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.
Get on the Right Thing
Paul McCartney Lyrics
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And your world is as kind as a penny
Oh.... and you knew it all along, you did the right thing
Believe me its true, and it can happen to you
All at once you get sound in your ears
And your cloud disappears into yellow
Get on the right thing
Well you knew it all along
Get on the right thing
Believe me its so, because i happen to know
Try a little love, you can't go wrong
Get On the right thing,
Get on the right thing,
Get on the right thing
My little love you can't go wrong
Get on the right thing,
Get on the right thing,
Get on the right thing
Do, get on the right thing you
All at once we see things in our skies
And we both realize it together
Well you know they were wrong
Get on the right thing
Yes you knew it all along
Get on the right thing
Believe me its so
Because i happen to know
You can't go wrong
Get on the right thing,
Get on the right thing,
Get on the right thing,
You can't go wrong get on the right thing
Ah get on the right thing you.
And try a little love
And it can't go wrong
Get on the right thing you
Try a little love, you can't go wrong
Get on the right thing
The song ‘Get on the Right Thing’ by Paul McCartney & Wings is an upbeat rock track that focuses on the arrival of love and the positivity that comes with it. The opening lines talk about how love enters one's mind and changes things for the better. The imagery of the world being kind as a penny indicates that love can seem simple and pure but can have an immense impact. Paul McCartney emphasizes that one must trust their instincts and do the right thing; ‘Believe me it’s true, and it can happen to you’.
The lyrics then talk about how the arrival of love has a similar effect on the surroundings, making the clouds disappear into yellow, signifying the aftereffect of love being sunshine or happiness. The lyrics repeat the phrase ‘Get on the right thing’ to emphasize the importance of making the right choices in love, and trusting one's gut feeling. The song also talks about how when two people mutually realize their love for each other, it's always the right thing to get on it. The final lines encourage listeners to try a little love and that they can’t go wrong by getting on the right thing.
Line by Line Meaning
All at once you get love on your mind
Suddenly, you find yourself thinking about love and your world feels kind and generous
And your world is as kind as a penny
Everything in your world is positive and beautiful, like a valuable penny
Oh.... and you knew it all along, you did the right thing
You have always known that love is the right thing and you are now experiencing its positive effects
Believe me its true, and it can happen to you
The power of love is real and it can happen to anyone who believes in it
All at once you get sound in your ears
Suddenly, you are really hearing the sounds around you
And your cloud disappears into yellow
Your worries and anxieties melt away and everything around you becomes bright and cheerful
Well you know they were wrong
Others may have told you that love is not the right thing, but they were mistaken
Get on the right thing
Embrace love and positivity in your life
Believe me its so, because i happen to know
The artist knows from personal experience that love is the right thing
Try a little love, you can't go wrong
Give love a chance and it will bring positivity into your life
My little love you can't go wrong
Addressing a loved one, telling them that love will never lead them astray
All at once we see things in our skies
Together, we begin to see beauty and positivity all around us
And we both realize it together
The singer and their loved one both recognize and appreciate the positivity of the world
You can't go wrong
Love will never lead you astray
Get on the right thing
Embrace love and positivity in your life
Ah get on the right thing you.
Encouraging the listener to embrace love and positivity
And try a little love
Give love a chance
And it can't go wrong
Love will always bring positivity into your life
Try a little love, you can't go wrong
Emphasizing the importance of giving love a chance and the positivity it can bring
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LINDA MCCARTNEY, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind