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.
Hey Jude
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey, Jude, don't be afraid,
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
And anytime you feel the pain,
Hey, Jude, refrain,
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it's a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Da da da da da da da da da.
Hey, Jude, don't let me down,
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
You're waiting for someone to perform with.
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude you'll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Da da da da da da da da da.
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad,
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better
Better, better, better, better wowwww
Hey Jude
Na na na na na na
Na na Hey Jude...
The song "Hey Jude" is one of Paul McCartney's most well-known and beloved compositions. It is believed that the song is written to console John Lennon's son, Julian, after his parents' marriage fell apart. McCartney cleverly constructs a unique and simplistic message in the song to help Julian heal from the divorce. Although the lyrics of the song are straightforward and easy to understand, they carry a powerful message of love, hope, and healing.
The chorus of "Hey, Jude," with its repetitive "na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na" also acts as a comforting melody to ease Julian's pain. McCartney's message to Jude is simple: don't worry, don't make it bad, don't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, don't be afraid, and don't let Julian down. McCartney urges Jude to let love in and heal his wounded heart. The beauty of the song is that it has the ability to provide solace to people of all ages and backgrounds, not just to Julian Lennon.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad,
Hey Jude, don't make things worse than they already are.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Try to find a way to fix the situation, even if it seems hopeless.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Try to understand the situation from the other person's perspective.
Then you can start to make it better.
Only then can you begin to improve the situation.
Hey, Jude, don't be afraid,
Hey Jude, don't let fear hold you back from taking action.
You were made to go out and get her.
You're capable of pursuing and winning the person you desire.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Once you form a strong emotional connection, things will improve.
Then you begin to make it better.
Only then can the situation start to get better.
And anytime you feel the pain,
Whenever you feel emotional pain or distress,
Hey, Jude, refrain,
Hey Jude, don't give in to negative thoughts or actions.
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.
Don't feel like it's all your responsibility to fix everything.
For well you know that it's a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
It's foolish to think that being cold and detached will solve problems; it only makes them worse.
Hey, Jude, don't let me down,
Hey Jude, don't disappoint me or let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
You've identified what you want, now take action to pursue it.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
Express your emotions and allow yourself to feel vulnerable; this is the first step to making things better.
You're waiting for someone to perform with.
You're hoping for someone to share your life with, to collaborate with and work toward a common goal.
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do,
The power to make things better is within you; you're capable of making things happen without relying on someone else.
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
The power to take action and improve things is within you; you have the ability to make things happen.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad,
Hey Jude, don't let the situation deteriorate.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Find a way to turn a difficult situation into something positive.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Try to understand the situation from the other person's perspective.
Then you begin to make it better
Only then can you start to improve things.
Better, better, better, better wowwww
Things will get better with time and effort.
Hey Jude
The song is addressed to the listener, Jude, as a message of encouragement and support.
Na na na na na na
A simple, catchy melody that reinforces the song's message.
Na na Hey Jude...
Repetition of the song's title and melody as a way of bringing the song to a close.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Unison Rights S.L.
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marit Haringa
That moment when the crowd begins to sing makes me cry everytime. If I could give just one person eternal life I would give it to Paul McCartney :)
Mukundanghri
Yup!
Mr. Captain Awesome...sr.
I was there man I didn't wanna leave, this was so epic and Paul McCartney still sounds great for his age!
Natalie T
Paul is so passionate in this song, I love this version more than any other, every time I listen to it I just can't help but smile. :)
Josephine Lewis
It amazes me that after the millions of times he's done Hey Jude, he still does it with such passion. If that doesn't prove sir Paul loves his job and loves his fans, I don't know what does.
was2911
Incredible. Amazing to see that after all these years, he still loves what he does.... did you see how jumped onto the platform to his piano at 6:14?... he just shows the LOVE he's got for music and the beatles!!!!
Ken Skeen
I feel in my life I will never get enough of Paul McCartney..........his talent, coupled with John Lennon, brought this world much laughter, joy, dreams, and tears when all else is done. God Himself created their talent and gave to this world joy that will not end. Thank you Paul, John, George and ringo. Your energy and sincerity just blows my head apart! Ken Skeen
Alph Zooloo
Wonderful Words
someford56
I wonder if at the end of Hey Jude when everybody is singing together every person consider this the best time or part of their lives,I know I will.
Kurt Singer
4:00 - The greatest sing-a-long of life. Without a question. Imagine the rush he must get from hearing 50,000+ singing with him.. Unreal.