Jun 22, 2012 at 2:23 PM | Music News | By Rock Square

Sir Paul McCartney turned 70 this week.

As we all know, he’s a timeless musician of the rarest breed – unrivaled by his peers, lauded by fans and critics alike, and still very active well into his golden years.

What better way to celebrate Macca’s legendary career than with a fun list of facts about “The Cute Beatle”? Some of these facts won’t be news to the most devoted Beatles fans out there, but the list is still well worth your time.

Below, enjoy Ten Things You May Not Know About Paul McCartney.

1.      He denied “Weird Al” Yankovic the right to parody one of his songs.

Macca, a vegetarian, had to give Yankovic the thumbs down for a proposed parody of Live and Let Die. Yankovic had his eyes set on a parody amusingly called Chicken Pot Pie, but McCartney’s anti-meat stance compelled him to have to say no. Despite this hiccup, McCartney has said he’s a big fan of Yankovic’s work.

2.       Paul’s admiration of Jimi Hendrix directly affected a classic Beatles tune.

Speaking to his love for Hendrix’s music, the bridge in A Day in the Life was more than likely directly inspired by Jimi’s song Hey Joe – at least according to composer/engineer Scott Freiman. (source)

3.       Some of his grandchildren are older than his daughter.

Sir Paul’s grandsons Arthur Donald (born in 1999) and Elliot Donald (2002) are three and one year older, respectively, than his own daughter Beatrice, who was born in 2003 to Paul and his now ex-wife Heather Mills. (source)

4.       Turned down the offer to write a song for a James Bond film.

Faced with the idea of composing a song for the 2008 bond film Quantum of Solace, McCartney said no, saying that he was having trouble finding an appropriate rhyme for “Solace”. It would have been his second Bond theme, after 1973’s Live and Let Die. In his place, he suggested that the Bond filmmakers ask Amy Winehouse, but the song ended up going to Jack White and Alicia Keys. (source)

5.       Had a hit soundtrack album…for a disaster of a movie.

The McCartney-written 1984 movie Give My Regards to Broad Street was a critical failure, despite its playful tone. In spite of the film’s lack of success, its soundtrack album was a smash – reaching the #1 spot in the U.K. charts, on the strength of the single No More Lonely Nights.

6.       He’s used the same custom Hofner bass for decades.

With the exception of the special British-flag-emblazoned guitar used for the Queen’s Jubilee this year, only two of these highly regarded guitars have been added to Paul’s personal collection over the years. The first was obtained in a shop in 1961, and two years later he received a second model. Apparently, he still uses the second one today, which he cycles in with some of his other guitars in the studio or at live shows. (source)

7.       When the Beatles broke up, Paul thought his days as a musician were over.

In the late 1960s, McCartney became disillusioned with the business while the Beatles were dissolving. Allegedly, he didn’t think he’d be able to continue being a musician afterwards – and it was only thanks to the efforts of his wife Linda that he carried on after the Beatles officially ended. (source)

8.       His animal activism caused an uproar in 2008.

When his East Sussex estate was “overrun” by wild boars, Paul refused to cooperate with officials who wanted to control how many of the animals were running loose on the property and disrupting the lives of his neighbors. This was an example of his steadfast animal rights activism, as he didn’t deem it in the best interest of himself or the boars to let agencies come in and kill them. (source)

9.       Paul & John almost reunited the Beatles on Saturday Night Live.

In 1976, SNL creator Lorne Michaels was interested in having the Beatles reunite on his show, and even flaunted a $3,000 check on-screen, should the Fab Four want to take him up on the deal. In interviews, Paul has stated that he was watching that particular episode with Lennon at his apartment, and that they briefly thought about actually showing up on the program – which would have been pretty cool. (source)

10.       Paul played lead guitar on more Beatles songs than you’d think.

Surprisingly, considering his fame as a bassist, Paul recorded lead guitar tracks on a number of Beatles songs, including Taxman, Good Morning Good Morning, And Your Bird Can Sing, Ticket to Ride, and the title track toSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. (source)

Again, hope you enjoyed the list even if you know all there is to know about Paul & the Beatles, feel free to let us know of any other cool trivia out there. Best wishes to Macca on a happy 70^th, and many more!

 

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