Paul McCartney on the Rolling Stones: ‘They’re a Blues Cover Band’
Paul McCartney didn’t hold back on his feelings about the Rolling Stones in a new interview.
A new feature piece for The New Yorker notes “the inventiveness of [The Beatles’] melodies and chord progressions” as they evolved as a band and how they were appreciated by the masses as well as those with more classical music leanings. While the piece mentions Sir Paul “waves away such high-flown talk,” he was rather forthcoming with how the Beatles stacked up against other bands.
“Iām not sure I should say it, but theyāre a blues cover band, thatās sort of what the Stones are. I think our net was cast a bit wider than theirs,” said McCartney.
This isn’t the first time as of late that Macca touched on the Beatles vs. Stones debate. In an interview back in April 2020, he said that he thought the Beatles were better than the Rolling Stones but also mentioned, “The Stones are a fantastic group, I go and see them every time they come out. they’re a great, great band. I love them…Keith [Richards] once said to me, ‘You’re lucky, man, you have four singers in your band. We only have one.'”
Mick Jagger would later comment in an interview with Zane Lowe about McCartney's remarks, “Thatās so funny. Heās a sweetheart. Thereās obviously no competition,” not saying outright which band was better.
He continued, “The big difference, though, is and sort of slightly seriously, is that the Rolling Stones is a big concert band in other decades and other areas when the Beatles never even did an arena tour, Madison Square Garden with a decent sound system. They broke up before that business started, the touring business for real. That business started in 1969, and the Beatles never experienced that.”
Jagger added, “They did a great gig, and I was there, at Shea stadium. They did that stadium gig. But the Stones went on, we started doing stadium gigs in the ā70s and [are] still doing them now. Thatās the real big difference between these two bands. One band is unbelievably luckily still playing in stadiums and then the other band doesnāt exist.”
Paul McCartney – His 50 Best Post-Beatles Songs, Ranked
50. āHome Tonightā – Paul McCartney – single release (2019)
ShareRecorded during the āEgypt Stationā sessions but left off the album (and the expanded version of the album), it was finally released as a Record Store Day single. Produced by Greg Kurstin, who produced and co-wrote Adeleās āHello,ā he has also worked with Pink, Sia, Halsey, Kelly Clarkson and the Foo Fighters. In the ā70s, or in a world with more sensible pop charts, this would have been a massive hit.
49. āCalico Skiesā – Paul McCartney – āFlaming Pieā (1997)
ShareA gorgeous solo acoustic piece by Paul and produced by George Martin, the song starts out as a tender love song: āIt was written that I would love you/From the moment I opened my eyes/And the morning when I first saw you/Gave me life under calico skies.ā But then it takes a turn and sounds like a protest song: āLong live all of us crazy soldiers/Who were born under calico skies/May we never be called to handle/All the weapons of war we despise.ā
48. āTemporary Secretaryā Paul McCartney – ‘McCartney II’ (1980)
ShareA odd little bit of electro pop, which sounds like Paul was listening to a bit of Devo or Kraftwerk. It was a little ahead of its time; in fact, McCartney never performed it live until 35 years after the release of āMcCartney IIā: on May 23, 2015 at the O2 Arena in London. He kept it in the set for a about a year.
47. āFuh Youā – Paul McCartney – āEgypt Stationā (2018)
ShareA collaboration with Ryan Tedder, a songwriter/producer who scored huge hits with Adele, Beyonce and Maroon 5, among others. And this is indeed a catchy pop jam. Of course, the overly cheeky title and chorus probably kept it from being a hit.
46. āI Lost My Little Girlā – Paul McCartney – āUnplugged (The Official Bootleg)ā (1991)
ShareThe first song Paul ever wrote. Paul performed this very Buddy Holly-ish song once -- on his āMTV Unpluggedā episode. He poked fun at his lyrics, and yeah, he still had some developing to do, but hey, he was only 14. āWell, her clothes were not expensive/Her hair didn't always curl/I don't know why I love her/But I love my little girl.ā
45. āItās So Easyā – Paul McCartney – ‘Rave On Buddy Holly’ (2011)
ShareBuddy Holly was a huge influence on Paul McCartney, who would later purchase the manās publishing catalog. McCartney and his band are clearly having a great time bashing out this garage rock gem.
44. āHeal The Painā – George Michael featuring Paul McCartney – āTwenty Fiveā (2006)
ShareA song that George Michael wrote and recorded for his 1990 album āListen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1ā as a tribute to McCartney and the Beatles. McCartney clearly took the compliment well, re-recording the song sixteen years later with Michael.
43. āFlying To My Homeā – Paul McCartney – B-side to āMy Brave Faceā (1989)
ShareThe B-side to the first single from āFlowers In The Dirt,ā it was a good sign for fans. After a few years of comparatively weak albums, the fact that āFlyingā didnāt make the cut for Paulās new release showed that, for the first time in a while, he had an overabundance of great songs to choose from.
42. āSay Say Say (with Michael Jackson)ā – Paul McCartney – ‘Pipes Of Peace’ (1983)
ShareFun fact: āSay Say Sayā was recorded about a year before McCartney and Jacksonās āThat Girl Is Mineā duet, but was released about a year after āThriller.ā And while the megastars seemed to have fun hamming it up on āThat Girl Is Mine,ā āSay Say Sayā is clearly the better song. It also had a video that kept McCartney in front of MTV audiences, along with the channelās biggest star at the time.
41. āWith A Little Luckā – Wings – ‘London Town’ (1978)
ShareCall it soft-rock, or even yacht-rock, it was dominating radio in the late ā70s and Paulās āWith A Little Luckā fit right in on those playlists. One of Paulās sweetest jams, itās another of his #1 hits. It also has one of popās best false endings: you think the song is wrapping up at about 3:44, but at the four minute mark, Paul brings in a funky bass line leading to a great final section of the song.
40. āNineteen Hundred and Eighty Fiveā – Wings – āBand On The Runā (1973)
ShareMcCartney said that heās often written one line and started a song around it. As he said in āPaul McCartney: In His Own Words,ā āWith 'Eleanor Rigby' I had 'picks up the rice in the church where the wedding has been.' That was the one big line that started me off on it. With this one it was 'No one ever left alive in nineteen hundred and eighty-five. That's all I had of that song for months. No one ever left alive in nineteen hundred and eighty... six?' It wouldn't have worked!"
39. āHelen Wheelsā – Wings – āBand On The Runā (1973)
ShareAlong with āDrive My Car,ā itās one of Paulās best driving songs, inspired by the trips that Paul and Linda used to take in their landrover in Scotland.
38. āSilly Love Songsā – Wings – āWings At The Speed Of Soundā (1976)
ShareWritten, in part, as a rebuttal to John Lennon who said that his ex-partner just wrote āsilly love songs,ā it nevertheless was a #1 hit in the U.S. and featured a funky Paul bassline that allowed the song to co-exist next to disco hits on pop radio.
37. āBluebirdā – Wings – āBand On The Runā (1973)
SharePaulās second best ābirdā song (the best, obviously, would be the Beatlesā āBlackbirdā), it is still one of the highlights of Paulās best post-Beatles album, āBand On The Run,ā and if offered three and half minutes to chill after the albumās opening tracks, āBand On The Runā and āJet.ā
36. āWonderful Christmastimeā – Paul McCartney – single (1979)
ShareA goofy tweet about this song has led to a funny little āPaul Is Deadā type rumor about the lyrics. The tweet theorized that itās about witchcraft: āThe moon is right/The spirits up/We're here tonight/And that's enough.ā And then someone walks in and they act like everythingās all normal: āWeāre simply having a wonderful Christmastime!ā Regardless of what you read into the lyrics, itās a holiday classic and one of Paulās best solo jams.
35. āVanilla Skyā – Paul McCartney – āVanilla Skyā soundtrack (2001)
ShareThe title track to one of Cameron Croweās weirder movies; Paul only saw a bit of the film and it clearly inspired him to get a bit psychedelic -- a bit Beatlesque, dare we say -- for this two and half minute ditty.
34. āLonely Roadā – Paul McCartney – āDriving Rainā (2001)
ShareāDriving Rainā marked a relaunch of sorts for McCartney; it was his first album of originals following the death of Linda, and you can hear his angst and sorrow in this song: āI tried to get over you/I tried to find something new/But all I could ever do/Was fill my time/With thoughts of you.ā The album also saw him working with drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and guitarist/bassist Rusty Anderson, who would become the core of his touring band for the album (which has been his band for every subsequent tour).
