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 World Tonight
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody
Everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there
I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing
Caught you praying to the voice inside you
I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey
I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying
You were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in
Never mind what they want to do
You got a right to your point of view
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey
I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
(I can see the world tonight)
I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping
You were hoping that the ground would swallow you
I saw you hiding there
I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away, hey, hey
I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
I can see the world tonight
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
I can see the world tonight
The World Tonight is a song that envisions a world that is different from the present one. Paul saw a person sitting at the center of a circle, there was a crowd, and everyone wanted something from that person. It was evident from the lyrics that the person had some significant influence on those people. McCartney goes on to say that he doesn't care about what that person wants to be; he goes back so far that he is in front of himself. The phrase "I go back so far, I'm in front of me" suggests that the past is influencing McCartney and that he has learned from it, giving him a greater perspective on life.
The lyrics continue, and McCartney sees the person swaying to the music, playing and praying to the voice inside of them. He doesn't care about who that person wants to be because they have a right to their point of view. He can see the world tonight and looks into the future, seeing it differently in a different light. Later in the song, he saw that paparazzi were chasing someone, hoping that the ground would swallow them.
Overall, the lyrics of the World Tonight suggest that people should not care what the world thinks; that they should be true to themselves, have their own opinions, and look at the future positively in a different light. It's a song that helps people to see the beauty in the world and be confident in themselves and their beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw you sitting at the center of a circle
I noticed you were the focal point of a group of people
Everybody
All eyes were on you
Everybody wanted something from you
Everyone was seeking something from you
I saw you sitting there
I observed you from a distance
I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
I witnessed you moving to the beat of the music
Caught you playing
Captured your actions
Caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you meditating and listening to your inner voice
I saw you swaying there
I observed you from afar
I don't care what you want to be
I do not judge or care about your aspirations
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
I have experience that has shaped my perspective
It doesn't matter what they say
Other people's opinions don't hold value
They're giving the game away, hey, hey
Their actions and words reveal their true intentions
I can see the world tonight
I have a vision for the world right now
Look into the future
Consider the possibilities of what's to come
See it in a different light
View it from a new perspective
I heard you listening to a secret conversation
I noticed you listening to a private discussion
You were crying
You were emotional and upset
You were trying not to let them hear you
You wanted to conceal your emotions from others
I heard you listening in
I was aware of you eavesdropping
Never mind what they want to do
Ignore what others want or expect from you
You got a right to your point of view
You have the freedom to hold your own opinions
Look into the future
Visualize what's possible in the days ahead
See it in a different light
Change your perspective for a fresh understanding
I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were concealing yourself from an intrusive group of photographers
You were hoping
You were desiring a particular outcome
You were hoping that the ground would swallow you
You wished for a way to disappear from an unwanted situation
I don't care what you want to be
Your identity is your choice, it doesn't affect me
I can see the world tonight
My vision for the world is clear
See it in a different light
Change our perception for a new understanding
I can see the world tonight
I have a clear vision of the present world
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Ceisler
I saw you sitting at the center of the circle
Everybody, everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there
I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing, caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there
I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away
Hey, hey!
I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
I heard you listening to a secret conversation
You were crying, you were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in
Never mind what they want to do
You've got a right to your point of view
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away
Hey, hey!
I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping, you were hoping
That the ground would swallow you
I saw you hiding there
I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far, I'm in front of me
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away
Hey, hey!
Party Specialists
Thank you Paul McCartney for all the years of music.
Itamar Bushari
Yeah, it's crazy he still can come up with songs that are really good
oamdlc
Gracias Paul McCartney por todos los años de música
Je K
@Itamar Bushari, right! Could listen to Paul all day. Like the Energizer Bunny, never stops! ...and why would we want that, since he still doin' and looks so good, plus for his age.
Fast food review coffee and Elvis too
Absolutely
Lucy SYD
Sir Paul McCartney
Mario Márquez
Gracias Sir Paul McCartney, por toda la magnifica obra musical que creaste y sigues creando a través de los años. Latinoamérica te ama Paul. 🇦🇷🇧🇴🇧🇷🇨🇱🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇺🇩🇴🇪🇨🇬🇹🇭🇳🇲🇽🇳🇮🇵🇦🇵🇪🇵🇷🇵🇾🇺🇾🇻🇪
Nessa JP
💙 sí, lo amamos! 🇵🇪
Nessa JP
@paula ♡ 🙌💜
mockerweeper
Totalmente <3