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.
No More Lonely Nights
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've only got my heart on a string and everything a-flutter
But another lonely night might take forever
We've only got each other to blame
It's all the same to me love
'Cause I know what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night I'm always there
May I never miss the thrill of being near you
And if takes a couple of years
To turn your tears to laughter
I will do what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights (Never be another)
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night I'm always there
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No, I'll never go away
Yes, I know (I know) what I feel (I feel) to be right
No more lonely nights (Never be another)
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night I'm always there
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No, I'll never go away
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No, I'll never go away
No more lonely nights, no, no
The lyrics of Paul McCartney's song "No More Lonely Nights" describes a situation where the singer waits for the right time to call his lover. He acknowledges that his lover has his heart on a string, which makes him feel restless and anxious to talk to her. He fears another lonely night will linger forever, and as they are the only ones to blame, he believes they should be together to solve the problem. The singer affirms that he knows their relationship is right, and he is willing to wait for her to turn her tears into laughter. He emphasizes that he wants to be near her and that she is his guiding light, always there to make sure he is never lonely again.
The song's lyrics show Paul McCartney's writing skills as an expressive and sentimental songwriter. It is apparent he believes in the power of love to overcome any issue, including loneliness. The song is a romantic plea for companionship and shows the lengths the singer is willing to go to achieve it. The song exhibits McCartney's versatility as an artist, significantly written music styles that were different from his previous compositions.
Line by Line Meaning
I can wait another day until I call you
I am patient enough to wait one more day before calling you.
You've only got my heart on a string and everything a-flutter
You have complete control over my emotions and I am completely devoted to you.
But another lonely night might take forever
Spending another night alone may feel like an eternity.
We've only got each other to blame
We are both at fault for the problems in our relationship.
It's all the same to me love
Regardless of the circumstances, my feelings for you will never change.
'Cause I know what I feel to be right
I trust my instincts and know what is best for our relationship.
No more lonely nights
I am determined to end the loneliness we both feel.
You're my guiding light
You are the source of my hope and happiness.
Day or night I'm always there
I will always be there for you, no matter the time or the circumstances.
May I never miss the thrill of being near you
I never want to lose the excitement and happiness that comes from being around you.
And if takes a couple of years to turn your tears to laughter
I am willing to wait as long as it takes to bring happiness back to your life.
I will do what I feel to be right
I will always act in the best interest of our relationship, even if it is difficult.
And I won't go away until you tell me so
I will never leave your side without your explicit request.
No, I'll never go away
I will always be there for you, through good times and bad.
Yes, I know (I know) what I feel (I feel) to be right
I am confident in my feelings and know what is best for us.
No more lonely nights, no, no
I am committed to ensuring that we never feel lonely again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WILLIE WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andhikapratamaramadhan5258
I can wait another day
Until I call you
You've only got my heart on a string
And everything a-flutter
But another lonely night
Might take forever
We've only got each other to blame
It's all the same to me, love
'Cause I know what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night, I'm always there
May I never miss the thrill
Of being near you
And if it takes a couple of years
To turn your tears to laughter
I will do what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights, never be another
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night, I'm always there
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No, I'll never go away
Yes, I know what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights, never be another
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night, I'm always there
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No, I'll never go away
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No, I'll never go away
No more lonely nights, no no
@leokimvideo
When this video came out I thought Paul was starting to look old, I now look at this 40 years on and Paul looks like a teenager here 🙀
@traumainformedTESOL
Agreed!!
@cherylcusimano1694
This hits hard...Paul was 42 here, I was 7 when this came out, I'm now 45! Hopefully have another 45 left in me! Oh and listening to it now I realize that HAS to be David Gilmour on guitar.
@Lessecretsreligieux
Me too ^^
@kristinminiscalco5592
I know!!!!! 😅
@adolescentwombat
I remember thinking the same thing. I was 16 so he looked really old to me plus i knew what he use to look like from pictures and old promotional videos that would pop up on docs about the Beatles. Now he looks like a kid here. A 42 year old kid.
@adamfisk9312
This is one of Paul's all-time greatest songs, and Dave's guitar is unmistakably brilliant.
@RobertBirkrem-qg7du
Yeah, I was recently looking into "Give My Regards to Broad street" and found out David Gilmour played on "No More Lonely Nights"!
@jamesmckean3221
I had no idea until I saw both of your comments. I thought it was just in the style of Pink Floyd. Thank you, friends!
@JakePower-oq7fo
Underrated song for sure. Didn’t quite get the chart success it deserved.