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.
Together
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
He say "I know you, you know me"
Come together right now over me
He bag production he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
Come together right now over me
He roller-coaster he got early warning
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
He say "One and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now over me
The lyrics to Paul McCartney's "Together" are a unique amalgamation of absurd phrases and symbolic words. The song starts with the introduction of "old flat-top" who seems to be a central figure in the narrative. The lyricist describes him as grooving up slowly, which might indicate that he is not in a hurry to get anywhere. He is also said to have a "joo-joo eyeball," which symbolizes the third eye or mystical insight. The next line about his hair being down to his knee could be a reference to the hippie counterculture of the 1960s.
The lyrics go on to describe old flat-top's eccentricities, like not wearing shoeshine and having toe-jam football. The reference to monkey fingers shooting coca-cola is an allusion to the Beatles' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The line "I know you, you know me" could mean that the singer identifies with old flat-top and sees himself in him. The phrase "you got to be free" seems to be the underlying theme of the song.
As the song progresses, old flat-top is described as a bag production with a walrus gumboot who has an Ono sideboard and is a spinal cracker. These phrases are not necessarily related but add to the surreal quality of the lyrics. The suggestion is that old flat-top is an enigma, difficult to define or comprehend. The song ends by referring to him as a roller-coaster, which could mean that he is a ride, a thrilling experience that people want to be part of.
Line by Line Meaning
Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
Introducing the singer, who is slowly but steadily approaching with his unique style and mannerisms.
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
Describing the singer's unusual eyes and religious beliefs.
He got hair down to his knee
Commenting on the singer's long hair.
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
Indicating that the artist is a trickster-type character who follows his own rules.
He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
Further describing the artist's uniqueness, mentioning his bare feet and his unconventional taste in sports.
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
Describing the singer's strange finger and his ability to shake up a bottle of Coca-Cola.
He say "I know you, you know me"
The singer seems to know the listener and feels connected to them.
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
The artist's message to the listener is that freedom is important.
Come together right now over me
The artist is calling for unity and cooperation, urging people to come together around him.
He bag production he got walrus gumboot
The artist is involved in the production of something and has a strange type of boot on.
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
The singer has a piece of furniture associated with Yoko Ono and is able to ease people's pain.
He got feet down below his knee
Describing the artist's height or unique body structure.
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
Though he has a disease, the singer wants people to come close to him and is able to provide them comfort.
He roller-coaster he got early warning
The singer's life is full of ups and downs, and he always sees trouble coming before it arrives.
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
The singer possesses a muddy sort of water and has the ability to influence people's emotions.
He say "One and one and one is three"
The artist suggests a mathematical formula that doesn't really make sense.
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see
The artist is hard to define or understand, so he must be good-looking to survive in a superficial world.
Come together right now over me
Once again, the singer urges people to come together and focus on him in order to find common ground.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alejolopera
How many nowadays singers can hit that note at 3.20 that paul does? ...
@jgz3768
Well, it's a B4, considering that he's a tenor, it's not a hard note for him, it depends on how much practice you put into singing and your voice type
@thesismercado5673
https://youtu.be/gxmuhE7dMJI
@gavinpitero5629
oooo me
@fr500
that's not paul
@zelalravac1063
@j gz he was in his 60's in those days.
@seansinclair257
The bit where McCartney and Clapton sing in harmony is totally epic!
@anaoropeza5967
I get goosebumps every time I listen to this song. Even when I saw Paul live, I couldn’t help feeling as I were listening to the song for the very first time. ❤
@johnburns1902
I saw Paul live at Fenway park last year. By any chance was that where you saw him?
@johanelderdal
One of the greatest love song ever written. The love these guys put into this version sure is touching.