33. This Oneā Paul McCartney – āFlowers In The Dirtā (1989)
ShareāFlowers In The Dirtā was something of a ācomebackā album for Paul McCartney, following a string of mostly weak ā80s albums (he might have also have felt a bit of a kick in the rear watching George Harrisonās massive success with his 1989 āCloud Nineā album). Many of the highlights of āFlowersā were songs that McCartney co-wrote with Elvis Costello, but āThis Oneā showed that Paul could still write amazing songs on his own.
32. āTwenty Flight Rockā – Paul McCartney – āCHOBA B CCCPā (1988, 1991 in the US)
ShareāChoba B CCCPā is Russian for āBack in the USSR,ā and this 1988 album was recorded for Paulās Russian fans. It saw him returning to the songs that the Beatles covered when they were playing bars. āTwenty Flight Rockā is an Eddie Cochran jam from 1956 movie āThe Girl Canāt Help Itā; itās also the song that Paul played to John Lennon when the two first met. It led to Lennon inviting him to join the Quarrymen who later changed their name to -- of course -- the Beatles.
31. āNo More Lonely Nightsā – Paul McCartney – āGive My Regards To Broad Streetā (1984)
Share1984ās āGive My Regards To Broad Streetā -- the album and the film -- did not mark a high point of Paulās career. But this song -- featuring a stellar guitar solo from Pink Floydās David Gilmour -- salvaged the project.
30. āAll Things Must Pass (live)ā – Paul McCartney – ‘The Concert For George’ (2003)
ShareThereās a good argument to be made that George Harrisonās āAll Things Must Passā was the greatest song ever rejected by the Beatles (you can hear his original demo on āBeatles Anthology 3ā). The song, about the transient nature of love and life (āSunrise doesn't last all morning/A cloudburst doesn't last all day/Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning/It's not always going to be this greyā) was widely interpreted to be about the fracturing of the relationships between George, John, Paul and George. So hearing Paul perform a solo version, a few months after Georgeās passing is profoundly moving.
29. āEbony and Ivory (with Stevie Wonder) – Paul McCartney – āTug Of Warā (1982)
ShareSlammed by some as being a bit too overly simplistic (with lyrics like āWe all know that people are the same wherever you go/There is good and bad in everyone/And we learn to live, we learn to give each other/What we need to survive together aliveā), it was nonetheless one of his biggest hits, topping the U.S. pop charts and stayed there for seven weeks. And even though itās music and lyrics are pretty inoffensive, it still got banned in apartheid-era South Africa.
28. āListen To What The Man Saidā – Wings – āVenus And Marsā (1975)
ShareSometimes, you just need some sax. McCartney wasnāt happy with the song until they had the idea to get a sax player on the track. Someone in the studio noted that jazz musician Tom Scott lived a half hour away. They gave him a call, he showed up, and the song went on to top the U.S. pop charts. āāLove is fine for all we know/For all we know, our love will growā/That's what the man said.ā But who is the man? We still donāt know. Paul has said, āI like the idea that I leave it to the people to decide who, in their minds, is the man.ā
27. āAnother Dayā Paul McCartney – single (1971)
ShareA song that Paul wrote while he was in the Beatles, and recorded at the beginning of the āRamā sessions, āAnother Dayā ended up not making the album, but being released as an independent single. It was his first solo single release and went on to be a #5 hit. Over the years, people have been a bit critical of Lindaās singing, but her and Paulās voices meld perfectly on this song.
26.āUncle Albert/Admiral Halseyā Paul and LInda McCartney – āRamā (1971)
SharePaulās first U.S. number one hit after the Beatles was more than a little reminiscent of the second side of āAbbey Roadā; like that suite, it seems to combine small fragments of songs that seem totally separate from each other. But, as Paul was at the peak of his powers, it somehow works.
25. āMy Valentineā – Paul McCartney – āKisses On The Bottomā (2012)
ShareāKisses On The Bottomā saw Paul visiting the pre-rock and roll songbook -- backed by jazz star Diana Krall and her band -- with songs like āIām Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letterā and āAc-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.ā But he wrote two songs in the style of that era, and this song (featuring Eric Clapton on acoustic guitar) holds up to those standards.
24. āFine Lineā – Paul McCartney – āChaos And Creation In The Backyardā (2005)
ShareThe highlight of Paulās āChaos and Creation In The Backyardā album, produced by Radiohead collaborator, Nigel Godrich. Legend has it that after one day in the studio with his touring band, Godrich decided that Paul would have to record the whole album solo, without his mates, to deprive him of being surrounded by his usual gang. Unlike his self-titled solo albums, here he is accompanied by a string section.
