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.
Friends to Go
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For your friends to leave so I don't have to hide
I'd prefer they didn't know
So I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
I've been sliding down a slippy slope
I've been climbing up a slowly burning rope
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
You never need to worry about me
I'll be fine on my own
Someone else can worry about me
I spend a lot of time on my own
I spend a lot of time on my own
I've been waiting 'til the danger's past
I don't know how long the storm is gonna last
If we're gonna carry on
I'll be waiting on the other side
'Til your friends are gone
So tell me what I wanna know
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
Someone else can worry about me
I spend a lot of time on my own
I spend a lot of time on my own
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to leave so I don't have to hide
I'd prefer they didn't know
So I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
I've been waiting on the other side
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
In Paul McCartney's song Friends to Go, the singer is waiting on the other side for the friends of the person they are addressing to leave, so they don't have to hide. The singer doesn't want the friends to know about their presence, and they are waiting for them to go before they come out of hiding. The person speaking seems to be in a difficult situation because they have been sliding down a slippery slope and climbing up a slowly burning rope, and they feel like the flame is getting low. The singer is trying to avoid any danger that might come their way, so they are waiting for the storm to pass before they continue.
The person speaking tells the person they are addressing not to worry about them because they spend a lot of time on their own, and someone else can worry about them. However, the person is still waiting on the other side until the friends are gone. The singer just wants to know what they need to know, and they've been waiting on the other side for the friends to go.
This song seems to be about a clandestine relationship where the singer is forced to wait in hiding until the circumstances are right for them to reveal their presence. The lyrics suggest a sense of danger and apprehension, as manifested in the image of sliding down a slippery slope and climbing up a slowly burning rope. The phrase "I've been waiting on the other side" might be interpreted as the singer yearning to be accepted by the person they are addressing, but they are forced to hide because of external forces.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to leave so I don't have to hide
I'd prefer they didn't know
So I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
I'm hiding from your friends, waiting for them to leave so I can come out without being seen. I don't want your friends to know I'm here.
I've been sliding down a slippy slope
I've been climbing up a slowly burning rope
But the flame is getting low
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
I've been struggling and trying to hold on, but my efforts are becoming less successful. I'm still waiting for your friends to leave so I can come out.
You never need to worry about me
I'll be fine on my own
Someone else can worry about me
I spend a lot of time on my own
I spend a lot of time on my own
Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. I prefer being alone most of the time and I don't need anyone else to look after me.
I've been waiting 'til the danger's past
I don't know how long the storm is gonna last
If we're gonna carry on
I'll be waiting on the other side
'Til your friends are gone
I'm waiting for the danger or problems to pass before we continue. I'm not sure how long it will take, so I'll continue waiting on the other side until your friends leave.
So tell me what I wanna know
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
Please tell me what I need to know. I'm still waiting for your friends to leave so I can come out.
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to leave so I don't have to hide
I'd prefer they didn't know
So I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
I'm still waiting for your friends to leave so I can come out without being seen. I don't want your friends to know I'm here.
I've been waiting on the other side
I've been waiting on the other side
For your friends to go
I'm patiently waiting for your friends to leave so I can finally come out and join you.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Paul James McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind