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.
Golden Earth Girl
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sings To The Wind, Resting At Sunset
In A Mossy Nest
Sensing Moonlight In The Air
(Moonlight In The Air)
Good Clear Water Friend Of Wilderness
Sees In The Pool Her Own Reflection.
Someone Over There Is Counting.
Fish In A Sunbeam,
In Eggshell Seas.
Fish In A Sunbeam.
Eggshell Finish.
Natures Lover Climbs The Primrose Hill,
Smiles At The Sky Watching The Sunset
From A Mossy Nest.
As She Falls Asleep She's Counting ...
Fosh In A Sunbeam,
In Eggshell Seas.
Fish In A Sunbeam.
Eggshell Finish.
Lyrics By Mickjagger43
The song "Golden Earth Girl" by Paul McCartney is a beautiful tribute to nature and the harmony that exists between humans and the environment. The first verse describes a female animal singing to the wind, relaxing at sunset in her mossy nest, sensing the moonlight in the air. This idyllic scene represents the peaceful coexistence between humans and nature, reminding us of the importance of preserving our natural world. The second verse introduces the idea of reflection, as the "good clear water friend of wilderness" sees her own reflection in the pool. This again highlights the interconnectedness of all living creatures, and how we are all part of a larger system.
The chorus of the song, with its repeated phrase "fish in a sunbeam, in eggshell seas," is a beautiful poetic image evoking both the fragility and resilience of nature. The final verse sees the "nature lover" climbing the "primrose hill," smiling at the sky as she watches the sunset from her mossy nest. As she falls asleep, she's again "counting" something, perhaps returning to the idea of reflection and the interconnectedness of all things.
Overall, "Golden Earth Girl" is a beautiful and poetic ode to nature, reminding us of the importance of preserving our delicate ecosystem and the harmony that can exist between humans and the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Golden Earth Girl, Female Animal
The singer refers to a woman as a representative of the natural world, embodying the wild and untamed spirit of an animal.
Sings To The Wind, Resting At Sunset
The woman communing with nature by singing into the wind as she reflects on the setting sun at the end of the day.
In A Mossy Nest
The woman is at peace in a natural setting that reflects her connection to the earth, nestled in a bed of moss.
Sensing Moonlight In The Air (Moonlight In The Air)
The woman is so attuned to the natural world that she can feel the presence of the moon in the air around her.
Good Clear Water Friend Of Wilderness
The woman sees the value of pure water and cherishes it as a friend of the untamed world.
Sees In The Pool Her Own Reflection
By looking into a pool of water, the woman sees her own reflection and contemplates her oneness with the natural world.
In Another World Someone Over There Is Counting
The woman recognizes that there are other people in the world who are focused on things like counting, but she feels more connected to the natural world.
Fish In A Sunbeam, In Eggshell Seas
The lyrics evoke the beauty and fragility of the natural world, with fish swimming in the fragile beauty of a sunbeam in a sea of shells.
Natures Lover Climbs The Primrose Hill
The woman is an admirer of nature and climbs a hill covered in primroses to better see the wonders of the natural world around her.
Smiles At The Sky Watching The Sunset
As the sun sets, the woman is filled with wonder and awe at the beauty of the natural world, and can't help but smile as she looks up to the sky.
From A Mossy Nest. As She Falls Asleep She's Counting ...
As she prepares to sleep in her peaceful natural surroundings, the woman is still contemplating the world around her, but in a more reflective and peaceful way.
Fish In A Sunbeam, In Eggshell Seas
The lyrics once again evoke the fragile beauty of the natural world, with fish swimming in the shimmering beauty of a sunbeam in a sea of shells.
Fish In A Sunbeam. Eggshell Finish.
The song ends with a final description of the beauty of the natural world, with fish swimming against the backdrop of a sunbeam, a fitting conclusion to the song's celebration of the wild and natural spirit embodied by the woman and the world around her.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind