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.
Highway
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And looking like a wreck
Got too many highlights and a love bite on her neck
Looking for some pay daddies who'll maybe come around
Everybody's wondering
What's that sound
Highway
Always
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Standing in the doorway of a little black shop
Lifting up a pin light and ringing up a cop
Running down the street
Everybody sees
What she's got is what she needs
And what she loves is me
Highway
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Always
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Highway
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Always
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Highway
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Highway
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Always
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Oh looking in the flowers
Hang on me every hour
Take me high and let me think
Move me baby, move me away
Everybody wondering why you're looking such a wreck
Yeah
Highway
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Always
(Do ya, do ya, do ya)
Everybody wondering why she didn't love me more
They damn know what it self
Somebody can move me
Oh I'm feeling naked
Words are getting higher
Everybody fire
Lord the sun is rising again
Words are getting higher
Everybody fire
Lord the sun is rising again
Words are getting higher
Everybody fire
Lord the sun is rising again
Words are getting higher
Everybody fire
Lord the sun is rising again
Words are getting higher
Everybody fire
Lord the sun is rising again
The song "Highway" by Paul McCartney is a rock and roll song that has an upbeat and fast-paced tempo. The lyrics of the song can be interpreted as a man watching his lover running through the nighttime, looking like a wreck with too many highlights and a love bite on her neck. She is looking for some "pay daddies" who will maybe come around, and everybody's wondering what sound that they're hearing. The lyrics convey a sense of urgency and restlessness, as if the characters are on the run or searching for something elusive.
The chorus repeats the word "highway" and "always" several times, driving home the sense of movement and constant motion. The verse about standing in the doorway of a little black shop, lifting up a pin light, and ringing up a cop seems like random images, but it all conveys a sense of wildness and unpredictability. The final verse talks about looking in the flowers and being moved by them, and the repetition of "words are getting higher" and "everybody fire" creates a sense of chaos and excitement.
Overall, the song "Highway" by Paul McCartney is a classic rock and roll song that captures the thrill of the open road and the sense of adventure that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Running through the nighttime
She's running through the night at an incredibly fast pace.
And looking like a wreck
She looks disheveled and exhausted from her late-night run.
Got too many highlights and a love bite on her neck
She has an excessive amount of brightly colored strands of hair and a bite mark indicating someone has been physically intimate with her.
Looking for some pay daddies who'll maybe come around
She's searching for men who will financially support her in exchange for her attention.
Everybody's wondering
Other people are curious about her motives and actions.
What's that sound
They're trying to identify a particular noise they've heard.
Standing in the doorway of a little black shop
She's standing by the entrance of a small, dark store.
Lifting up a pin light and ringing up a cop
She's using a flashlight to signal a police officer.
Running down the street
She's dashing through the street at high speed.
Everybody sees
Everyone notices her actions and appearance.
What she's got is what she needs
She already possesses everything she requires to succeed.
And what she loves is me
Her significant other is the only love she needs in life.
Oh looking in the flowers
She's gazing at the flowers with a sense of wonder.
Hang on me every hour
She's constantly being weighed down by various obligations.
Take me high and let me think
She wants to be elevated to a higher level of consciousness so she can contemplate her circumstances.
Move me baby, move me away
She wants her partner to transport her out of her current environment to a more favorable location.
Everybody wondering why you're looking such a wreck
People can't understand why she appears so disheveled and unwell.
Yeah
An exclamation of assent or affirmation.
Everybody wondering why she didn't love me more
Others are questioning her lack of affection towards someone else.
They damn know what it self
They're genuinely aware of what's going on.
Somebody can move me
She's searching for someone who can compel, influence or motivate her.
Oh I'm feeling naked
She feels vulnerable and exposed.
Words are getting higher
The words she's using are becoming progressively more intense and emotionally charged.
Everybody fire
Everyone is eagerly and intensely reacting to the situation.
Lord the sun is rising again
The sun symbolizes the beginning of a new day, and the repetition of this phrase could suggest the cyclical nature of life.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind