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.
Off the Ground
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you to sink so low.
You must have had a ton of pressure.
Only answer if the answer's no.
I need loving, you need loving too.
Doesn't take a lot to get off the ground.
When the world was born.
Let me be the one you wish for,
One you call for, when you're all alone.
I need loving, you need loving too.
Wouldn't take a lot to get off the ground.
Off the ground, off the ground.
Fly around, fly around.
Hear the sound, hear the sound.
Off the ground, off the ground.
Though it takes a lot of power
To make a bog tree grow.
It doesn't need a pot of knowledge.
For a seed knows what a seed must know.
You need loving, I need loving too.
Doesn't take a lot to get off the ground.
Off the ground, off the ground.
Fly around, fly around.
Hear the sound, hear the sound.
Off the ground, off the ground.
Hear the sound, hear the sound.
Off the ground, off the ground.
Yeah yeah, off the ground.
The lyrics to Paul McCartney's song "Off The Ground" reflect on the struggles and hardships that one may face in life. The first verse suggests that the person being addressed has experienced a lot of heartache and pressure which has caused them to feel low. The singer is reaching out to them, saying that they need love and support too. They encourage the person to answer honestly if they are also in need of love. The second verse seems to reflect on the beauty and magic of the world, and the singer offers to be there for the person, to be the one they call for in times of loneliness. The chorus asserts that it doesn't take much effort to "get off the ground," to start making progress towards healing and happiness.
The third verse uses a metaphor of a tree growing to reflect the idea that one can grow and thrive without being given everything they need to succeed. The singer reminds the person that they need love and support as well. The chorus repeats again that it doesn't take much to begin moving forward in life. The song ends with an upbeat repetition of "off the ground," emphasizing the idea that one can rise above their struggles and find happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
There must have been a lot of heartache
The singer acknowledges the pain and sorrow experienced by the listener.
For you to sink so low.
The listener has gone through a difficult time in their life.
You must have had a ton of pressure.
The listener has likely faced high levels of stress or anxiety.
Only answer if the answer's no.
The artist implies that they do not want to hear a negative response if they ask a question.
I need loving, you need loving too.
Both the artist and the listener require love and affection.
Doesn't take a lot to get off the ground.
The singer implies that their relationship can improve and thrive with a simple gesture of love.
There must have been a lot of magic
The singer alludes to the wonders of life and the universe.
When the world was born.
The listener experienced the beauty and wonder of life when they were young.
Let me be the one you wish for,
The artist desires to be the recipient of the listener’s desires and intentions.
One you call for, when you're all alone.
The artist wants to be someone the listener summons for comfort and companionship.
Though it takes a lot of power
The singer acknowledges that personal growth and progress require dedication and effort.
To make a bog tree grow.
Just like how trees can only grow with sufficient care, the listener requires determination and effort to improve their life.
It doesn't need a pot of knowledge.
The singer implies that personal growth does not stem from academic knowledge alone.
For a seed knows what a seed must know.
Like a seed, the listener intuitively knows what they need to do in order to improve their life.
Off the ground, off the ground.
The singer urges the listener to get off the ground and improve their life.
Fly around, fly around.
The artist encourages the listener to soar high in life and experience its joys.
Hear the sound, hear the sound.
The artist urges the listener to listen carefully to their advice.
Hear the sound, hear the sound.
The singer repeats their advice to the listener.
Yeah yeah, off the ground.
The singer reiterates their desire for the listener to improve their life.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind