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.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.
So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years,
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
Sit back and let the evening go.
Sgt. Pepper's lonely, Sgt. Pepper's lonely,
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
It's wonderful to be here,
It's certainly a thrill.
You're such a lovely audience,
We'd like to take you home with us,
We'd love to take you home.
I don't really want to stop the show,
But I thought that you might like to know,
That the singer's going to sing a song,
And he wants you all to sing along.
So let me introduce to you
The one and only Billy Shears
And Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The lyrics to Paul McCartney & U2's song Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band are a tribute to the iconic album of the same name by The Beatles. The opening line "It was twenty years ago today" references the fact that it had been twenty years since the release of the Sgt. Pepper's album in 1967. The song describes how the titular band was taught to play by Sgt. Pepper and highlights their enduring popularity and ability to make people smile.
The lyrics also introduce the audience to the band and invite them to enjoy the show. The line "We'd like to take you home with us, we'd love to take you home" can be interpreted as the band's desire to connect with their audience not only during the performance but also beyond it. The song ends with an introduction to Billy Shears, who will be singing a song with the band and invites the audience to join in.
Overall, the lyrics to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band evoke a sense of nostalgia and celebration of the enduring legacy of The Beatles and their iconic album.
Line by Line Meaning
It was twenty years ago today,
It happened twenty years ago from today,
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
Sgt. Pepper taught the band how to play music,
They've been going in and out of style
The band's popularity has been fluctuating over time,
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.
But their music always guarantees to make people happy and smile,
So may I introduce to you
Introducing to you,
The act you've known for all these years,
The band you've known for so long,
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
It's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
We are the members of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
We hope you will enjoy the show,
We hope you will have a good time watching our performance,
Sit back and let the evening go.
Relax and enjoy the evening without any worries,
Sgt. Pepper's lonely, Sgt. Pepper's lonely,
Sgt. Pepper is lonely, Sgt. Pepper is lonely,
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
It's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
It's wonderful to be here,
It's great being here,
It's certainly a thrill.
It's definitely an exciting experience,
You're such a lovely audience,
You are a wonderful and beautiful audience,
We'd like to take you home with us,
We would love to have you as our companions and take you along with us,
We'd love to take you home.
We would love to take you to our place,
I don't really want to stop the show,
I don't really want to end the performance,
But I thought that you might like to know,
But I just want to inform you,
That the singer's going to sing a song,
That the singer is going to perform a song,
And he wants you all to sing along.
And he wants the audience to sing along with him,
So let me introduce to you
Introducing to you,
The one and only Billy Shears
The one and only Billy Shears,
And Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
And it's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Random-cs5om
Fun Fact: Paul McCartney has said that if John Lennon was still alive and they were all present, The Beatles would have reunited at the original Live Aid.
@RafaelRamone1990
And George too, of course.
@loganpudak7283
@@RafaelRamone1990 george was still alive when live aid happened he died in 2001
@RafaelRamone1990
@@loganpudak7283 Yeah, I was confused. I was thinking about live 8 in 2005.
@loganpudak7283
@@RafaelRamone1990 oh ok I got confused too
@matthewloughran73
I'm not sure, I think at the time of live aid George and Paul were still on rough terms.
@nevohyams
The way Bono was looking at him. You can tell that every other musician absolutely adores Paul, he's like a God
@aliasmith0425
Ik😭❤
@jackdoheny5704
Of course he's a god he's Paul McCartney
@nightwingtt
The one above all.