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.
Queenie Eye
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never came up with a plan
All the stories that you sold me
Didn't help me understand
But I had to get it worked out
Had nobody who could help
So then in the end it turned out
By myself
That's the game of rags to riches
Dogs and bitches hunt for fame
Until you think you know which way to turn
Make the day all the switches, wicked witches fan the flame
Careful what you touch in case you burn
Queenie eye queenie eye who's got the ball
I haven't got it, it isn't in my pocket
O-U-T spells out
That's out
Without a shadow of a doubt
She could put it in about/a pout?
Hear the people shout
Hear the people shout
Play the game, taking chances
Every dance is much the same
Doesn't matter which event you choose
Never blame the circumstances,
With romances seldom came, ?
Never pick a fight youre gonna lose
Queenie eye queenie eye who's got the ball
I haven't got it, it isn't in my pocket
O-U-T spells out
That's out
Without a shadow of a doubt
She could put it in about
Hear the people shout
Hear the people shout
Its long way, to the finish
When you've never been before
I was nervous, but I did it
Now Im going back for more
Ey, yeah ey yeah yeah
Ey, yeah ey yeah yeah
Here the people shout
Ey, yeah ey yeah yeah
Queenie eye queenie eye who's got the ball
I havent got it, it isn't in my pocket
O-U-T spells out
That's out
Without a shadow of a doubt
She could put it in a pout
Hear the people shout
Hear the people shout
The lyrics to Paul McCartney's song "Queenie Eye" speak to the struggle of achieving success and the power of self-reliance. McCartney sings of the rules and plans that were never laid out for him, the lack of understanding that came with the stories he was sold, and the fact that he had to work it out alone. The chorus uses the metaphor of a game to describe the search for fame in the music industry, with "dogs and bitches" hunting for success until they think they know which way to turn. McCartney warns that one must be careful not to touch the wrong things, for fear of getting burned. He references Queenie Eye, a game that he played as a child, in order to invoke a sense of nostalgia and the idea of relying on oneself. The song seems to suggest that though the journey may be long and uncertain, one ultimately answers to oneself and must rely on his or her own strength in order to succeed.
Overall, "Queenie Eye" is a commentary on the search for fame and success in the music industry, and the importance of self-reliance in achieving those goals.
Line by Line Meaning
There were rules you never told me
You never explained to me, the things I needed to know
Never came up with a plan
You left me to figure it out on my own
All the stories that you sold me
The lies and tales that you made me believe in
Didn't help me understand
They only made things more confusing and unclear
But I had to get it worked out
I had no choice but to figure it out by myself
Had nobody who could help
No one was there to guide me or offer any assistance
So then in the end it turned out
Eventually, after much effort and struggle
That I had to do it by myself
I had to rely on myself to reach the end goal
That's the game of rags to riches
The struggle from poverty to wealth
Dogs and bitches hunt for fame
People will do anything to become famous
Until you think you know which way to turn
At some point, you think you have it all figured out
Make the day all the switches, wicked witches fan the flame
Be careful of the choices you make, evil influences can exacerbate the consequences
Careful what you touch in case you burn
Be aware of the potential consequences before you act
Queenie eye queenie eye who's got the ball
Who has the upper hand, the advantage
I haven't got it, it isn't in my pocket
I don't have control or power over the situation
O-U-T spells out
It's over, it's done
That's out
The situation is lost
Without a shadow of a doubt
Clearly, without any question
She could put it in a pout
She could influence the outcome with her charm
Hear the people shout
The crowd reacts with strong emotion and excitement
Play the game, taking chances
Engage in life, being open to take risks
Every dance is much the same
Life can be repetitive
Doesn't matter which event you choose
It's ultimately inconsequential which path you take
Never blame the circumstances
Don't look for excuses when things don't go as planned
With romances seldom came
Love is rare
?
Unknown/ambiguous line
Never pick a fight you're gonna lose
Be mindful of your battles, only fight what is worth fighting
Its long way, to the finish
It's a difficult journey until the end goal is achieved
When you've never been before
The path is new and uncharted
I was nervous, but I did it
Despite the trepidation, I still accomplished the task
Now I'm going back for more
I'm ready for the next challenge
Ey, yeah ey yeah yeah
Repetitive lyrics used for musical effect only
Here the people shout
The crowd's excitement grows louder
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: PAUL EPWORTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eduardo Sanchez Roman
Las sorpresas de este video son, salvo error u omisión:
0:52 > Johnny Depp
0:44 > Johnny Deep & Lily Cole
1:22 > Tamara Rojo (English National Ballet)
1:33 > Laura Bailey (Editor de la revista Vogue)
1:40 > Kate Moss
1:42 > Tracey Ullman
1:46 > Chris Pine
1:56 > Tom Ford (director)
2:06 > Alice Eve
2:30 > Jeremy Irons
2:35 > Jude Law
2:48 > James Corden
2:51 > Gary Barlow
2:53 > Nancy Shevell
3:19 > Kate Moss
3:25 > Sean Penn
3:27 > Meryl Streep
Juan David Tobón Agudelo
Lyrics
There were rules you never told me
Never came up with a plan
All the stories that you sold me
Didn't help me understand
But I had to get it worked out
Had nobody who could help
So then in the end it turned out
That I had to do it
By myself
That's the game of rags to riches
Dogs and bitches hunt for fame
Until you think you know which way to turn
Make the day all the switches, wicked witches fan the flame
Careful what you touch in case you burn
Queenie eye queenie eye who's got the ball
I haven't got it, it isn't in my pocket
O-U-T spells out
That's out
Without a shadow of a doubt
She could put it in about/a pout?
Hear the people shout
Hear the people shout
Play the game, taking chances
Every dance is much the same
Doesn't matter which event you choose
Never blame the circumstances,
With romances seldom came, ?
Never pick a fight youre gonna lose
Queenie eye queenie eye who's got the ball
I haven't got it, it isn't in my pocket
O-U-T spells out
That's out
Without a shadow of a doubt
She could put it in about
Hear the people shout
Hear the people shout
Its long way, to the finish
When you've never been before
I was nervous, but I did it
Now Im going back for more
Ey, yeah ey yeah yeah
Ey, yeah ey yeah yeah
Here the people shout
Ey, yeah ey yeah yeah
Queenie eye queenie eye who's got the ball
I havent got it, it isn't in my pocket
O-U-T spells out
That's out
Without a shadow of a doubt
She could put it in a pout
Hear the people shout
Hear the people shout
Compositores: Paul Epworth
Letra de Queenie Eye © EMI Music Publishing
Nixer Doyle
Paul's the only person I can think of who can cram a music video with some of the world's most famous people, and still be the most famous person in the video.
Marcelo Levit
Great comment.
heliopolis29
@psy-kylo-gy Actually, George did a pretty good job at that as well. 😉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq5yHdVKSQs&list=RDGMEMJQXQAmqrnmK1SEjY_rKBGA&start_radio=1&rv=5CfLUmVso30&ab_channel=OfficialWilburyVEVO
psy-kylo-gy
Right? LOL
why do I even
Paul McCartney is the youngest old man I have ever seen.
Cooper Carson
Hair die
kirby 64
thats Hirohiko Araki
Azertyjul
WTF?
Some Kinda Druid Dude
Cash
slavsh
@David the 16th Ringo is the oldest young man!