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 Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby
Golden Slumbers fill your eyes
Smiles awake you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
Once there was a way to get back homeward
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
I never give you my pillow
I only send you my invitations
And in the middle of the celebrations
I break down
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
Oh yeah, all right
Are you gonna be in my dreams
Tonight
And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make
The three sections of this song are actually three different songs that are blended together seamlessly. The first section, “Golden Slumbers,” is McCartney’s interpretation of a 17th-century lullaby of the same name written by Thomas Dekker. Here, the lyrics advise a loved one to stop crying and to have a peaceful sleep, and that the singer will serenade and comfort them with a lullaby. McCartney’s voice here is soft and gentle, and the arrangement includes a string section that gives a feeling of warmth and comfort.
The second section of the song, “Carry That Weight,” is a bluesier tune that talks about a person carrying the weight of their past throughout their lives. In the song, McCartney commands, "Boy, you're gonna carry that weight a long time" and advises that everyone must bear their own burdens, and no matter how heavy those burdens seem, they must keep carrying them. The song then transitions back to the melody of “Golden Slumbers,” to conclude the piece.
Lastly, “The End” is a upbeat, guitar-driven track that acts almost as an epilogue to the previous two parts of the song. It features a guitar solo from McCartney and even a mini drum solo from Ringo Starr. The song ultimately ends with the famous phrase: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” This shows that the more love you give to people, the more you take from them as well.
Line by Line Meaning
Once there was a way to get back homeward
In the past, there was an opportunity to return to the place one calls home
Once there was a way to get back home
There was previously a clear path to return to one's place of residence
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
Rest well, my sweet loved one, do not fret and worry
And I will sing a lullaby
I will provide comfort by singing a soothing song
Golden Slumbers fill your eyes
You are drifting off into a peaceful slumber, your eyes are heavy with sleep
Smiles awake you when you rise
You wake up and are greeted by happy and joyous moments that bring a smile to your face
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Young man, you will bear the burden and responsibility for quite some time
Carry that weight a long time
You will have to endure the hardship and strain for an extended period
I never give you my pillow
I never shared my intimate feelings and secrets with you
I only send you my invitations
I only invited you to join me on special occasions and grand events
And in the middle of the celebrations
Amidst the festivities and revelry
I break down
I succumb to the emotional turmoil and crack under the pressure
Oh yeah, all right
An expression of delight and satisfaction
Are you gonna be in my dreams
Will you visit me in my dreams?
Tonight
This very evening
And in the end
Eventually, in the final outcome
The love you take
The affection you receive
Is equal to the love you make
Is equivalent to the love you give and express to others
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RS FX
When you play your own song in the Royal Albert Hall while Phil Collins rocks the drums, Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler jam on the guitars and Sir George Martin conducts an orchestra and a choir..... you are the one and only Sir Paul.
MARISA RICO
Así es, precioso y el resultado inmejorable. 💏💕🇪🇸
Fuzzy
Possibly the best best assembled talent on one stage. Other than Led Zeppelin 😆
goneatlast
@Thomas Allison Hey, hey, now... calm down.
BarrySmithViolin
@Thomas Allison ahhhh.....But go back to early Genesis years of Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot and Genesis Live!
INCREDIBLE band with Collins and Gabriel’s best work.
I wanna talk podcast
The most beautiful piece of music ever written. Paul McCartney was a one off. Never be another like him.
Jeanmarie Lieb
No there will never be another like him. John was exceptional as well.
bodhicat1
The Mozart of our era.
Suzanne Nance
Journey
Suzanne Nance
The whole album was like a story/journey