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.
Ecce Cor Meum
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Behold my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
There in the future we may be apart
Here in my music I show you my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
There in the future we may be apart
But here in my music I show you my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
When in the future we are apart
Music will show you my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
In the future we may be apart
Here in my music I show you my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
Ecce Cor Meum
Show you my heart
Music will show you my heart
Truth is only reality
Nature truly is what we are
Peace is only nature at rest
Love is our true nature
Love is all
Truth and nature bring us peace and love
Love is our true nature
Love is all
Love is our true nature
Love is all
Peace and love are all we long for
Peace and love
Truth is only reality
Nature truly is what we are
Peace and love are always our true nature
Love is all
Human nature, our true nature
Love at peace with nature
Human nature, human nature
Therefore every one of us
Has to find a strong foundation for a love
Help us find a strong foundation for a love
Although life sometimes is hard we still pull through
Without truth false shades nothing else remains
Without truth false shades nothing else remains
But still we are able to pull through
Even though we may have nothing else
Nothing ever remains
And then our feelings are threatened
Unless we can pull through
To the opposite side
Nothing else remains
The song "Ecce Cor Meum" by Paul McCartney is a choral work that combines a variety of languages and musical styles. The lyrics of the song contain simple and repetitive phrases that express the idea of using music to convey emotions that are difficult to describe in words. The phrase "Ecce Cor Meum" translates to "Behold My Heart," which is the central theme of the song. McCartney conveys his love for music and his desire to share it with others, even when he is not present. The lyrics suggest that music has the power to connect people and express emotions that cannot be conveyed in words.
The song's lyrics are short and repetitive, but they are rich in meaning. McCartney suggests that love, peace, and truth are fundamental to human nature and that music is a powerful tool for expressing those emotions. The song implies that even when people are separated by time and distance, they can still remain connected through the power of music. The refrain "Love is all" conveys a powerful message that underscores the importance of love in our lives. McCartney also suggests that music has the power to help us find our true nature, to overcome difficult times, and to create a more peaceful world.
Line by Line Meaning
Ecce Cor Meum
Behold my heart
Behold my heart
I offer my heart to you
There in the future we may be apart
The future is uncertain, but my music will always connect us
Here in my music I show you my heart
Through my music, I reveal my true self to you
Truth is only reality
The only thing that truly exists is the truth
Nature truly is what we are
Our true nature is rooted in the natural world
Peace is only nature at rest
Peace is a reflection of the tranquility found in nature
Love is our true nature
Our fundamental identity is rooted in love
Love is all
Love is the most important thing in life
Truth and nature bring us peace and love
When we align ourselves with truth and nature, we find peace and love
Peace and love are all we long for
Ultimately, all we seek in life is peace and love
Human nature, our true nature
Our essential nature as human beings is rooted in love and nature
Love at peace with nature
When we live in harmony with nature, love flourishes
Therefore every one of us
Each and every one of us
Has to find a strong foundation for a love
We must cultivate a firm basis for love in our lives
Help us find a strong foundation for a love
Assist us in finding a solid basis for love in our lives
Although life sometimes is hard we still pull through
Even in difficult times, we find a way to persevere
Without truth false shades nothing else remains
In the absence of truth, everything else is illusory
But still we are able to pull through
Nonetheless, we find a way to survive
Even though we may have nothing else
Despite being left with nothing else
Nothing ever remains
Nothing in life is permanent
And then our feelings are threatened
At that point, our emotions become vulnerable
Unless we can pull through
We must find a way to persevere
To the opposite side
To the other side of the struggle
Contributed by Micah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.