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.
More I Cannot Wish You
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the collar of your coat
And fortune smiling all along your way
But more I cannot wish you
Then to wish you find your love
Your own true love this day
Mansions, I can wish you
And calling cards upon a silver tray
But more I cannot wish you
Then to wish you find your love
Your own true love this day
Standing there
Gazing at you
Full of the bloom of youth
Standing there
Gazing at you
With the sheep's eye
And the licorice tooth
Music, I can wish you
Merry music while you're young
And wisdom, when your hair has turned to gray
But more I cannot wish you
Then to wish you find your love
Your own true love this day
With the sheep's eye
And the lickerish tooth
And the strong arms
To carry you away
In "More I Cannot Wish You," Paul McCartney sings about his hopes and well wishes for someone in a very poetic manner. He starts by saying that he can wish for velvet and great fortune for this person, but beyond that, he wants them to find true love. McCartney goes on to say that he could wish for mansions and servants, but again, the most important thing for him is for the person to find their true love. The lyrics then describe the person, standing there in their youth with a look of admiration in McCartney's eyes, and again, he hopes that the person will find their love. The last verses of the song are a repetition of McCartney's wish for music and wisdom, and again, he hopes that the person finds their true love, which is the most important thing. The final lines also speak of strong arms to carry them away, which implies that the love McCartney is hoping for is long-lasting and strong.
The song is full of metaphors and great emotion, and it perfectly captures McCartney's ability to capture a listener's heart with his music. "More I Cannot Wish You" is a song about the purity of love and the power it holds over our lives, and McCartney's hope for the subject of the song is that they find the same love in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
Velvet, I can wish you
I wish you the smoothest and softest experiences in life, like velvet.
For the collar of your coat
Specifically, for the part of your clothing that frames your face and represents your style.
And fortune smiling all along your way
May good luck constantly accompany and follow you.
But more I cannot wish you
Beyond all the materialistic and external things I can wish for you, I cannot wish you more than what comes next.
Then to wish you find your love
I hope you discover your soulmate, your companion that will stay with you for eternity.
Your own true love this day
I hope you find the one who loves you for who you are, and you love them just as much on this very day.
Mansions, I can wish you
I can wish for you grand and luxurious homes.
Seven footmen all in red
Additionally, I wish for you to have attendants that provide comfort to you and add value to your life.
And calling cards upon a silver tray
I wish elegant and sophisticated people who show respect and admiration for you to pay you visits, and to offer their kind words and actions on a silver platter.
Standing there
Gazing at you
Full of the bloom of youth
As I watch you, young and full of life, my heart swells with admiration for you.
With the sheep's eye
And the licorice tooth
Though my gaze might be sheepish or bashful, my smile is big, bright, and sweet for you.
Music, I can wish you
I can wish for you sweet melodies and harmonies.
Merry music while you're young
Especially when you are youthful, I hope music is an ever-present backdrop to your joys and celebrations.
And wisdom, when your hair has turned to gray
As you mature and your hair changes color, I pray that you gain the understanding, empathy, and knowledge that comes with age.
With the sheep's eye
And the lickerish tooth
And the strong arms
To carry you away
As I look at you with compassionate and affectionate eyes, accompanied by a soft smile and arms strong enough to lift you up, I wish I could whisk you away to a world that is absolutely yours, full of love and happiness.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: FRANK LOESSER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind