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.
Teddy Boy
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If his mother said, Ted, be good, he would
She told him tales about his soldier dad
But it made her sad, then she'd cry, oh my
Ted used to tell her he'd be twice as good
And he knew he could, because in his head
Taking good care of you
Mommy don't worry, your teddy boy's here
Teddy's going to see you through
Then came the day she found herself a man
Teddy turned and ran, far away, okay
He couldn't stand to see his mother in love
With another man, he didn't know, oh no
He found a place where he could settle down
And from time to time, in his head
He said, mommy don't worry, now Teddy boy's here
Taking good care of you
Mommy don't worry, your teddy boy's here
Teddy's going to see you through
She said, Teddy don't worry, now mommy is here
Taking good care of you
Teddy don't worry, your mommy is here
Mommy's going to see you through
This is the story of a boy named Ted
If his mother said, Ted, be good, he would
The song Teddy Boy by Paul McCartney is a touching story about a young boy named Ted who was deeply devoted to his mother. In the first verse, we hear that Ted's mother would tell him stories about his soldier father, but these stories would make her sad and cry. Ted promised he would be twice as good to make up for his father's absence. He believed he could be a comfort to his mother and took responsibility for being there for her. The refrain repeats that he promises to take care of his mother, reassuring her that he is the trustworthy Teddy boy.
In the second verse, we learn that Ted's mother found a new love interest, which Ted could not bear to see. He ran away to a place where he could have peace of mind and occasionally whispered in his head, repeating the promise to his mother that he would always take care of her. In the end, they were reunited, with his mother reassuring him that she would always take care of him too.
The song speaks to the idea of unconditional love, especially the sacrifice a child may make for a parent's happiness. It is a touching tribute to the parent-child bond and the lengths one might go to prove their devotion. Paul McCartney's soft and soothing voice adds to the poignancy of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the story of a boy named Ted
The song tells the story of a boy named Ted.
If his mother said, Ted, be good, he would
Ted was obedient to his mother's instructions and would always behave well if told to do so.
She told him tales about his soldier dad
Ted's mother used to share stories about his father who was a soldier.
But it made her sad, then she'd cry, oh my
However, retelling those stories made Ted's mother emotional and she would end up crying.
Ted used to tell her he'd be twice as good
Ted promised his mother that he would try to be twice as good as his father was.
And he knew he could, because in his head
Ted was confident that he could fulfill his promise because he had made up his mind to do so.
He said, mommy don't worry, now Teddy boy's here
Taking good care of you
Mommy don't worry, your teddy boy's here
Teddy's going to see you through
Ted assured his mother that he would always take good care of her and protect her whenever she was worried about something. He called himself her 'teddy boy.'
Then came the day she found herself a man
Teddy turned and ran, far away, okay
When Ted's mother found a new man in her life, Ted couldn't bear to see her with someone else and ran away from home.
He couldn't stand to see his mother in love
With another man, he didn't know, oh no
Ted was uncomfortable with the idea of his mother being in love with another man whom he didn't know very well.
He found a place where he could settle down
And from time to time, in his head
Eventually, Ted found a place to live where he could feel comfortable and at peace with himself. And sometimes, he would think back to his promise to his mother.
She said, Teddy don't worry, now mommy is here
Taking good care of you
Teddy don't worry, your mommy is here
Mommy's going to see you through
Later on, Ted's mother found him and assured him that she would be taking care of him from now on and promised to never leave him alone again. She called him 'Teddy', just as he called himself 'Teddy boy.'
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind