.
Take me down, yeah!
I'm excited about being taken down to the river.
Yeah, yeah, well, I know,
I am still confident about what I want.
Ah, well, I know,
I am still sure of what I want.
Well, I know,I know I wanna go.
I'm very sure that I want to go to the river.
Yeah, take me down to the river,
I'm again requesting my partner to take me down to the river.
You can take me down to the river,
I reassure that my partner can still take me down to the river.
Can you take me down to the river,
I'm urging my partner to take me down to the river.
Where the waters flow.
I want to go where the water is flowing.
Contributed by David F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Mcborregal
Simplemente el mejor de todos los tiempos 50 años de estar en lo mas alto musicalmente hablando no hay duda.
@christopherheinig167
Off the Ground should have been a double album !!!!! Thanks for posting !!!!
@fabianugalde3789
Or just could've released another record between 1993-1997
@WOA76
it was in Japan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off_the_Ground#Off_the_Ground:_The_Complete_Works
@chipgaasche4933
The problem is Paul's voice is so good that he makes even a nothing song like this sound good. (take you down to the river where the water flows... we got it, Paul. LOL)
@IdiotPresents
That's not a problem. A good song is a good song no matter how it got that way.
@JoseDiaz-eb7fn
Nice music. Great accordion section.
@christopherheinig167
What a revelation !!!!
@gbmaccafan
I've been waiting for this on youtube. Don't have to get out my cd. excellent little tune.
@Mr11091965
I love this song I went to Cornwall Coliseum on 7th June 1991 and paul said he made up this song on that day what a great night !