23. āBrown Eyed Handsome Manā – Paul McCartney – āRun Devil Runā (1999)
SharePaul and the Beatles always loved covering their early rock and roll idols, and Paul went back to this on āRun Devil Run,ā his first album following Lindaās passing. The album had a lot of iconic pre-Beatles rock and roll covers, including āBluejean Bop,ā and āAll Shook Up,ā but this zydeco-infused accordion-heavy take on Chuck Berryās classic was the highlight of the set.
22. āThat Day Is Done (demo)ā – Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello – āFlowers In The Dirtā outtakes (1989, released in 2017)
ShareLike some of his peers -- notably, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones -- the late ā80s saw Paul get his mojo back. He was no longer chasing trends, and instead getting back to basics after a few albums that Brits might refer to as ānaff.ā Paul did this with the help of Elvis Costello, a little more than a decade into his own career. Elvis helped Paul reckon with his past as a Beatle, and reminded him what it was like to have a solid co-writer. The version of āThat Day Is Doneā on āFlowers In The Dirtā is solid, but the demo -- featuring just Paul and Elvis singing over a piano -- is even better. Itās available on the expanded āFlowers In The Dirtā box set.
21. āFour Five Secondsā Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney – single (2015)
ShareMore than fifty years after Beatlemania, Paul was still writing hits for teenagers, and he didnāt really change his style too much. āFour Five Secondsā was mostly Kanye West and Rihanna singing over Paulās acoustic guitar playing; the three were co-writers on the song. And when the song dropped, it apparently turned some younger listeners on to Paul, with some tweeting that Kanye gave āsome guyā Paul McCartney āhis big break.ā Paul surely got a laugh from that, and he still performs the song live.
20. āNewā – Paul McCartney – āNewā (2013)
ShareāNew,ā the album, paired Paul with a bunch of hot producers; on this song, he worked with Mark Ronson, who was well known for producing Amy Winehouse and Adele. (Fun fact: his stepfather is Mick Jones of Foreigner!) āNewā was a pop song with an optimistic feel that recalled his early days in the Fab Four.
19. āCut Me Some Slackā – Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear – āSound City: Reel To Reelā (2013)
ShareCollaborating on this one-off song with the surviving members of Nirvana, Paul got in touch with his Little Richard/Jerry Lee Lewis screaming voice. Leading the band and playing a weird ācigar-box guitar,ā this is one of the heaviest songs Paul has ever done. More than a novelty, it won the quartet the Best Rock Song Grammy in 2014.
18. āYou Want Her Too (with Elvis Costello)ā – Paul McCartney – Flowers In The Dirt (1989)
ShareA cooler take on McCartneyās duet with Michael Jackson, āThat Girl Is Mine.ā Elvis takes the mic during the song and you can hear him pushing Paul to get a bit edgier here. Itās easy to hear Costelloās effect on the album when you listen to this song.
17. āNothing Too Much Just Out Of Sightā – The Fireman – āElectric Argumentsā (2008)
ShareWhen Paul wants to create music a bit ediger or weirder than what he does on his solo albums, he reactivates his āFiremanā project: itās a partnership between Paul and Youth, aka Martin Glover, a member of industrial punk band Killing Joke, who has produced the Verve and Bananarama, among others. Their early work was more trancey, but on their third album, āElectric Arguments,ā they got a bit more rocking. āNothing Too Much Just Out Of Sightā is, in fact, one of McCartneyās most rocking songs, and one of the few Fireman jams to make it to a McCartney setlist.
16. āVeronicaā – Elvis Costello (co-written by Paul McCartney) – āSpikeā (1989)
ShareOne of the songs from the McCartney/Costello union that ended up on Elvisās album; Paul plays bass here. In fact, itās his iconic Hofner bass guitar, which he hadnāt played in years. Elvis insisted Paul use it during their sessions, and heās played it on all of his tours since then.
15. āSomething (live)ā – Paul McCarntey and Eric Clapton – āThe Concert For Georgeā (2003)
ShareOK, we said that this album would be about Paulās post-Beatles songs. But while āSomethingā was a Beatles song, it was written and sung by George Harrison. This version sees Paul starting the song solo, just singing and playing ukulele -- an instrument that Harrison loved. After a verse, the band -- including Georgeās friend/rival Eric Clapton and Ringo on drums -- joins in. McCartney often does the solo uke version live but having so many of Georgeās friends on this version just gave it even more gravitas.
