Just a Coincidence?
When McCartney was a boy, his father bought an upright piano for the family that came from an interesting source—the music store owned by the parents of BrianEpstein, who would later become the band’s trusted manager (and was even known as the Fifth Beatle). In a similar case of foreshadowing, McCartney’s future wife LindaEastman was among the 50,000 shrieking fans at the Fab Four’s historic show at Shea Stadium in 1965. (They married in 1969.) Amazingly, another fan in attendance also wound up marrying a Beatle: Actress BarbaraBach wed drummer RingoStarr in 1981. Also among those screeching throngs? A 16-year-old MerylStreep.
How Did Scrambled Eggs Turn Into “Yesterday”?
The melody for “Yesterday” popped into McCartney’s head way before the words. It excited him so much that he sketched out nonsense lyrics as a placeholder to help ensure he didn’t forget the tune. The original jokey verse read, “Scrambled eggs / Oh my baby, how I love your legs / Not as much as I love scrambled eggs.” Later, McCartney hit on “yesterday” because it provided easy rhymes for so many words, including “say,” “stay” and “today.” When the song finally was recorded, it became the first Beatles tune to feature one member of the band exclusively—in this case McCartney, backed by a guest string quartet. Not only did it become his most popular composition but it also inspired more cover versions than any song in history, according to Guinness World Records.
What Is Paul McCartney’s First Name?
Did you know his real first name isn’t Paul? It’s James, after his father. Paul is his middle name; his parents chose to call him that to avoid confusion with his dad, and it stuck.
Who’s Better? Beatles vs. Stones
The “cute Beatle” got the idea to call the band’s classic 1965 album Rubber Soul after overhearing someone use the snarky term “plastic soul” to describe MickJagger’s singing. Despite the cheeky dig, and the perceived rivalry between the two bands, the Beatles maintained a cordial relationship with their “bad boy” counterparts. Both McCartney and JohnLennon provided backup vocals on the Rolling Stones’ song “We Love You,” recorded during sessions for the 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request, an LP that served as the Stones’ musical “answer” to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. One week after McCartney and Lennon contributed to that song (released only as a single), Jagger and KeithRichards returned the favor by appearing in the audience for the global live BBC telecast of the Fab Four’s “All You Need Is Love.”
Who Is Eleanor Rigby?
The inspiration for the first name of the lonely woman in McCartney’s classic “Eleanor Rigby” actually came from EleanorBron, an actress featured in the Beatles’ 1965 madcap film Help! The last name of the character was taken from a store in England, Rigby & Evens Ltd Wine & Spirit Shippers. Only later did McCartney realize that there was a gravestone for an actual EleanorRigby in a cemetery in Liverpool. As it turns out, he and Lennon used to hang out there as kids, so it’s possible her name had made a subconscious impression on him.
When Did Paul McCartney Go Solo?
Paul’s first project on his own was years before the Beatles actually broke up, when he composed the soundtrack for the 1966 film The Family Way, starring HayleyMills. Though it failed to chart, the music won a prestigious Ivor Novello Award.
Why Did Paul McCartney Get Deported?
Back when the Beatles were cutting their teeth in Hamburg, Germany, in the early ’60s, McCartney and the group’s original drummer, PeteBest, got deported for a ridiculous reason: One very dark night, they were moving their belongings out of the place they’d been staying and, in order to get some light, they set a condom on fire. Though it caused only a few burn marks on the exterior wall, the building owner told the authorities the two were trying to torch his residence to the ground. “We couldn’t have burned the place even if we had gallons of petrol,” McCartney recalled in a 1997 biography titled Paul McCartney:Many Years From Now. “It was made of stone.” Nonetheless, they were thrown out of the country. Luckily, after forking over some modest deportation fees, they were back the following spring.
Paul McCartney’s Tribute to the Grateful Dead
In 1996, McCartney directed a short film comprised of images and music of the Grateful Dead. His inspiration wasn’t so much the band but four rolls of film: photographs his wife Linda had taken of the Dead in the ’60s. The piece, titled Grateful Dead: A Photofilm, features a trippy collage of shots manipulated to make it look like the band members are moving in the manner of a flip-book. As McCartney told the New York Times, “If AndyWarhol can film the Empire State Building for three hours, I figure I can do something with four rolls of film.”
Paul McCartney Honors the Everly Brothers
Throughout his work, McCartney has paid tribute to Don and PhilEverly, the brothers who made up one of pop’s greatest harmony duos. In the 1969 Beatles song “Two of Us,” he and John mimicked the close vocal patterns of the Everlys, adding a shout-out to one in the line, “Take it, Phil.” Likewise, in the 1976 Wings song “Let ’Em In,” McCartney referred to both siblings with the lines, “Sister Suzie, brother John / Martin Luther, Phil and Don.” Then, in 1984, he wrote the gorgeous single “On the Wings of a Nightingale” for the Everlys’ comeback album, EB 84. In 2014, when Phil Everly died, McCartney wrote of the duo on his Facebook page: “They were one of the major influences on the Beatles. When John and I first started to write songs, I was Phil and he was Don.” This past August, Don died at age 84.
Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman’s Wedding Drama
When McCartney and Linda Eastman wed in March of 1969, she was already pregnant with daughter Mary. But far more controversial was the fact that none of the other Beatles were invited to the small ceremony. In the book Many Years From Now, McCartney said, “I’m a total bastard, I suppose. Maybe it was because the group was breaking up. We were all pissed off with each other. Once a group’s broken up like that, that’s it.”
What Was Paul McCartney’s First Instrument?
Paul’s first instrument was a trumpet, a gift by his father for his 14th birthday. His dad had been a trumpeter with a jazz band in the 1920s.
Who Owns the Rights to the Beatles Catalog?
His MPL Communications holds the copyrights to more than 3,000 songs, from the entire catalog of BuddyHolly to classic musicals like Guys and Dolls and Grease. Control of the publishing rights to the Beatles’ catalog, however, has traded hands over the years. In 1985, MichaelJackson bought the rights to the band’s entire catalog, behind McCartney’s back. Previously, the two superstars had been friendly, having collaborated on the hit “Say Say Say.” But McCartney took this as a betrayal. Only in 2017 did the ex-Beatle secure the rights to his own music from that golden era.
Who Inspired “Maybe I’m Amazed”?
When the Beatles were breaking up and McCartney was pondering his future, he fell into a deep funk. He wound up coming out of it with the support of his then-new wife, Linda. To salute her love, he wrote “Maybe I’m Amazed,” an anthem of stalwart trust. In 1970, it became a radio staple and one of McCartney’s most beloved solo recordings.
How Did Paul McCartney Reunite Nirvana?
In 2012, at a concert held at New York’s Madison Square Garden to benefit those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, McCartney debuted a supergroup comprised of himself and the surviving members of 1990s grunge band Nirvana, including drummer DaveGrohl and bassist KristNovoselic. At the show, the group played their slashing rocker “Cut Me Some Slack,” then repeated the performance on Saturday Night Live. The cut wound up taking the 2013 Grammy for Best Rock Song. Still, the late KurtCobain’s widow, CourtneyLove, was not impressed. The day after the benefit show she wrote on her Facebook page, “Uh, it was bad.”
Who was “Mother Mary”?
Alluded to in the lyrics to “Let It Be,” Mary wasn’t—as widely thought—ever meant to be the Virgin Mary or MaryMagdalene. Rather, it was McCartney’s own mother, Mary, who died of cancer when he was 14. He got the idea for the song after having a dream about her.
Did You Know Paul McCartney Is a Hip-Hop Fan?
At the 2006 Grammy Award telecast, McCartney made a surprise appearance during a mash-up of the LinkinPark and Jay-Z songs “Numb/Encore,” joining them for an added version of “Yesterday.” Eight years later, Sir Paul collaborated with KanyeWest, now Ye on “Only One,” a tribute to the rapper’s daughter North, written from the perspective of Kanye’s late mother, Donda. McCartney co-wrote that song, played on it and contributed backing vocals. He formed yet another pact with Kanye on a song that featured Rihanna, “FourFiveSeconds,” which became a Top 10 hit.
Who’s the Most Famous Beatle? Lennon vs. McCartney
Breaking down the songwriting credits of the Lennon-McCartney catalog can be a crude science. Though initially the pair collaborated on key songs, they soon began to write mainly alone. Beatle scholars commonly credit 61 of the band’s songs completely to Lennon and 43 to McCartney. But, accounting for some contributions by one or the other to various pieces, author WilliamJ. Dowlding assigned 84.55 songs to John and 73.65 to Paul (with other partial credits to GeorgeHarrison and Ringo Starr) in his book Beatlesongs. Whichever way you slice it, McCartney wound up writing more No. 1s than his partner (11 versus 6). While Lennon wrote chart-toppers like “Help!” “All You Need Is Love” and “Come Together,” McCartney penned everything from early smashes “Love Me Do” and “Yesterday” to their final biggies, “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding Road.”
A ‘Silly’ Slap
Of his nine solo songs to reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart, none out-performed the one with the flightiest title, “Silly Love Songs.” Released in April of 1976, this ditty spent five weeks atop Billboard’s chart and became the biggest-selling song of that year. Its snarky lyrics clapped back at those (including Lennon) who considered many of his former partner’s songs overly sentimental. “Over the years, people have said, ‘Aw, he’s so soppy at times,’” McCartney told Billboard. “I know what they mean, but people have been doing love songs forever. I like ’em, other people like ’em. ‘You’ may call them silly, but what’s wrong with that?”
Paul McCartney Witnesses 9/11 from JFK Tarmac
McCartney’s jet was on the tarmac at JFK airport when the attacks took place. The horror of watching it unfold inspired him to become one of the organizers of the all-star Concert for New York City, which took place just over one month after September 11. The show featured everyone from EltonJohn to JamesTaylor to Destiny’sChild to honor the first responders on the scene and the victims of that terrible day.
Paul McCartney’s Thoughts on Pot
McCartney has often been vocal about his love of weed. Unfortunately, his interests got him into trouble with the law on several occasions. In 1973, after he was caught growing cannabis on his farm in Scotland, he claimed fans had given him the seeds for an unknown yield. The accommodating local authorities fined him 100 pounds and left it at that. Seven years later, however, he faced a far more serious pot-related charge. In 1980, upon arriving at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport for a tour with his band Wings, customs officials found nearly half a pound of marijuana in his bag—enough to slap him with a smuggling charge that could have landed him in jail for seven years. Luckily for the ex-Beatle, his popularity staved off the charge. Between his amused fellow jail mates breaking out in sing-alongs of his songs and fans yelling for his release outside, he wound up spending just nine days in Tokyo’s Narcotics Detention Center. In an interview later, McCartney said he brought so much stuff into the country because he felt he wouldn’t be able to buy any weed there, and “This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet.” In 2015, he quit smoking pot for good to provide a good example for his grandchildren, he has said. Next, 13 of Paul McCartney’s Greatest Throwback Thursday Photos
