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.
Monkberry Moon Delight
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the wind played a dreadful cantata (cantata, cantata)
Sore was I from a crack of an enemy's hose
And the horrible sound of tomato (tomato, tomato)
Catch up (catch up)
Super fury
Don't get left behind (get left behind)
Super fury (super fury)
Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)
When a rattle of rats had awoken
The sinews, the nerves and the veins
My piano was boldly outspoken
In attempts to repeat this refrain
So I stood with a knot in my stomach
And I gazed at that terrible sight
Of two youngsters concealed in a barrel
Smoking monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) ho
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Oh
Well, I know my banana is older than the rest
And my hair is a tangled beretta (beretta, beretta)
But I leave my pajamas to billy budapest
And I don't get the gist of your letter (your letter, your letter)
Catch up, (catch up)
Cats and kittens (cats and kittens)
Don't get left behind (get left behind)
Catch up, (catch up)
Cats and kittens (cats and kittens)
Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)
Oh, monkberry moon delight, yeah, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, yeah, yeah, yeah, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight oh-oh, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Suckin' monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah)
(om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
(om pah om pah pah)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
(om pah om pah pah)
Try some of this, honey (om pah om pah pah)
What is it? (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
(Om pah om pah pah)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Uh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
"Monkberry Moon Delight" is a song by Paul McCartney that appears on his second studio album Ram, released in 1971. The lyrics employ nonsensical phrases and imagery as well as wordplay to create a dreamlike atmosphere. The song's lyrics describe McCartney sitting in an attic with a piano up his nose, singing about being sore from a crack in an enemy's hose and a horrible sound of tomato. The image of rats awakening the sinews, nerves, and veins is a whimsical representation of the music rising within McCartney's head. The song changes tempo throughout and features a variety of instrumentation to create a cacophonous musical landscape.
One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that they represent a kind of stream-of-consciousness meditation on McCartney's musical creativity. He sings about various unconnected ideas and images, allowing them to flow and transform as they please, the way a dream might. The song also touches on themes of rebellion and youthful experimentation, with the image of two teenagers smoking "monkberry moon delight" hidden away in a barrel.
Line by Line Meaning
So I sat in the attic, a piano up my nose
I was in a strange position, with a piano uncomfortably close to my face.
And the wind played a dreadful cantata (cantata, cantata)
The wind made a terrible sound, like an unpleasant piece of music being performed.
Sore was I from a crack of an enemy's hose
I was hurt by someone who attacked me with a hose.
And the horrible sound of tomato (tomato, tomato)
I heard a sound that was as unpleasant as the word 'tomato' repeated over and over.
When a rattle of rats had awoken
A group of rats made enough noise to wake me up.
The sinews, the nerves and the veins
The parts of my body that allow me to move and feel were all active.
My piano was boldly outspoken
The piano in my attic made a loud and confident sound.
In attempts to repeat this refrain
The piano was trying to play the same melody over and over again.
So I stood with a knot in my stomach
I felt nervous and anxious.
And I gazed at that terrible sight
I looked at something that was very unpleasant to see.
Of two youngsters concealed in a barrel
I saw two young people hiding in a barrel.
Smoking monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) ho
They were smoking a drug called 'monkberry moon delight', which made a strange sound as they exhaled.
Well, I know my banana is older than the rest
I am aware that I am different from other people.
And my hair is a tangled beretta (beretta, beretta)
My hair is messy and unkempt.
But I leave my pajamas to billy budapest
I don't really care about what I wear to bed.
And I don't get the gist of your letter (your letter, your letter)
I don't understand the main point of your message.
Catch up (catch up)
You need to hurry and keep up.
Super fury
You need to be enthusiastic and energetic.
Don't get left behind (get left behind)
Don't fall behind others.
Cats and kittens
This is an expression of affection or friendly address.
Oh, monkberry moon delight, yeah, (om pah om pah pah)
This is a reference to the drug that the two young people were smoking, and the unusual sound it made.
Try some of this, honey (om pah om pah pah)
Someone is offering the drug 'monkberry moon delight' to another person affectionately.
What is it? (om pah om pah pah)
Someone is asking what the drug 'monkberry moon delight' is.
Monkberry moon delight na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
This is a continued reference to the drug 'monkberry moon delight', and the strange sound it makes.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind