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.
Magic
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The night that we met
If I hadn't stopped you
I`d always regret
A few minutes later
You`d have been out that door
And I`d have been lonely
Forever more
Oh what made us do it?
Under what holy spell?
Nature`s mother knew it
Only too well
She reached out her fingers
To point at the sky
Leaving me helpless
Not knowing why
And this is the hour
That they turn out the light
Nothing but memories
Burning so bright
Burning so bright
Oh what made us do it?
Under what holy spell?
Nature`s mother knew it
Only too well
There must have been magic
The night that we met
If I hadn't stopped you
I`d always regret
There must have been magic
There must have been magic
There must have been magic
The night that we met
In Paul McCartney's song Magic, he sings about a chance encounter with a woman that he believes was more than just coincidence. In the first verse, he reflects on what would have happened if he hadn't stopped her from leaving - he would have been left lonely forever. This moment seems to be the catalyst for their relationship, and he attributes it to a kind of magic. The second verse explores the nature of this magic, wondering what caused them to connect in the first place. McCartney suggests that it was nature's doing, as if there was some divine plan that brought them together. The final verse is a reflection on the memory of this moment - even though it's over, the feeling still burns brightly.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of being overwhelmed by a powerful connection with someone, and the belief that it must have been more than just chance that brought them together. McCartney's musings on what caused this magic are left somewhat open-ended, but it's clear that he feels it was beyond his control.
Line by Line Meaning
There must have been magic
The singer believes that something magical or special happened the night they met.
The night that we met
Refers to the specific evening when the singer and the person being addressed first met.
If I hadn't stopped you
The singer believes that if they had not intervened in some way, they would have missed out on an important and positive experience.
I'd always regret
The artist is saying that missing out on whatever happened that night would have been a source of regret indefinitely.
A few minutes later
Refers to a narrow window of time when something significant almost didn't happen.
You'd have been out that door
Refers to the potential event of the person being addressed leaving and not staying to experience something important.
And I'd have been lonely
The singer is saying if the other person had left, they would have been left feeling isolated and lonely.
Forever more
The implications of the potential missed connection would have lasted a long time, if not indefinitely.
Oh what made us do it?
The artist is curious as to what motivated them to take the action(s) that led to this positive experience.
Under what holy spell?
The artist is wondering if some greater force (holy spell) was at work to bring them together.
Nature's mother knew it
Refers to a belief in a natural or universal force that somehow facilitated the positive experience the singer had.
Only too well
The force or power referred to 'knew' this would happen and made it so.
She reached out her fingers
Nature is personified or anthropomorphized here, as if a motherly figure was reaching out to make this magical thing happen.
To point at the sky
Not clear, it's open for interpretation. Could refer to a specific action or motion, or simply allude to the mysterious or cosmic nature of the event.
Leaving me helpless
The singer felt powerless or overwhelmed by the experience and couldn't or didn't resist it.
Not knowing why
The artist does not understand, or cannot explain, what made this positive experience happen.
And this is the hour
Refers to a specific time of day that seems particularly conducive to reflection or contemplation.
That they turn out the light
Alludes to the end of a day, a quiet or meditative atmosphere, or perhaps a metaphor regarding the end or fading of memory.
Nothing but memories
Alludes to the significance of memory for the singer, suggesting that the event they are referring to is now relegated to the realm of memory.
Burning so bright
The memories of this experience are vivid and powerful in their mind.
There must have been magic
Reiterates the artist's belief that there was some mystical or unexplainable element that facilitated their positive experience.
There must have been magic
Same meaning as the previous line. Serves to reinforce the artist's conviction that something supernatural played a role in bringing them together that night.
There must have been magic
Serves as a conclusion or affirmation of the singer's point of view. They are convinced that the experience they had was something rare or exceptional and that a powerful force brought it about.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind