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.
For No One
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You find that all her words
of kindness linger on
When she no longer needs you
She wakes up, she makes up
She takes her time and doesn't
feel she has to hurry
She no longer needs you
And in her eyes, you see nothing
No sign of live behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years
You want her, you need her
And yet you don't believe her
When she says her love is dead
You think she needs you
And in her eyes, you see nothing
No sign of live behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years
You stay home, she goes out
She says that long ago she knew someone
but now he's gone
She doesn't need him
your day breaks, your mind aches
There will be times when all the things
she said will fill your head
You won't forget her
And in her eyes, you see nothing
No sign of live behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years
In the song "For No One" by Paul McCartney, the lyrics describe the aftermath of a failed relationship, with the singer feeling unwanted and abandoned by his former partner. The first two lines of the song, "You day breaks, your mind aches", suggests that the singer is struggling with the pain of his lost love, which is further explored in the next lines, "You find that all her words of kindness linger on/When she no longer needs you." The lyrics reveal that the singer is still holding onto his ex's sweet words of kindness from the past, despite her no longer needing him.
The second verse explores the fact that the ex-girlfriend has moved on, and there is no love left between them. The lines "And in her eyes, you see nothing/No sign of life behind the tears/Cried for no one/A love that should have lasted years," illustrates the emptiness and lack of passion that now characterizes the ex-girlfriend's eyes. The singer still wants and needs her, but her love is gone, and he struggles to believe her when she tells him so.
The song's bridge includes the lines "She says that long ago she knew someone/But now he's gone/She doesn't need him." The ex-girlfriend is trying to move on and make it clear that her former partner is no longer her focus, leaving the singer in a state of painful reminiscence. In the end, the song suggests that the singer may never forget his lost love, despite her having moved on.
Line by Line Meaning
You day breaks, your mind aches
You feel the weight of sadness and despair every morning as you wake up without your loved one.
You find that all her words of kindness linger on
Even though she's gone, the memories of her kind words stay with you and continue to affect your emotions.
When she no longer needs you
Your ex-partner has moved on and no longer requires your presence or love.
She wakes up, she makes up
Your ex-partner has the energy to start new and forget the past, giving her the ability to be free from the relationship.
She takes her time and doesn't feel she has to hurry
Your ex-partner is not in a rush to find someone new, she's comfortable and enjoying this phase of life.
She no longer needs you
Your ex-partner has moved on from you, and doesn't require your love to be happy once again.
And in her eyes, you see nothing
You can no longer find happiness or even reminiscence of love in your ex-partners eyes.
No sign of life behind the tears cried for no one
Your ex-partner has cried for her lost love, but now there's nothing behind her tears, no love left to express.
A love that should have lasted years
Your relationship was supposed to last a long time, but it ended too soon.
You want her, you need her
You still crave her presence and love, and can't move on from the relationship emotionally.
And yet you don't believe her when she says her love is dead
You don't want to give up hope that you two will be back together, and are in denial of the truth.
You think she needs you
You hold onto the idea that your ex-partner still needs you, even when it's clear that she has moved on.
You stay home, she goes out
You're still struggling emotionally, and remain confined to your home while your ex-partner has moved on with her life.
She says that long ago she knew someone but now he's gone
Your ex-partner had another love before you, but even he's gone now and she's moved on from both of you.
She doesn't need him
Your ex-partner doesn't need any past loves to be happy; she's free from all ties.
There will be times when all the things she said will fill your head
Memories of your ex-partner and the things she said will continue to occupy your mind and emotions even after the relationship has ended.
You won't forget her
Despite your efforts to move on, your ex-partner has captured your heart permanently and her memory will live on in your heart.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matt
Definitely the most underrated Beatles' song. This is such a masterpiece. For me it is as brilliant as Yesterday, but doesn't have a quarter of its fame.
Rebekah Wyant
@Boudewijn Smits yes I see what you mean and while I love both of those songs my favorite is by far For No One. I think it’s perfect. You can see exactly what happened in that relationship. The slam on the brakes ending says it all. Paul knew exactly what he was doing. Jane Asher no longer loved him. Both those songs among others shows you the people who say he can’t write lyrics are daft.
Boudewijn Smits
@Rebekah Wyant I understand what you mean. I like the symbolic contrast though. And seen through modern eyes: Spotify/Apple Music sees every album as a whole without a side one and side two, so modern technology fixed that for you ;-)
Rebekah Wyant
@Boudewijn Smits Those two songs Here There and Everywhere and For No One should both be A sides.
Boudewijn Smits
What I like about this too, is that on the A-side of Revolver there is the ultra sweet (and extremely beautiful) love song 'Here, there and everywhere', and on the B-side of the very same album, there is this ultra sad song about a love that should have lasted years. She no longer needs you, although when she says her love is dead, you think she needs you. Auch! Your mind aches and you won't forget her. These lyrics are so spot on. And then the music, the instruments (such as the clavichord, but especially the French horn). Wow! What a masterpiece.
Rebekah Wyant
Such a great song the lyric, the strings, the sadness in the melody and most importantly for me is the dead stop ending. It’s a perfect song.
Pamela Healy
I believe he wrote this during his break up with Jane Asher. “No love behind the tears”.......brilliant line! I have loved the Beatles since I was 12; I am now 68.🥰
Boudewijn Smits
You are blessed, being enriched with such beautiful music in your life. I am 44 now and have loved the Beatles since I was 10/11/12 too. Not a big fan of the ob la di, ob la da-kind of songs of them, but luckily there are so many other beauties to love.
Uwe Bönnighausen
Of course you do ..
Raki Zuhair
This song release on revolver album in 1966, while Paul broke up with Jane in 1968