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.
Junior's Farm
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had no money and I bet a grand
Just in the nick of time I look at his hand
I was talking to an Eskimo
Said he was hoping for a fall of snow
When you popped a sealion ready to go
Let's go let's go let go let go
How life, high life, go let's go
Take me down to Junior's farm
Take me down Jimmy
I took my bag into a grocer's store
The price is higher than the time before
Old man asked me why is it more
I said you should have seen me with the pokerman
I had no money and I bet a grand
Just in the nick of time I looked at his hand
Let's go let's go let go let go
Down to junior's farm Where I want to lay low
How life, high life, go let's go
Take me down to Junior's farm
Let's go let's go
Down to junior's farm where I want to lay low
How life, high life, go let's go
Take me down to Junior's farm
Everybody tag along
Take me down to Junior's farm
Take me back
\Take me back
I want to go back
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah
In "Junior's Farm", Paul McCartney describes a series of peculiar experiences, combining them into a psychedelic tale that is both whimsical and captivating. Throughout the song, Paul uses allusions and metaphorical language to transport the listeners to a vivid world with eccentric characters and unpredictable events.
The first verse discusses a gambling situation with high stakes, where Paul bets a grand despite having no money. However, in a strange twist of fate, he is able to win the game by looking at the other player's cards just in the nick of time. In the second verse, Paul recounts a conversation with an Eskimo who is craving snow. Suddenly, the scene shifts to a hunt for a seal, which presumably will be used to make a warm coat for the Eskimo.
The chorus of "Junior's Farm" repeats the same phrase multiple times, "Let's go let's go let go let go, down to Junior's farm where I want to lay low, How life, high life, go let's go, take me down to Junior's farm." This phrase does not necessarily hint at a concrete destination, but rather at a state of mind. Junior's farm symbolizes an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a place where one can unwind and forget about the world's troubles.
Overall, "Junior's Farm" is a whimsical and surreal journey that encourages the listener to embrace their imagination and surrender to the song's unpredictable storyline.
Line by Line Meaning
You should have seen me with the pokerman
I was gambling but had no money, so I put down a grand in hopes of winning
Just in the nick of time I look at his hand
I checked my opponent's cards at the last possible moment
I was talking to an Eskimo
I had a conversation with someone who was hoping for snow
Said he was hoping for a fall of snow
The person informed me they desired snow to fall
When you popped a sealion ready to go
Once they had caught a seal, they were prepared to depart
Let's go let's go let go let go
Encouraging others to join in on the adventure
Down to junior's farm where I want to lay low
Traveling to Junior's farm to escape and lay low
How life, high life, go let's go
Celebrating and living life to the fullest
Take me down to Junior's farm
Asking to be taken to Junior's farm
I took my bag into a grocer's store
I carried my belongings into a store
The price is higher than the time before
The cost of goods has increased since my previous visit
Old man asked me why is it more
An old man approached me and asked why the prices were higher
Let's go let's go let go let go
Encouraging the group to leave and go to Junior's farm
Down to junior's farm where I want to lay low
Repeating the desire to go to Junior's farm to lay low
Everybody tag along
Inviting everyone to join in on the adventure
Take me back
Expressing a desire to return to a previous place or time
\Take me back
Reiterating the desire to go back
I want to go back
Stating the desire to return to a previous place or time
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah
An exclamation of agreement or excitement
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY, LINDA LOUISE MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adrian R
@impassable Cevin Soling, Writer, Filmmaker, Beatles and New Wave scholar
Answered April 27, 2020 · Author has 54 answers and 90.2K answer views
"Junior’s Farm was released in October of 1974 , which means it was written around the time when Nixon resigned. Nixon was especially unpopular among the counter-culture who resented him for Vietnam, Kent State, and his anti-hippie stance in general.
The lyrics that precede are:
At the Houses of Parliament
Ev'rybody's talking 'bout the President
We all chip in for a bag of cement
A common method of execution by the mob at that time was to place their victims’ feet in cement and toss them in a river or lake where they would sink and drown. In this instance, McCartney is referring to preparing for, symbolically, taking out Nixon.
As a side note, just, because someone does not understand the meaning, does not make it a nonsense lyric."
bizophone
"I took my bag into a grocery store / The price is higher than the time before" that line is hitting hard these days
skip towne
Thanks Brandon.
Juliet Reminiec
Even more back then..with all of the shortages we had
James Schaidt
Sure is.
Peter Berg
Yeah, they thought it was tough in the 70s! They couldn't have known..
Gary Goodrich
This song is 40+ years old and I never get tired of hearing it. The measure of an iconic song? It sounds just as fresh today as it did 40 years after it was released.
Adrian R
Junior's Farm is one of those songs that immediately will turn your bad mad into a wonderful mood. Only Paul McCartney can throw together a bunch of nonsensical words and end up with a masterpiece.
Ray Reddekop
It's actually loosely based on their time recording in Nashville early in Wings. But, yes, masterpiece. (Junior owned the farm/studio and the poker man was one of the guys assisting)
That70sguy
Nailed it, honey.
Adrian R
@Ray Reddekop, the song also alludes to Nixon and mentions Oliver Hardy.