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.
Spinning on an Axis
Paul McCartney Lyrics
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To the next revolution
Sun going down
Gonna rise up again
I watch the sun go down
With some sorrow
And now I know it`s gonna come back tomorrow
It has to do that
It`s the season of the culture bat
Spinning on an axis
Spinning on an axis
Staring in the face
Of time and space
Spinning on an axis
World spinning round
To the next revolution
Sun going down
Gonna rise up again
Hear me rising
Rise up and sing, rise up, rise up
Although I`m curious
It isn't a crime
I want to know if I`ll
Find out in time
A lot of people busy doing their thing
Gonna wake up and sing
Spinning on an axis
Spinning on an axis
We ask the question
And the answer`s yes
Spinning on an axis
I watch the sun go down
With some sorrow
And now I know it`s gonna come back tomorrow
Ain't no reason why
It has to do that
It`s the season of the culture bat
I watch the sun go down
Wonder if it`s gonna come back
Certainly there`s no guarantee
But I got a feeling it will be
Spinning on an axis
Spinning on an axis
Spinning on an axis
Spinning on, Spinning on an axis
Spinning on an axis
World spinning round
To the next revolution
Sun going down
Gonna rise up again
World spinning round
To the next revolution
Sun going down
Gonna rise up again
Gonna rise up
Gonna rise up
Gonna rise up
Gonna rise up
In "Spinning on an Axis," Paul McCartney muses on the cyclical nature of life and the universe, drawing parallels between the world's rotations and the ebbs and flows of culture. The song opens by describing the world spinning toward the next revolution and the sun setting, but McCartney seems comforted by the knowledge that the sun will rise again. He repeats the phrase "spinning on an axis" as if to suggest that everything is constantly in motion and that nothing, no matter how momentous or permanent-seeming, will stay the same forever.
As the song progresses, McCartney questions the nature of time and space and wonders whether he'll ever truly understand them. He acknowledges that many people are preoccupied with their own lives and pursuits, but he still believes they will eventually awaken to the cyclical nature of existence and begin to sing. Throughout the song, McCartney repeats variations on the phrases "spinning on an axis," "sun going down," and "world spinning round," almost as if he's reciting a mantra to calm and ground himself.
Overall, "Spinning on an Axis" is a contemplative and somewhat existential song that reminds us that no matter how chaotic or uncertain life may seem, there's always a larger system at work, and we're all just spinning on an axis together.
Line by Line Meaning
World spinning round
The planet Earth is rotating continuously.
To the next revolution
Refers to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, which repeats yearly.
Sun going down
The Sun is setting in the sky.
Gonna rise up again
The Sun will appear in the sky again in the morning.
I watch the sun go down
The artist is watching the sunset.
With some sorrow
The singer feels sadness while watching the sunset.
And now I know it`s gonna come back tomorrow
The singer knows that the Sun will rise again in the morning.
Ain't no reason
There is no specific cause for the Sun to rise and set every day.
It has to do that
The cycles of day and night are a natural occurrence on Earth.
It`s the season of the culture bat
Unclear, could imply the artist is aware of the cyclical nature of culture or society.
Spinning on an axis
The Earth rotates on an imaginary axis that passes through its North and South poles.
Staring in the face
Confronting or facing directly.
Of time and space
Refers to the fundamental concepts that govern the universe.
Hear me rising
The singer's voice is getting louder.
Rise up and sing, rise up, rise up
Encourages people to express themselves freely and passionately.
Although I`m curious
The artist is expressing their curiosity about the world.
It isn't a crime
Curiosity is a natural human trait and not illegal.
I want to know if I`ll
The singer has questions about the future.
Find out in time
The singer hopes to discover the answers to their questions before it is too late.
A lot of people busy doing their thing
Many people are focused on their own goals and activities.
Gonna wake up and sing
Encourages people to express themselves and celebrate their lives.
We ask the question
The artist is referencing the human quest for knowledge and understanding.
And the answer`s yes
The singer implies that most questions have answers that can be found through inquiry or experience.
Wonder if it`s gonna come back
The artist is expressing their uncertainty about the future.
Certainly there`s no guarantee
The singer acknowledges that there is no way to be completely certain about what the future will bring.
But I got a feeling it will be
The singer has a sense or intuition that things will turn out positively in the future.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind