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.
Long Leather Coat
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
NO ONE TO PHONE, NO ONE TO TOUCH ME.
I'M ON MY WAY SAID THE MAN IN THE LONG LEATHER COAT
AS HE STARTED HIS CAR.
I'M GLAD YOU CAME, SAID SHE
YOU GOT MY NOTE, YOU UNDERSTOOD IT.
HE SMILED AS HE HUNG UP HIS LONG LEATHER COAT
STROLL ON BABY, STEP RIGHT IN.
HELP YOURSELF TO A HANDFUL OF EV'RYTHING IN SIGHT,
LET THE PARTY BEGIN.
STROLL ON BABY, STEP RIGHT IN.
HELP YOURSELF TO A HANDFUL OF EV'RYTHING IN SIGHT,
LET THE PARTY BEGIN.
OH, I LOVE YOUR COAT, SAID SHE.
(oh, I love your coat, said she)
HE SAID, WELL, THANK YOU.
(he said, well, thank you)
IN YOUR NOTE YOU SAID YOU HAD,
(in your note you said you had)
NO ONE TO TOUCH YOU.
(no one to touch you)
SO SHALL I GO THROUGH?
(so shall I go, so shall I go)
(so shall I go, so shall I go)
WHY, YES, SHE SAID, YOU CAN GO ON AHEAD
SHE TOOK OUT THE KEY
AND SHE LOCKED HIM INTO THE BEDROOM.
OH, OH, OH.
NOW I AM ALONE, SAID SHE,
SHE TOOK A CAN OF REALLY RED PAINT,
AND SHE SPRAYED UP AND DOWN ON THE LONG LEATHER COAT,
ON THE BLOODY RED FLOOR.
SO LONG, BABY, I TOOK YOU IN
JUST TO SHOW YOU THAT YOUR LONG LEATHER COAT
IS REALLY NOTHING BUT A HANDFUL OF SKIN.
STROLL ON, BABY, STEP RIGHT IN.
HELP YOURSELF TO A HANDFUL OF EV'RYTHING IN SIGHT,
LET THE PARTY BEGIN!
LET THE PARTY BEGIN! HO!
OO-OO-OO-OO,
OO-OO-OO.
WELL, LET THE PARTY, THE PARTY BEGIN.
The lyrics to "Long Leather Coat" by Paul McCartney narrate the story of a woman who invites a man over to her house. She mentions in her note that she's all alone and has no one to touch her, to which the man in the long leather coat responds, "I'm glad you came". As the lyrics unfold, it becomes clear that the woman had been planning to take revenge on him. She takes out a can of red paint and sprays it all over the long leather coat, leaving the man locked up in her bedroom. The song's catchy chorus 'Stroll on baby, step right in, help yourself to a handful of everything in sight, let the party begin' serves as a sharp contrast to the song's dark lyrics.
The song seems to be a cautionary tale for men who trick women into thinking they're desirable and then proceed to take advantage of them. The temptation of pleasure can easily lead to harm, as seen in the woman's retaliation in the song. The line "your long leather coat is really nothing but a handful of skin" suggests that the man may have been arrogant and superficial, valuing only material possessions and his own appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
I'M ALL ALONE, SAID SHE,
The woman is isolated and doesn't have anyone with her to provide physical or emotional support.
NO ONE TO PHONE, NO ONE TO TOUCH ME.
She doesn't have anyone to call or connect with, leaving her feeling lonely and possibly vulnerable.
I'M ON MY WAY SAID THE MAN IN THE LONG LEATHER COAT
AS HE STARTED HIS CAR.
A man wearing a long leather coat arrives, which may or may not be significant or intentional.
I'M GLAD YOU CAME, SAID SHE
YOU GOT MY NOTE, YOU UNDERSTOOD IT.
The woman is pleased that the man received her message and comprehended it.
HE SMILED AS HE HUNG UP HIS LONG LEATHER COAT
ON THE BACK OF THE DOOR.
The man gave a smile to the woman as he placed his coat on a hanger.
STROLL ON BABY, STEP RIGHT IN.
HELP YOURSELF TO A HANDFUL OF EVERYTHING IN SIGHT,
LET THE PARTY BEGIN.
The woman invites the man inside and encourages him to enjoy himself and partake in anything available.
OH, I LOVE YOUR COAT, SAID SHE.
The woman compliments the man's coat, possibly as a way to flatter him or start a conversation.
HE SAID, WELL, THANK YOU.
The man appreciates the woman's compliment and responds with gratitude.
IN YOUR NOTE YOU SAID YOU HAD,
The man refers to the note the woman sent him earlier and acknowledges it.
NO ONE TO TOUCH YOU.
The woman expressed that she lacked physical touch in her note.
SO SHALL I GO THROUGH?
The man implies that he would be willing to provide the touch the woman craves.
WHY, YES, SHE SAID, YOU CAN GO ON AHEAD
SHE TOOK OUT THE KEY
AND SHE LOCKED HIM INTO THE BEDROOM.
OH, OH, OH.
The woman agrees to let the man walk ahead and then locks him inside a bedroom, which could suggest an ulterior motive or trickery.
NOW I AM ALONE, SAID SHE,
The woman once again speaks about being alone, though this time it may be intentional.
SHE TOOK A CAN OF REALLY RED PAINT,
AND SHE SPRAYED UP AND DOWN ON THE LONG LEATHER COAT,
ON THE BLOODY RED FLOOR.
The woman vandalizes the man's coat by painting it with bright red paint and spilling some on the floor, potentially as an act of anger or revenge.
SO LONG, BABY, I TOOK YOU IN
JUST TO SHOW YOU THAT YOUR LONG LEATHER COAT
IS REALLY NOTHING BUT A HANDFUL OF SKIN.
The woman explains her actions and justifies them, saying that she let the man in to teach him a lesson about the vanity of material possessions.
STROLL ON, BABY, STEP RIGHT IN.
HELP YOURSELF TO A HANDFUL OF EVERYTHING IN SIGHT,
LET THE PARTY BEGIN!
The woman repeats her earlier invitation, perhaps hinting at a desire to do it all over again with someone else.
LET THE PARTY BEGIN! HO!
The woman encourages a celebration of some kind, but the true meaning or nature of the party is unclear.
OO-OO-OO-OO,
OO-OO-OO.
These lines seem to be part of the refrain, providing a catchy musical element.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Linda McCartney, Paul James McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind