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.
The Inch Worm
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Four and four are eight
Eight and eight are sixteen
Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two
Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
You and your arithmetic
Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are
Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
You and your arithmetic
You'll probably go far
Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are
Two and two are four
Four and four are eight
(Eight and eight are sixteen)
Seems to me you'd stop and see
(Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two)
How beautiful they are
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are
The Inch Worm is a charmingly simple song, in which McCartney combines a basic, sing-song melody with playful lyrics that seemingly recount a math lesson. The repetitive verses consist the counting up from two to thirty-two by progressively doubling numbers. The song's chorus centers around the titular inchworm, a creature McCartney uses as a metaphor for the importance of stopping to appreciate the beauty in the world. He encourages the inchworm to put down its pencil, take a break from its busy work, and look at the flowers it is measuring. There is a sense of childlike wonder to the song, as if McCartney is teaching a basic lesson in math and at the same time reminding us that we should cherish the natural world by simply taking the time to notice its details.
The Inch Worm was written for the film Hans Christian Andersen, a musical biopic about the titular Danish storyteller. The film's star Danny Kaye sings the song in character, during a scene in which Andersen (played by Kaye) teaches children in his hometown. According to McCartney, the song simply came to him while he was brainstorming ideas for the film. While some may deride The Inch Worm for being too simplistic or immature, its humble message is one that resonates with many people. The song’s repetition and easy-to-remember melody make it accessible to children and adults alike.
Line by Line Meaning
Two and two are four
Basic arithmetic that anyone should know
Four and four are eight
The result of adding another set of two numbers, reinforcing basic arithmetic
Eight and eight are sixteen
Again, the result of adding two sets of the previous result
Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two
Repeating the same pattern of arithmetic, which may have a deeper meaning
Inch worm, inch worm
A metaphorical reference to how we go about measuring and understanding things
Measuring the marigolds
A specific example of measuring the beauty in the world
You and your arithmetic
Acknowledging the importance and power of arithmetic in our lives
You'll probably go far
Implying that someone who is adept with arithmetic can achieve a lot
Seems to me you'd stop and see
A plea to appreciate the beauty around us, not just measure everything by numbers
How beautiful they are
The true value and worth of things cannot always be measured by numbers alone
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: FRANK LOESSER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Janice Miller
One of my favorite childhood songs originally sung by Danny Kaye. I'm a teacher and I taught that to my first and second grade students who LOVED it! Thanks, Mr. McCartney for this beautiful version!
fake toast
1:00 was the only way I could remember math stuff for a long time
PhelinePhrenzy
The ultimate "ear worm"!
darrenjray
Beautiful. Listened to the album for the first time tonight. Why did I wait this long?
She's A Rock Studios
darrenjray although mainly cover songs, its still one of my most favorite albums of his. i wish hed do another like it but thats unlikely
Fran M. K.
Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are...
Dr. Riq
I found this song through the wiki for powers of 2
Alexandra Lee Hurst
I'm an old gal now. When the Beatles appeared for the first time on American TV, I was eleven. Imitating no one, I fell in love. They changed my world. I always cared to listen to what they cared to say. They may not have been perfect, but they were beautiful. I had a sudden memory of this children's song today, and looked it up. Danny Kaye -- whom I also loved. But it was a great joy to see that Paul had covered it. Thank you, Paul. You have created great and beautiful work in your lifetime that will always be treasured. The Beatles may not have been angels, but all of you are and were truly profoundly good people. It is a proud and meaningful legacy. May God bless you and your loved ones. ❤️❤️❤️
Marianela Russi
Just lovely, very beautiful song and album! I love it!
googleslidespresentation
I came here from the muppets show, this song is so beautiful