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.
Keep Under Cover
Paul McCartney Lyrics
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Love, I'm going to take you out on a journey
I don't know where I'm going to
But I know what I've been going through
Without you by my side
What good is butter if you haven't got bread?
What good is art when it hurts your head?
Keep under cover 'til the battle has ceased
Keep out of trouble 'til the prisoners are released
What good's a puzzle when you haven't a clue?
What good is me when I'm not with you?
Might as well stay in bed
Keep under cover 'til the clouds disappear
Keep out of trouble 'til the weather is bright and clear
Love, I'm going to pick you up
I'm going to take you out
I don't know what I'm going to do
But I know what I've been going through
Without you by my side
Without you by my side
What good is tennis when there isn't a ball?
What good's a curtain without a call?
Might as well be in bed
Keep under cover 'til the battle has ceased
Keep out of trouble 'til the prisoners are released
Love, I'm going to pick you up
I'm going to take you out
I don't know what I'm going to do
But I know what I've been going through
Without you by my side [Repeat]
The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer is trying to prioritize love over everything else. They promise to pick their lover up in the morning and take them on a journey, expressing their love in tangible actions. However, the lines that follow illustrate a sense of confusion and uncertainty. The singer acknowledges that they don't know where they're going, but they know they've been struggling without their partner by their side.
The song then asks a series of rhetorical questions that all suggest that something is pointless without a crucial component. For example, what good is butter without bread? What good is art that hurts your head? What good is tennis without a ball? All of these things only work when all the pieces necessary for their function are present. The line "might as well stay in bed" suggests a sense of resignation or defeat when something isn't functioning properly.
Line by Line Meaning
Love, I'm going to pick you up in the morning
I am going to start a new journey with you
Love, I'm going to take you out on a journey
I am going to take you to places where we can have new experiences
I don't know where I'm going to
I am uncertain about the future
But I know what I've been going through
I have gone through a tough time without you
Without you by my side
I need you to come with me to face the next phase of life
What good is butter if you haven't got bread?
The essence of something is lost without its companion
What good is art when it hurts your head?
Something that is not enjoyable is of no use
Might as well be in bed
It's better to do nothing than to do something without purpose
Keep under cover 'til the battle has ceased
Stay safe and avoid danger until the situation improves
Keep out of trouble 'til the prisoners are released
Stay out of harm's way until it is safe to act
What good's a puzzle when you haven't a clue?
A task becomes meaningless when you don't know how to solve it
What good is me when I'm not with you?
I am incomplete without you
Keep under cover 'til the clouds disappear
Stay safe and hidden while danger is prevalent
Keep out of trouble 'til the weather is bright and clear
Stay out of harm's way until conditions improve
What good is tennis when there isn't a ball?
A sport loses its purpose without the necessary equipment
What good's a curtain without a call?
A prop is meaningless without its proper use
Love, I'm going to pick you up
I am determined to start a new journey with you
Love, I'm going to take you out
I am going to create new experiences with you
I don't know what I'm going to do
The future is uncertain, but I want to face it with you
But I know what I've been going through
I have faced hardships without you, and I don't want to do that anymore
Without you by my side
I need you with me to face whatever comes next
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind