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.
Looking At Her
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It’s like trying to catch the sun on the water
She tries to explain, then it happens again
Everybody’s looking at her
She’s got everybody talking about her
She’s good, she’s kind, she’s so refined
Though she haunts me like the sound of the rain
Or a river running down to the ocean
I hate to complain, but it’s happening again
Everybody’s looking at her
She’s got everybody talking about her
She’s good, so fine, she’s sweet as wine
But me, I’m losing my mind
Doesn’t she know, why can’t she see
Look at the effect that she’s having on me
I’m not alone, I’m part of the crowd
Turning our heads as she walks down the street
She tries to explain, then it happens again
Everybody’s looking at her
She’s got everybody talking about her
She’s good, she’s kind, she’s so refined
But me, I’m losing my mind
I’m losing my mind
I’m losing my mind
I’m losing my mind
In Paul McCartney's "Looking at Her," the singer is completely captivated by a woman who makes everyone else turn their heads. The woman is elegant and refined, and everyone talks about her. Unsurprisingly, the singer is enamored and distraught, wondering why the woman has such an effect on him. He calls her good, kind, and refined, while he's losing his mind. The singer sees the woman's effect on others, as well as himself, and wonders why she doesn't see it too.
The opening verse is particularly vivid, comparing the woman's allure to trying to catch the sun on water. She's elusive and her mysteriousness adds to her charm. Despite her beauty and charm, the singer is about to despair over the power she holds over him. His comparison of her to the sound of the rain suggests that she's always present in his mind, whether he wants her there or not.
"Looking at Her" is a great example of Paul McCartney's talent for crafting memorable melodies and lyrics. The song is simple yet effective in conveying the singer's distress, particularly in the chorus's repetition of "She's got everybody," which emphasizes the woman's power. Overall, "Looking at Her" is a straightforward but touching exploration of love and longing that captures the complexity of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ask her how it’s done, she won't know
She doesn't know how she does it, like trying to catch the reflection of the sun on water.
It’s like trying to catch the sun on the water
It's something that's unexplainable and impossible to grasp, like catching the reflection of the sun on water.
She tries to explain, then it happens again
She tries to explain her charm and magnetism, but it still works on people like a spell.
Everybody’s looking at her
She attracts attention from everyone around her.
She’s got everybody talking about her
She's the subject of everyone's conversations and gossip.
She’s good, she’s kind, she’s so refined
She has positive qualities and exudes sophistication and grace.
But me, I’m losing my mind
But for the singer, he's losing his composure, becoming entranced by her and unable to think straight.
Though she haunts me like the sound of the rain
She's ever-present in his thoughts and feelings, like the sound of the rain that keeps echoing in one's ears.
Or a river running down to the ocean
She's like a river that always flows, steadily and endlessly towards the ocean, representing a powerful, inevitable force.
I hate to complain, but it’s happening again
He's aware that his attraction to her is irrational and senseless, yet it keeps happening regardless of his intentions.
Doesn’t she know, why can’t she see
The singer wishes she could recognize the effect she has on him and marvel at it like he does.
Look at the effect that she’s having on me
He wants her to acknowledge how she's overwhelming him with her presence and attractiveness.
I’m not alone, I’m part of the crowd
He's not the only one affected by her charm and beauty, everyone seems to be mesmerized by her.
Turning our heads as she walks down the street
People can't help but stare and look at her as she goes by.
I’m losing my mind
The singer repeats this phrase because it emphasizes his mental and emotional state of being consumed by his fascination for her.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind