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.
Dress Me Up as a Robber
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I won't be in disguise
Only love is a robber
And he lives within your eyes
Ooo, ooo eee ooo
You can dress me up as a sailor
But I'll never run to sea
What do I do with a sea of blue?
Ooo, eee ooo, bah bah, bah bah bah
Dress me up
It doesn't make a difference
What you wanna to do
Whichever way you look at it
I'm still in love with you
If we go on forever
I may never make a change
Dress me up
And if I don't convince you
You needn't look too far
To see that I'm not lying
'Cause I love you the way you are
And what's the point of changing
When I'm happy as I am?
You can dress me up as a soldier
But I wouldn't know what for
I was the one that told you he loved you
Don't want to go to another war
No, no, no, bah bah bah
In "Dress Me Up as a Robber," Paul McCartney sings about his unwavering devotion to a woman, stating that he does not need to be made into anything else to be happy as long as he is with her. He takes on various different roles throughout the song, including a sailor, soldier, and robber, but ultimately concludes that none of it matters as long as she remains by his side. McCartney asserts that only love is truly powerful enough to rob him, and that this love is embodied by the woman in question. He highlights the idea that we do not need to change ourselves in order to prove our love for someone, as true love accepts and appreciates us for who we are.
The song features a catchy and upbeat melody, contrasted with reflective and sentimental lyrics about love and devotion. McCartney's soft and emotive vocals are accompanied by jangling guitars, harmonizing backing vocals, and a steady drumbeat. The song's simple structure and repetitive chorus create a sense of familiarity and comfort, which reinforces the idea of the singer's contentment and happiness with his current situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you can dress me up as a robber
I am willing to be whoever you want me to be for your happiness.
But I won't be in disguise
Even if I pretend, my love for you will be genuine and honest.
Only love is a robber
Love is the only thing that can steal our hearts and emotions.
And he lives within your eyes
The love that we have for each other is visible in our eyes.
You can dress me up as a sailor
You can make me do anything as long as it keeps us together.
But I'll never run to sea
I will never run away from you because being with you is like being on calm waters.
As long as your love is available to me
As long as you love me, I will never want to leave or go anywhere else.
What do I do with a sea of blue?
Without you, my life would be empty and meaningless.
Dress me up
I will do anything to make you happy.
It doesn't make a difference
No matter what you do, my love for you will never change.
What you wanna to do
Anything you want to do, I will follow you.
Whichever way you look at it
No matter which angle you see me, my love for you will always be the same.
I'm still in love with you
My love for you will remain forever.
If we go on forever
If we stay together forever, I will never tire of your love.
I may never make a change
I will always love you the way you are and will never try to change you.
And if I don't convince you
Even if you doubt my love, I will always be true to my feelings for you.
You needn't look too far
My love for you is so clear that you can see it without looking too hard.
To see that I'm not lying
My feelings for you are genuine and honest.
'Cause I love you the way you are
I love you just the way you are and you don't need to change for me.
And what's the point of changing
There is no reason for you to change since I love you just the way you are.
When I'm happy as I am?
I am already so happy with you that there's no need for any change.
You can dress me up as a soldier
Even if you make me do something tough, I will still do it for you.
But I wouldn't know what for
Even though I would do anything for you, I sometimes don't understand your motives.
I was the one that told you he loved you
I was the one who first confessed my love for you.
Don't want to go to another war
I don't want to fight or have any arguments with you.
No, no, no, bah bah bah
I only want love and peace in our relationship.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@7cabano
Well you can dress me up as a robber
But I won't be in disguise
Only love is a robber
And he lives within your eyes
Ooo, ooo eee ooo
You can dress me up as a sailor
But I'll never run to sea
As long as your love is available to me
What do I do with a sea of blue?
Ooo, eee ooo, bah bah, bah bah bah
Dress me up
It doesn't make a difference
What you wanna to do
Whichever way you look at it
I'm still in love with you
If we go on forever
I may never make a change
Dress me up
And if I don't convince you
You needn't look too far
To see that I'm not lying
'Cause I love you the way you are
And what's the point of changing
When I'm happy as I am?
You can dress me up as a soldier
But I wouldn't know what for
I was the one that told you he loved you
Don't want to go to another war
No, no, no, bah bah bah
@justanotherrandomcrit8115
This should’ve been a hit.
@troytatzko1056
A true gem of a song. Excellent album track. One of my all time favorites from Paul.
@bandypaul
one of the greatest albums i ever had......
@massimobusinello7402
And Flaming Pie? Flowers in the Dirt?
@DANIELMartinez-iw7hj
@@massimobusinello7402 Tug of War is KING!
@blachubear
One of my favorite tunes from Paul. It has a Earth, Wind & Fire vibe to it.
@BarryWarne
McCartney (and with Lennon) were very good at blatantly stealing songs they liked and "bettering them" in their own way. They seemed to have done that right from their earliest Hamburg-era days. Sometimes you can hear the influence (and they made no bones about it) and sometimes you can't.
@RubHerSoul1
Just sat down with my guitar to work this song out, solo and all. It's all descending minors in the verses. Simple but excellent melodic structure. This guy, when he's on can make a song out of any structure. THAT'S why we regard him as a genius. Most artists just stay in a box lp after lp and rarely branch out enough and therefore become stale. Paul may have released a lot of fluff post-Beatles, but when you hear his best, he's without peer. Especially now that Lennon is gone.
@keitaro2582
What a mysterious song this is. It feels like you're crossing over to a different dimension.
@dachille1
Amazing guitar solo it was played by Paul. He’s really an underrated musician/Guitar player.