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.
Nod Your Head
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Better than stayin' in bed
If you really love me, baby
Nod your head
If you really love me, baby
"Till you fall down dead", she said
If you ever wanna make it
Nod it up, nod it down
Side to side, round and round
If you ever wanna prove it
Then you hang it on a thread
If you ever wanna shake it
Nod your head
If you think the life you're leading
Is better then the life you led
If you like the life you're livin'
Well, nod your head
Well, nod it up, nod it down
Side to side, round and round
If you really love me, baby
Better than stayin' in bed
If you really love me, baby
Nod your head
Paul McCartney’s “Nod Your Head” is a song about love and commitment. The song is about how actions speak louder than words when it comes to love. The song is about a woman who is telling her partner that if he truly loves her, he needs to do more than just say it. She wants him to prove his love by nodding his head, which is a gesture that she interprets as a sign of commitment.
The song has a catchy and upbeat melody, which makes it seem like a love song rather than a song about commitment. However, the lyrics are very straightforward and get to the point quickly. The woman in the song is clear about what she wants from her partner, which is a sign of commitment. The song is also about the importance of communication in relationships. The woman in the song is telling her partner exactly what she wants from him, which is a sign of good communication.
Overall, the song “Nod Your Head” is a fun and upbeat love song with a deeper message about commitment and communication. By nodding his head and showing his commitment, the man in the song is proving his love for his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
If you really love me baby
The singer is questioning the sincerity of his lover's feelings towards him.
Better than stayin' in bed
The singer wants his lover's love to be better than just being comfortable in bed.
If you really love me baby, nod your head
The singer is asking his lover to express her true love for him by nodding her head.
If you really love me baby Till you fall down dead
The singer wants his lover to love him until the end of her life.
she said
This line is just a continuation of the previous line spoken by the lover.
If you ever wanna make it, nod your head
The singer is saying that if his lover ever wants to succeed in their relationship, she needs to show her love by nodding her head.
Nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round)
The singer wants his lover to nod her head in different directions to show the extent of her love for him.
If you ever wanna prove it Then you hang it on a thread
The singer wants his lover to hang her love on a thread to show its fragility and the importance of handling it with care.
If you ever wanna shake it, nod your head
The singer wants his lover to express her love by nodding her head in a way that shows she's serious about their relationship.
If you think the life your leading Is better then the life you lead
The singer is asking his lover if the life she's currently living is better than the life she could have with him.
If you like the life your living Well nod your head
The singer wants his lover to express if she's satisfied with her current life by nodding her head.
Well nod it up, nod it down Side to side, round and round (Round and round)
The singer reinforces his desire for his lover to nod her head in different directions to show her commitment to their relationship.
If you really love me baby
The singer repeats his question regarding his lover's feelings for him, emphasizing its importance.
Better than stayin' in bed
The singer repeats his desire for his lover's love to be better than just being comfortable in bed.
If you really love me baby, nod your head
The singer repeats his request for his lover to express her love by nodding her head.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind