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.
Fool On The Hill
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The man with the foolish grin
Is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him
They can see that he's just a fool
And he never seem to notice
But the fool on the hill
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round
Well on the way, his head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices
Is talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him
Or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to notice
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round
Oh, round, round, round, round, round
And nobody seems to like him
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round
Oh, round, round, round, round, round
And he never listen to them
He knows that they're the fools
But they don't like him
The fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round
Oh, round, round, round, round, round
Oh
The song "Fool on the Hill" by Paul McCartney describes the lonely, misunderstood figure who resides on a hill. The first verse examines this person who is alone and who nobody wants to know. The individual is considered foolish, and they are oblivious to others' opinion but still manage to enjoy their surroundings. When the sun sets, the person reflects on the world moving around them. The second verse describes the same person but highlights their unique quality of having "a thousand voices" that nobody ever hears. Even though he communicates loudly, no one seems to care. The repeat of the chorus emphasizes the fool's insight into the world's beauty as he watches the sun go down, but nobody seems to appreciate his perspective. Lastly, the third verse portrays the fool's awareness of the opinions of others, but the opinions won't change his belief that they are misguided.
McCartney's lyrics convey the theme of isolation and the loneliness that comes with not being understood or recognized by society for one's unique views. The use of the word "fool" in the song denotes an individual who is considered odd or unconventional by his peers. However, the song's protagonist is never bothered by this and manages to be content with the way he sees things. The fool on the hill represents a person with a different perspective, who chooses not to conform to the stereotypical societal norms of what is considered smart or sane.
Line by Line Meaning
Day after day alone on the hill
The man is always alone on the hill every day
The man with the foolish grin
The man on the hill always smiles but his smile seems silly
Is keeping perfectly still
The man on the hill never moves or does anything
But nobody wants to know him
Nobody cares about the man on the hill
They can see that he's just a fool
People think the man on the hill is stupid
And he never seem to notice
The man on the hill is unaware that people see him as foolish
But the fool on the hill
The man on the hill who appears foolish
Sees the sun going down
Despite everything, the man on the hill sees beauty in the world
And the eyes in his head
The man on the hill is always observing his surroundings
See the world spinning round
The man on the hill recognizes that his world is constantly changing
Well on the way, his head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices is lost in thought
The man of a thousand voices
The man on the hill has an active imagination
Is talking perfectly loud
The man on the hill speaks his mind loudly
But nobody ever hears him
No one listens to what the man on the hill has to say
Or the sound he appears to make
Not only do people ignore him, they don't even hear the things he says
And he never seems to notice
The man on the hill is oblivious to the fact that nobody listens to him
And nobody seems to like him
People don't like the man on the hill
They can tell what he wants to do
People think they can predict his actions
And he never shows his feelings
The man on the hill doesn't express his emotions
And he never listen to them
The man on the hill never listens to other people
He knows that they're the fools
The man on the hill thinks that the people who judge him are ignorant
The fool on the hill
The man on the hill who appears foolish
Sees the sun going down
Despite everything, the man on the hill sees beauty in the world
And the eyes in his head
The man on the hill is always observing his surroundings
See the world spinning round
The man on the hill recognizes that his world is constantly changing
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gary Morris
I saw Paul in concert in 2017, and he could do an entire concert on the piano alone. A great talent. I also saw him with three other guys in 1965.
Bully Maguire
Gary Morris Hmm I wonder who those three other guys were..?
貴幸
THE CHOSEN ONE I wonder too hmm
FIRST NAME LAST NAME
Awsome!! you saw him with the three other guys
whore mongering ass-wipe
@FIRST NAME LAST NAME but who are the three other guys
Just Leave me Alone
This totally happened
penny lane
I've been thinking a lot as of late. Paul McCartney is the greatest songwriter of all time, and there are plenty others to choose from. Not looking for arguments. This is from somebody, that back in junior high, was listening to the song 'Coming Up.' Today, I'm listening to 'Fool on the Hill.' There aren't any bad songs with Paul. How do you just sit there in front of a crowd and write a song? This is all beyond me. Think for a moment, if you will. Everything, having to do with Paul, is like a brilliant ray of sunshine. It's his soul, I do believe. He is peaceful and cares about animals and the world and people. He loved Linda and created a beautiful family along with all the music of 'Wings'. You don't see him on tabloids or on the news because he is a loud mouth wanting attention. I wish the world was filled with more people like him. I'm just wanting to know if anybody agrees and sees exactly what I see. Can I get thumbs up, people? Paul's birthday was two days ago. Happy belated birthday, Paul!
aspasiz
This comment is the perfect summary of why I like Paul so much as well
Antonio Zahajko
Jim Croce
You damned bastard
(just kidding this jimmy is a classy)
DrewBrees
@Antonio Zahajko Jim Croce is the most underrated musician ever, it's disrespectful that he isn't in the rock and roll Hall of fame yet.