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.
I Will
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime?
If you want me to, I will
For if I ever saw you
I didn't catch your name
But it never really mattered
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart
And when at last I find you,
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do
Endear you to me
Oh, you know I will.
I will
The lyrics to Paul McCartney's song "I Will" are a declaration of love and devotion to someone special in his life. The opening lines reveal that the singer has loved this person for an unknown amount of time, and despite any obstacles that may come their way, he is still in love with them. The second verse hints at a missed opportunity to meet the person, but the singer insists that it doesn't matter because his feelings will never change.
The chorus is a vow to love this person forever and in every circumstance, whether they're together or apart. The final verse is an expression of hope and longing to be reunited with the person, and for them to express themselves through their music. The singer wants to be close to them and endear themselves in their eyes, and they promise that they will always be there for them.
Throughout the lyrics, there is a sense of steadfast love and commitment that is both romantic and powerful. McCartney's gentle voice makes it all the more poignant, and the simple instrumentation only adds to the purity and sincerity of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Who knows how long I've loved you?
I'm not sure exactly how long I've been in love with you
You know I love you still
But I still love you now, no matter how long it's been
Will I wait a lonely lifetime?
If it takes a long time for you to love me back, I'm willing to wait
If you want me to, I will
I'll wait for you if that's what you want
For if I ever saw you
If I ever met you
I didn't catch your name
And I didn't learn your name
But it never really mattered
But that didn't matter because I still loved you
I will always feel the same
And I'll always feel that way about you
Love you forever and forever
I'll love you forever and always
Love you with all my heart
I love you with my whole heart
Love you whenever we're together
I love you whenever we're in each other's company
Love you when we're apart
And I still love you when we're apart
And when at last I find you,
And when I finally find you
Your song will fill the air
Your presence will fill my heart with joy
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Sing to me with a loud voice so I can hear you all the time
Make it easy to be near you
Make it easy for me to be around you
For the things you do
Because the things you do
Endear you to me
Make me feel even more deeply in love with you
Oh, you know I will.
You know I'll always love you this way
Contributed by Isabelle Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@magaboaerielleashibie7206
Who knows how long I've loved you
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to, I will
For if I ever saw you
I didn't catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart
And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
You know I will
I will
@janchilton
The man stands in front of 50,000 (or more?) people - in a simple tee shirt, strumming a simple guitar, singing all by himself to a song he wrote 40 years ago, and everyone is entranced and near tears at the greatness of the man.
@pamalojo
The song was recorded in 1968, so you'll need to add 14 years to that! 😀
@booooo666
Sweatshirt.. But yer he's one of a kind. ❤️
@marcosforesto6486
You just do not realize that isn't a simple man, is Sir Paul McCartney
@gabba2891
That guitar is approximately $5,000 martin guitar, that is not a simple guitar for sure
@farhanramadhan4730
You know, it's not about him or the music, but it's all about the feelings he gives. Pure Genius. 😘
@atomicblond1979
I'm a pretty tough guy, but Paul is so damn good he actually brings a tear to my eye. Long live Paul McCartney and the Beatles. There simply is no substitute.
@joooanit0224
Woooww be careful everyone he is a pretty tough guy
@atomicblond1979
@Gideon0125You obviously missed the meaning of my post. How old are you? I'd say about 14.
@joooanit0224
@Atomic Blond i know what you meant