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.
Happy With You
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I used to get stoned
I liked to get wasted
But these days I don't
'Cause I'm happy with you
I got lots of good things to do, ooh yeah
I walked around angry
But nowadays my days
Don't have to be sad
'Cause I'm happy, with you
I got lots of good things to do, ooh yeah
Like, hear the high clear robin sing
Walk a bluebell carpet
Watch the children playing games
Catch a moon and then drop it
Hear the gentle mantle roll
On a frosty morning
See the mighty ocean break
Like a sailor's warning
I used to drink too much
Forgot to come home
I lied to my doctor
But these days I don't
'Cause I'm happy with you
I got lots of good things to do, ooh yeah
Throw a pocketful of coins in the Trevi fountain
See an ice cold running stream
Rushing down the mountain
Hear a new born baby lamb
Calling for its mother
Watching reunited friends
Loving one another
I sat round all day
I liked to get stoned
I used to get wasted
But these days I don't
'Cause I'm happy with you
I got lots of good things to do, ooh yeah
Happy with you
I'm happy with you
Happy with you
The lyrics to Paul McCartney's underrated gem of a song "Happy With You" provide a touching snapshot of the musician's life today compared to his life in the past. The first stanza seems to be a reflection on his former vices of smoking and drinking, things that once gave him pleasure but now have no place in his life. He is content now to spend his time doing other things that bring him joy since he has found happiness with his partner. This is a significant change from his past, where he admits to feeling angry and sad often. The second stanza highlights just how different McCartney's life is from his past, describing simple pleasures such as hearing a bird sing and seeing the ocean break.
The chorus "happy with you" is a direct reference to how much his life has improved since he found his current partner. He doesn't need the crutches of alcohol and drugs anymore because he has someone in his life who provides him with all he needs. The final stanza reiterates the same message as the first, indicating that once upon a time, he wasted whole days, lying to the people who cared about him, but now, he can see how much happier he is with his current partner.
Overall, the lyrics to "Happy With You" showcase McCartney's introspective and reflective side, and the messages about finding joy in simple pleasures and the power of human connection ring through loud and clear.
Line by Line Meaning
I sat round all day
I used to waste my days doing nothing productive
I used to get stoned
I used to indulge in substance abuse
I liked to get wasted
I enjoyed being intoxicated
But these days I don't
But now, I don't indulge in such habits
'Cause I'm happy with you
Because being with you brings me happiness and contentment
I got lots of good things to do, ooh yeah
I have a lot of positive things to focus on now
I walked around angry
I used to be filled with anger
I used to feel bad
I used to have negative feelings
But nowadays my days
But now, my days
Don't have to be sad
Don't have to be filled with sorrow
'Cause I'm happy, with you
Because being with you brings me happiness and contentment
Like, hear the high clear robin sing
Enjoying the simple pleasures of nature
Walk a bluebell carpet
Finding joy in small delights
Watch the children playing games
Appreciating the happiness of others
Catch a moon and then drop it
Enjoying spontaneous, childlike moments
Hear the gentle mantle roll
Appreciating the sounds of nature
On a frosty morning
Finding beauty in the world even during difficult times
See the mighty ocean break
Being in awe of the power of nature
Like a sailor's warning
Noticing the small signs that make up the world around us
I used to drink too much
I used to have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol
Forgot to come home
My behavior was reckless and caused me to neglect responsibilities
I lied to my doctor
My dishonesty was causing harm to myself
But these days I don't
But now, I have changed my ways
'Cause I'm happy with you
Because being with you brings me happiness and contentment
I got lots of good things to do, ooh yeah
I have a lot of positive things to focus on now
Throw a pocketful of coins in the Trevi fountain
Enjoying the beauty and charm of foreign cultures
See an ice cold running stream
Appreciating the natural beauty of the world
Rushing down the mountain
Finding excitement in life's wonders
Hear a new born baby lamb
Appreciating new life and the beauty of nature
Calling for its mother
Appreciating the bond of family and motherhood
Watching reunited friends
Finding happiness in the joy of others
Loving one another
Celebrating the beauty of love and connection
Happy with you
Feeling content and fulfilled being with the person I care about
I'm happy with you
I am content and fulfilled being with the person I care about
Happy with you
Feeling content and fulfilled being with the person I care about
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Paul James McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind