Paul
McCartney
A Look at the Life and
Work of Sir Paul
Andrew Emrazian
The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
Biography
Sir Paul McCartney could be considered the epitome of musical success. He can be
found in the Guinness World Records as “most successful musician and composer in popular
music history” (the guardian). Born James Paul McCartney June 1942, Paul grew up in Liverpool
England. His family seemed fairly normal, his father Jim McCartney was a cotton salesman,
mother Mary was a nurse, and Brother Michael was a poet. However there was an underlying
talent in fine arts within the family. Jim played the piano in his own band, Jim Mac’s Jazz Band.
His brother was better known as Mike McGear, and belonged to a poetry group called The
Scaffold (the biography channel).
Paul’s happy childhood was tragically altered when he was 14 years old, his mother
passed away from breast cancer. This likely accelerated his gifts as he could no longer turn to
his mother for comfort and guidance. Later in life Paul was quoted “What I have to say is all in
the music. If I want to say anything, I write a song.” (goodreads). Paul’s father urged his sons to
turn to music, giving him a trumpet. He later changed instruments to when skiffle became a
craze to Frames Zenith acoustic guitar for £15. He had a hard time playing at first because he
was left handed however he learned how restring his guitar (The Beatles Bible).
McCartney met John Lennon in July 1957. John was performing with his band called
Quarry Men at a garden fete at St. Peter’s. Paul’s bassist friend invited him to come. During a
break Paul impresses John with “Be-Bop-A-Lula” and takes it a step further by tuning a guitar.
John was paying neighbor to tune his guitar. Within a couple weeks Paul joins the Quarry Men
at the age of just 15 years old.
The Quarry men evolved, adding George Harrison and Pete Best and later becoming The
Beatles. The group called The Cavern Club their home continuing to play in Liverpool. The
Beatles kept making strides by hiring Brian Epstein as their manager. This was an important
move by the boys. They were young and very talented but Brian helped mold the group into a
global icon. Brian helped them get a recording contract with EMI. Paul took lead vocalist and
played bass guitar among other instruments (the biography channel).
John and Paul became a great songwriting duo. Many of The Beatles hits are co-written
by John and Paul (200 +). Many of their hits are classics in the eyes of several generations.
Songs like “Yesterday”, “Let it Be”, and “Blackbird” have been performed in several renditions,
over and over again by some of top artists in the music industry. More than 3,000 versions of
“Yesterday” have been recorded.
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
The Beatles became a pop culture phenomenon. Girls wanted them and boys wanted to
be them. By standards in the sixties the band was considered rebellious and definitely
unconventional. Even their unique hair styles were popular.
In 1967 shortly after the boys touring days started to fade, their manager Brian Epstein
died. With Brian’s sense of direction gone the band member’s attention were pulled in different
directions. Although John was the leader of the group’S, Paul was the one who seemed to have
the greatest appetite for success and work hard. He developed a healthy relationship with the
media and had become the Ideal spokesperson. Paul’s successful image was still in want of
attention but The Beatles had gone their separate ways.
Paul met a fellow musician named Linda, at a London nightclub. They married in 1969.
More changes came after marriage as Paul formed his new band called Wings. Wings brought
more success to him in the 1970’s, with “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Band on the Run”.
McCartney began to explore different varieties of music. In June 1991 he released a
classical movement called “Liverpool Oratorio” for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s
150th anniversary. It consisted of 8 movements, much different than the usual rock and roll he
had been putting out (the biography channel).
Linda was Paul’s wife of nearly 30 years when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She lost her battle in 1998 and passed away. Paul did remarry years later and the couple gave
birth to Beatrice Milly McCartney.
Paul continues to broaden the horizon, as he has released more classical music. In fact
“Ecco Cor Meum” saw Classical Album of the Year in 2007. Recently he has written for ballet in
New York City. Just this month February 2012 Paul released a romantic album called “Kisses on
the Bottom”, which many of the songs are jazz. Perhaps this could be tribute to his father’s
Jim’s jazz band.
McCartney’s contributions to pop music were recognized by President Barack Obama in
2010, when received the Gershwin Prize and gave a live performance at the white house.
Sir Paul’s quality in music that he created has varied since the Beatles break up. With
songs like “band on the Run” it wasn’t hard to see his quality. There were also moments like a
Frog Chorus that left people scratching their heads. However there was no denying his career’s
success.
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
He has mastered the bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitar, piano, and
keyboards. He also played upwards of three dozen instruments. Before John Lennon was killed
in 1980 he said
Paul was one of the most innovative bass players that ever played bass, and half the stuff that's going
on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period. He was coy about his bass playing. He's an
egomaniac about everything else, but his bass playing he was always a bit coy about. He is a great
musician who plays the bass like few other people could play it.
John Lennon, 1980
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved 2 20, 2012, from the guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/paulmccartney
(n.d.). Retrieved 2 18, 2012, from the biography channel:
http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/paul-mccartney.html
(n.d.). Retrieved 2 18, 2012, from goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/20127.Paul_McCartney
(n.d.). Retrieved 2 18, 2012, from The Beatles Bible: http://www.beatlesbible.com/people/paulmccartney/
ed. reve. rwevre.
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
Composition History
She Loves You – The Beatles. Like most Beatles songs, John Lennon and Paul McCartney
did the writing. This time they began writing in a tour van and did most at a hotel. By time the
Beatles had gone to record this song Beatlemania was in full swing. Recording took place on
July 1, 1963. Crowds of girls were gathered outside EMI Studios and managed to break through
the front door. By many accounts all the banter helped heighten the energy level. When they
finished the song in Liverpool, Paul’s dad said “Son, there’s Americanisms around. Couldn’t you
sing, “Yes, Yes Yes,” just for once?” Paul said, “You don’t understand, Dad. It wouldn’t work.”
The album was released on August 23 1963. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked ‘She Loves you’ as
the 64th greatest song of all time (Costello, 2010).
Yesterday – The Beatles. Paul’s account of ‘Yesterday’ paints the picture that this is his
song. It was as simple as him stumbling out of bed with a complete song stuck in his head. It
came in a dream and he played it right away on the piano. He says it was clear enough that he
was worried that he had unconsciously plagiarized the melody. Paul finished the lyrics with his
girlfriend Jane Asher. Although he called it the most complete song he’s ever written, everyone
in the Beatles felt that it was a mushy song and not something a rock and roll band would do.
The rest of the world saw the Beatles maturing. Paul fumbled with the song for quite awhile in
1964 before the band recorded it the next summer and released it on the Help! album on
August 6th 1965. ‘Yesterday’ is ranked 13th in Rolling Stones 500 greatest songs of all time
(Rolling Stone)
Let It Be – The Beatles. ‘Let it be’ was yet another song written by Paul McCartney and
credited to the John/Paul partnership. John actually criticized the song saying it had nothing to
do with the Beatles. ‘Let it Be’ was inspired by Paul’s mother Mary McCartney, who passed
away when he was 14 years old. He said that the gist of her advice was to let it be. The track
was recorded in January 1969. In this initial recording, Linda McCartney was a background
singer. A year later another version was recorded with a replacement for John Lennon who
decided to essentially quit the band. The album was released shortly thereafter in March 1970.
‘Let it Be’ is ranked 20th in Rolling Stones 500 greatest songs of all time (Rolling Stone).
Live and Let Die- Paul McCartney & Wings. In 1973 Paul was asked to write a song for
the new James Bond movie. After reading the novel he agreed. George Martin, the producer
from the Beatles’ days reunited with McCartney joining them at Apple records. Paul and his
wife Linda enjoyed a top ten hit (Erlewine).
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
Band on the Run- Paul McCartney & Wings. McCartney’s drive continued to past the
Beatles’ era into ‘Paul McCartney & Wings’. He continued to write and produce music with his
wife Linda. In June 1974 they released ‘Band on the Run’, produced by Apple records. This song
was a liberation of the band being in prison then going on the run. The song will remain one of
Paul’s greatest hits and earn him another gold record.
Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved 2 18, 2012, from Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/the-beatles-let-it-be-19691231
(n.d.). Retrieved 2 18, 2012, from Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/the-beatles-yesterday-19691231
Costello, E. (2010, November 24). 14 She Loves You. The Beatles: 100 greatest songs . Rolling Stone
Magazine.
ed. reve. rwevre.
Erlewine, S. T. (n.d.). Paul McCartney. Retrieved 2 18, 2012, from allmusic:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-mccartney-p4865/biography
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
Listening guide
‘She Loves You’
0:00 The intro is very short, less than a second. It Consists of a couple fast drum rolls. This sets
the tempo fast for the song right from the start.
0:01 The melody is introduced right away and really is only one short line repeated three
times, “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah”. The phrase has a higher pitch probably for a
tenor and has a narrow range arch with all voices singing melody. The dynamics are
probably mezzo forte. The ensemble consists of drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, and
unison voices.
0:10 On the last “yeah” of the melody the harmony of singing split into a triad
0:13 The first verse begins. The percussion switches to the cymbals maintaining the same
tempo with a fast beat. Bass guitar sounds like each measure plays a half note followed
by two quarter notes. Lead guitar almost takes back so far in the song, strumming on a
separate beat than the other instruments. The vocals stay close in range however
harmony constantly switches between one, two, and three parts.
0:25 The verse continues after four lines. The drums give you a half beat to remind they’re
there in the first line.
0:30 Lead guitar comes to the forefront at the end of the line and gives us three chords that
coincide with the melody.
0:37 At the end of four more lines the lead guitar comes back and riffs a bit to add some
texture.
0:39 Verse two begins. The music stays the same. The texture and timbre are smooth. At
some points it is hard to distinguish parts and harmonies. The tempo has maintained the
same.
1:03 At the end of verse two all vocals harmonize into a triad again almost like a cadence or
accent to verse two.
1:04 We return to the melody but only two lines are played. Percussions stop hitting the
cymbals for each beat. There are two lines added to the melody that are separate from
the verses and melody. Vocals go back to singing parts and on the last line we go back to
the cymbals.
1:16 Lead guitar intro into the third verse. Sort of a Beach Boys sounding phrase.
1:17 Verse three sounds the same as the previous ones. Eight short lines, vocals switching
between one, two and three parts. Form and rhythm are conjunct and tight; smooth and
consonant. The song continues to be energetic and feel good.
1:41 Another verse ending “ooooo” in three parts. The triad gives a unique contrast that adds
a lot to the song.
1:43 Two lines of melody. Instruments revert to original beat and chords.
1:49 The end of the song begins with three phrases repeated. The cymbals return, the bass
guitar gives us four notes between each phrase. On the third phrase tempo begins to
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
retard, then beat picks up briefly before continuing to retard. Singing in unison til the last
“yeah” which is in harmony.
‘Yesterday’
0:00 Acoustic guitar intros with a moderate tempo.
0:05 Guitar continues a constant beat and the vocal comes in. The guitar chords usually begin
with a bass note followed by a duo of harmonic notes on each beat to make up the
tempo. First word is drawn out and sets a slower texture to the piece of music despite
the moderate tempo. The song starts out mezzo-piano.
0:08 The first line sounds like it’s a narrow tenor range; his voice is soft and smooth.
0:13 Line two vocals are descending from where the first line left off and the guitar continues
the constant beat gently.
0:20 At the end of verse one there are two half notes on “yesterday” giving it a cadence.
0:23 At the beginning of verse two vocals and guitar are accompanied by string instruments
(violins, cello, and or viola). The instruments that are accompanying the guitar are
playing almost the same thing. They could be considered to imitate however they offer a
few more notes in a more complete sound and feel.
0:40 Could be considered the song’s chorus, just two lines.
0:53 A form of homophony is introduced where the singer’s voice is slightly echoed.
0:58 Violin does an exit of four or five descending notes out of the chorus.
1:00 Third verse begins. The three line verse is very similar to the previous. Guitar maintains a
simple beat and chords however this verse the other string instruments give a more
complex form. They play the motes between the guitar’s chords.
1:38 The third verse is repeated again. The violin comes in an octave higher and holds the
note throughout the verse. The form and rhythm are very elegant in this piece, I think,
because of the contrast of the simple tempo and texture.
1:56 No break after the last verse. He continues straight into the end of the song. It retards
fairly quickly. The viola and guitar take it out.
‘Let it be’
0:00 Piano intro sets the tempo slow and smooth, then a rest to introduce the singer.
0:13 The first verse starts with vocals, also slow and consistent. During the verse when the
vocals rest or slow, the piano picks up the beat to keep it conjuct. Vise versa with piano
to the vocal.
0:38 The melody is revealed for next two lines. The dynamics change and the music softens to
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
0:53
1:04
1:18
1:31
1:47
2:00
2:28
2:43
2:56
3:10
3:25
3:40
make way for background “oooo” that are sung by several people.
Verse two starts with a cymbal hi-hat.
Bass guitar comes in to join percussion, vocal, and piano. A background whisper can be
heard in this line too. Still soft dynamics.
Drums come in softly and drive up the dynamics.
Drums accent at the end of the line and reintroduce the background “ooooo”. All the
parts work smoothly together to create great rhythm.
An interlude begins after the second verse. A keyboard plays a descending phrase while
drums decrescendo, followed by an organ playing the same phrase with the bass guitar.
Lead guitar solo with soft drums and piano. Solo has a wide range and the timbre is kind
of psychedelic.
Drums change to cymbals and drums. Bass guitar, piano and lead vocals are
accompanied by background “aaaaaawwww”.
Verse reintroduced and percussions change again. Drum beat has little complex combos.
Piano comes back to the forefront.
Small descending guitar solo texture, verse continues and the song has been mezzoforte.
Climax of the song, crescendo into forte. All the parts come together, drums, vocal,
piano, bass guitar.
Lead guitar takes over accompaniment to vocal melody.
End of the verse. The descending keyboard ending quickly retards .
‘Live and Let Die’
0:00 Piano and bass guitar begin the song on the same beat with a slow tempo and
harmonizing in a narrow range.
0:01 Voice comes in a beat later. The opening line is an arch. The piano is giving the beat to
the song.
0:14 Several background singers harmonize for a few seconds on a steady descending
contour. Lead vocal returns for next line.
0:26 The already slow beat retards
0:29 The tempo almost stops leaving you waiting briefly with a cymbal a few piano notes and
the singer gives the motif of the song.
0:33 Some brass instruments give a small explosion several times with the motif repeated also
repeated.
0:46 Percussion and brass speed up the beat. The dynamics continue to be high and we are in
the middle of a high energy sequence.
0:59 Violins come in to build tension. Percussion and flutes strike off beat with dissonance
adding tension. The brass instruments build up to a breaking point.
1:20 Resolution comes and the form simplifies. The tempo is slightly lower and mood a lot
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
1:31
1:48
2:14
2:20
2:33
2:46
2:56
lighter more with simple drum beat bass guitar, keyboard, and a ratcheting sound.
A sudden burst of harmonizing voices sends the song into chaos again. Brass instruments
carry melody.
A viola and the piano introduce a slower and softer rhythm. The lead smoothly begins
repeating the first verse; several singers softly interject for a few seconds.
The slower rhythm retards slows to a crawl. Piano and trombone play three notes with
some chimes.
The brass instruments burst out and build tension. The flute sends a ascending trill.
The tempo and beat speed up with another brass and percussion release.
Trumpets repeat the same phrase an octave higher as the intensity grows into fortissimo.
More brass instruments shrill.
Sudden decrescendos as all the instruments hold the last note.
‘Band on the Run’
0:00 The lead guitar starts the song several beats before the keyboard and drums introduce a
moderate tempo. The cymbals hold the beat. The lead guitar is relaxed and slightly
disjunct. The lead guitar is electric and is a little rough in texture not very smooth
sounding. The keyboard dances between two notes while the guitar rests like it is
completing a short thought. The melody is carried by the lead guitar for awhile.
0:38 The lead vocal eases into the smooth rhythm. The bass guitar joins the vocals.
0:49 A harmonizing triad begins as voices comes in. All parts are still disjunct, especially the
vocals.
1:17 The beat stays the same but the form and rhythm change. The drum beat changes from
mainly cymbals to mainly drums and lead guitar is much faster than before. The
keyboard, lead, and bass guitar join to add much more energy.
1:33 The keyboard comes in with long drawn out notes that add a completely different
thought to the conversation. Claps are dividing each short phrase from the guitars.
1:48 Vocals replace the keyboard and imitate the lead guitar. There is another guitar that is
sounding off in a different form.
2:02 A voice joins in harmony, then a trombone builds up with a few ascending measures.
2:15 An acoustic guitar plays some transitional music solo that sounds more free and natural.
2:22 The beat speeds up. The acoustic guitar strums match the beat of the drums offering a
more consistent rhythm. The lead singer comes in.
2:38 The motif of the song (“Band on the Run”) is finally introduced and repeated several
times. Each differently stated.
3:07 The next verse starts. The mood and the form still the same as the last. The dynamics
have been mezzo-forte.
3:13 A guitar gives an accent of waning arch like it’s a fleeting thought.
3:19 The vocal’s timbre changes from smooth to making a raspy statement.
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The Music & Life of Paul McCartney
3:23 The main thought returns with accompanying harmony.
3:46 Only drums and acoustic guitar are playing. They acoustic guitar plays the motif while the
drums match the beat of the acoustic guitar.
3:52 The drums and guitar continue the thought while an electric guitar with a completely
different thought has an echoing sound.
4:00 Vocals return seamlessly to the main theme.
4:15 The next verse begins. The drums and acoustic guitar slightly change beat at the same
tempo.
4:39 There’s a slight pause midline to for the singer to hold his note and make an accent in a
different way with some cymbals to give some consistency.
4:50 The main theme is repeated several times again with the electric guitar making different
rhythm and texture.
5:04 The form and rhythm carry to the end with a slight decrescendo. Lastly there are some
rebellious yells at the very end.
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