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.
Jet
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Jet) I can almost remember their funny faces
That time you told them you were going to marrying soon
And Jet I thought the only lonely place was on the moon
(Jet, Jet)
Jet was your father as bold as the sergeant major
And Jet I thought the major was a lady suffragette
(Jet, Jet)
Ah mater want Jet to always love me
Ah mater want Jet to always love me
Ah mater, much later
(Jet)
And Jet I thought the major was a lady suffragette
(Jet, Jet)
Ah mater want Jet to always love me
Ah mater want Jet to always love me
Ah mater, much later
Jet with the wind in your hair
Of a thousand laces
Climb on the back and we'll go for a ride in the sky
And Jet I thought that the major was a little lady suffragette
(Jet, Jet)
And Jet you know I thought you was a little lady suffragette
(Jet)
A little lady
My little lady, yes
The song Jet by Paul McCartney & Wings is an interesting mysterious song with lyrics open to interpretation. At a surface level, the song appears to be about a person named Jet, who the singer knows, and reminiscing about times with Jet. The lyrics are not straightforward, and various interpretations can be drawn, especially given the confusing interjections like "Ah mater want Jet to always love me, Ah mater want Jet to always love me, Ah mater, much later." A possible interpretation of the song is that McCartney is referring to a woman as Jet and lamenting on how society perceives women. The lines "And Jet I thought the only lonely place was on the moon" might signify the loneliness she experienced in a male-dominated world. The lines "How come he told you that you were hardly old enough yet, And Jet I thought the major was a lady suffragette" could suggest her struggle to be taken seriously and the inequality she experienced.
Another way to interpret the song is as a tribute to an actual little pony named Jet, which McCartney used to ride. Jet was a black pony, which would explain the line, "Jet with the wind in your hair of a thousand laces." The lines "much later, a little lady, my little lady" could refer to the pony, which wore a little hat for fun. The lyrics "Ah mater want Jet to always love me" might indicate McCartney's mother's desire for McCartney to love Jet the pony personally. The lines "And Jet I thought the major was a little lady suffragette" can be interpreted as McCartney's confusion over Jet's gender.
Overall, the lyrics to Jet are somewhat ambiguous and open-ended, enabling the listener to infer their meaning based on their interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
(Jet, Jet)
Introducing the title of the song.
(Jet) I can almost remember their funny faces
Recalling a past memory of seeing funny faces when a significant moment was shared with others.
That time you told them you were going to marrying soon
Recollecting the moment where it was announced that a wedding would happen soon.
And Jet I thought the only lonely place was on the moon
Feeling like the only lonely place was being on the moon and not expecting to feel that way in the current situation.
(Jet, Jet)
Repeating the title of the song.
Jet was your father as bold as the sergeant major
Referencing the boldness of a father figure named Jet who is similar to a well-known military rank.
How come he told you that you were hardly old enough yet
Questioning why the father figure Jet told someone they were too young for something.
And Jet I thought the major was a lady suffragette
Thinking that the person Jet referred to earlier was actually a woman involved in the suffrage movement.
(Jet, Jet)
Repeating the title of the song.
Ah mater want Jet to always love me
Mentioning a mother figure who hopes for Jet to always love someone.
Ah mater want Jet to always love me
Repeating the desire for Jet to always love someone.
Ah mater, much later
Adding that the mother's desire for love from Jet is at a later point in time.
(Jet)
Referencing the title of the song.
And Jet I thought the major was a lady suffragette
Reiterating the idea that Jet had confused a male figure with a woman involved in the suffrage movement.
(Jet, Jet)
Repeating the title of the song.
Jet with the wind in your hair
Addressing someone named Jet who is experiencing wind blowing their hair around.
Of a thousand laces
Describing the appearance of the wind as though it were woven with a thousand laces.
Climb on the back and we'll go for a ride in the sky
Inviting Jet to climb onto someone's back and go for a ride in the sky.
And Jet I thought that the major was a little lady suffragette
Still believing that the person Jet referred to earlier was a female suffragette, but now adding that they are smaller in stature.
(Jet, Jet)
Repeating the title of the song.
And Jet you know I thought you was a little lady suffragette
Addressing Jet directly and stating that they were mistaken for a female suffragette.
(Jet)
Referencing the title of the song.
A little lady
Restating the incorrect assumption that Jet was female.
My little lady, yes
Confirming that the personal connection to Jet was a positive one, despite the mistaken assumption.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LINDA MCCARTNEY, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Talltrees84
I can remember when this came out in the 1970's. God I'm aging myself. Still a classic.
P. Garry Ball
And me. I was about eight. Dad took me to the barbers (short back & sides 😂) and it came on the radio. I was hooked as soon as I heard the syncopated intro 👍😁
Jay Vonck
Same here! Mater of fact I still have the LP!! Also Venus and Mars LP. I suppose Wings were my favorite group of all time. Born in1963 I only remember hearing of the Beatles break up
Aaron
Abe is such a boss Drummer, It would be weird to hear McCartney live without him he really brings that sound!
Michael Clark
His dad (Abe Laboriel, Sr.) is legendary as well.
MrJamess2010
the most amazing singer ever on this earth !!!!!!!!!!!!
Utmost Zen
@J Lobo he is and was one of the best..i would say he was very underrated as vocalists..that man has a really versatile vocal..not to mention his range..but yeah ofcourse everyone gets old and his voice may not be that good anymore but hey we gotta appreciate he's still here singin for us! Cheerio
J Lobo
He really isn't. Hes good, but he was never the best.
breaker67
@Brett Stanton You're an idiot.
Mavis Cheong
👍👍👍