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.
Drive My Car
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said baby, "Can't you see
I want to be famous, a star on the screen
But you can do something in between"
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
I told a girl that my prospects were good
And she said baby, "It's understood
Working for peanuts is all very fine
But I can show you a better time"
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I love you
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I love you
I told that girl I can start right away
And she said, "Listen baby I got something to say
I got no car and it's breaking my heart
But I've found a driver and that's a start"
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I love you
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
The lyrics to McCartney's "Drive My Car" is a playful dialogue between two characters: a man and a woman. At the beginning of the song, the man asks the woman what she wants to be and she expresses her desire for fame and stardom. However, she's quick to add that she wouldn't mind an in-between stage before attaining her dream. The man takes the opportunity to offer her a ride in his car, insinuating that there could be more between them.
In the second verse, the man informs the woman that he's on a good career path. However, she dismisses his current job and offers him a taste of what life could be like if he were to pursue a career with her. He accepts the offer and again, offers her a ride.
The third verse opens with the man telling the woman that he's ready to start immediately, insinuating he's ready to pursue a dream. However, the woman has different news, breaking the news that she's found someone to drive her car. The song ends with a playful "beep beep" exchange.
Many people speculate on the meaning of the lyrics of "Drive My Car." Some interpretations are that the lyrics are a reflection of the changing times and attitudes towards gender roles or a story of two people falling in love, while others view the song merely as a cheeky exchange with no underlying meaning—just pure fun. Regardless, the song has been hailed as an important piece of pop culture and a quintessential example of McCartney's mastery of playful lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Asked a girl what she wanted to be
Asking a girl what her aspirations were
She said baby, 'Can't you see
She wanted to be famous, a screen star
I want to be famous, a star on the screen
Her goal was to achieve fame and become a movie star
But you can do something in between
But there is still a possibility to do something else while waiting for the big break
Baby you can drive my car
You can use my car to transport me to auditions and go see a play or a film
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Yes, I am going to become a famous personality one day
And maybe I love you
Maybe I fell for you too
I told a girl that my prospects were good
I mentioned to a girl that I have good prospects for the future
And she said baby, 'It's understood
She agreed that it was good to have such prospects
Working for peanuts is all very fine
But, she indicated that working for very little is not the ideal situation.
But I can show you a better time'
She offered to give a good time
Baby you can drive my car
You can use my car to go see different places and having fun
I told that girl I can start right away
I informed the girl that I can start immediately
And she said, 'Listen baby I got something to say
She said that she had a piece of information to share
I got no car and it's breaking my heart
She didn't have a car and it was hurting her emotionally
But I've found a driver and that's a start'
But, she is looking out for someone to drive her around and it's a good beginning
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
The sound of a car horn, says the same thing four times
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hellerstern1906
That is ❤ fantastic ❤
Simply ❤ gigantic ❤
Paul, ❤ we love ❤ you.❤
George, ❤ we love ❤ and
miss 😥 you ❤ soooo terribly. 😢
Two such brilliant artists, ❤ with
such excellent voices, 🎤🎤
❤ fantastic ❤
They are ❤ absolute ❤
legends, ❤ popular, ❤
personable, ❤ and
loved, ❤ forever ❤
❤ respect ❤ boys ❤
Thank you 👏👏 👏👏
for this unique experience ❤
which is associated with
many tears 😥 and goose bumps.❤
Yog, ❤ you are ❤ wonderful ❤ and
asolutely ❤
❤ UNVORGETTABLE ❤
We cry 😢 and think of you very firmly.😥
It hurts so much 😥 you're not there. 😥
A thousand tears 😥 in my eyes 😥 and
❤ many, many kisses to you. ❤
🙏RIP 🙏 my beautiful, sweet ❤ angel 😇
❤ forever and ever ❤
❤ of all time ❤
@frederiquemartin223
George must have been awfully proud to sing with Paul. He was a big fan of the Beatles. I have always loved them both. You can t do better than these two in the world of music. Can you?
@pauldickinson6943
of course you can, ant and Dec.
@terrypussypower
Well, you can certainly do better than one of them…and that one ain’t Paul McCartney!
@lisamiller3161
@terrypussypower That's a bunch of crap. GM was one of the BEST singers, songwriters and music producers there ever was. Not to mention a damn good person too. Just couldn't conquer his demons. He left us a beautiful legacy of music though. So take your anger and jealousy somewhere else. It's not wanted here. These two were brilliant!!! ❤❤❤
@derekstocker6661
Absolutely amazing. Thanks guys!
What a great performance and cannot believe that George is no longer with us, but we have great videos such as this to still marvel at his talent! RIP George. Still listening in 2024.
@nomsitaharitashya2331
two legends sharing a stage. how incredibly lucky was the audience.
@blacktna8164
the luckiest since live aid
@terrypussypower
“Two legends”? Well, McCartney is one....I didn’t see any others.
@andriyshevchenko4887
@terrypussypower George Michael?
@tonydoherty2190
@terrypussypower two legends?Well George Michael i didn't see any others