14. āHere Today (live)ā – Paul McCartney – āBack In The U.S.ā (2002)
ShareThe original version of this was from 1982ās āTug Of War,ā and was a letter to John Lennon, whoād been murdered two years earlier. But this solo acoustic version, recorded two decades later, has even more weight coming just a few months after George Harrisonās death as Paul -- and all of us -- realized that only half of the Beatles still walked the earth.
13. āDance Tonightā – Paul McCartney – āMemory Almost Fullā (2007)
ShareMuch of āMemory Almost Fullā was done solo, a la āMcCartney,ā āMcCartney IIā and, later, āMcCartney III.ā This one features Paul playing mandolin and singing, as well as guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion and drums. This one, inspired by watching his young daughter Beatrice dancing, is one of his best songs of this millennium.
12. āTry Not To Cryā – Paul McCartney – āRun Devil Runā (1999)
ShareAfter Lindaās tragic death in 1998, Paul decided to get back to basics on āRun Devil Run,ā an album of pre-Beatles rock and roll covers. But he also wrote two new songs: this one saw Paul coming to terms with life after Linda. He couldāve written a ballad, but this song is a rocker that shows defiance in the face of misery. Itās one of Paulās most underrated gems.
11. āLet Me Roll Itā – Wings – āBand On The Runā (1973)
ShareāYou gave me something, I understand/You gave me loving in the palm of my hand.ā Sometimes simple lyrics get the idea across: āLet me roll it/Let me roll it to youā became an almost too obvious stoner anthem.
10. āJuniorās Farmā – Paul McCartney & Wings – single (1973)
ShareAfter āGive Ireland Back To The Irishā in ā71, McCartney mostly avoided politics in his music, but he did obliquely reference Watergate in this song, singing, āAt the Houses of Parliament/Everybody's talking about the President/We all chip in for a bag of cement.ā Was Paul insinuating that theyād ātake careā of him, mob-style, by fitting him for a pair of āconcrete shoes?ā Paul still hasnāt said. Whatever it was about, itās one of Paulās most rocking solo jams.
9. āTake It Awayā – Paul McCartney – āTug Of Warā (1982)
ShareIn the ā80s, classic artists needed to get on MTV to find a new audience, and this single did the job for Paul; it was ubiquitous on the Music Television channel in its early days. The song was about a band trying to get signed, something Paul probably hadnāt thought about much for about twenty years at that point. The song and the video reunited Paul with Ringo Starr and George Martin.
8. āMy Brave Faceā – Paul McCartney – āFlowers In The Dirtā (1989)
ShareThe opening track and first single from āFlowers In The Dirt,ā this song announced that Paul was back and it was a bit edgier than what heād done on his past few releases; it was one of the best songs of McCartneyās songwriting partnership with Elvis Costello. The lyrics, about a newly-single guy, would take on new and haunting meaning a few years later, after LIndaās tragic passing.
7. āThat Would Be Somethingā – Paul McCartney – āMcCartneyā (1970)
ShareāMcCartneyā opens with a 44 second tune called āThe Lovely Linda,ā but the real opening track is āThat Would Be Something,ā which really set the stage for what was very much a solo album. Itās just Paul singing, playing acoustic guitar and bass, along with a tom tom drum and a cymbal. He also adds vocal percussion. It was surprising to hear the guy who led the Beatles through productions like āLet It Beā and āThe Long And Winding Roadā from the āLet It Beā album, doing such a lo-fi recording with such simple lyrics. But āThat Would Be Somethingā was more delta blues than arena rock and still holds up as one of Paulās coolest songs.
6. āComing Upā – Paul McCartney – ‘McCartney II’ (1980)
SharePaulās second solo album, āMcCartney II,ā came after Wings ran its course. Like 1970ās āMcCartney,ā it saw Paul playing all the instruments and doing nearly all of the vocals. But it was, of course, a different musical climate; āComing Upā was Paulās nod to disco. The song, apparently, was a favorite of John Lennonās as well. Paul told āBillboardā that heād heard that āComing Upā inspired his old songwriting partner to get back into recording after a hiatus.
5. āEvery Nightā – Paul McCartney – ‘McCartney’ (1970)
ShareBy 1970, the rockers of the ā60s were approaching middle age, but few of them were able to express any happiness about it in their music. Praising your wife in song, after all, just didnāt seem cool. McCartney, the only Beatle capable of doing a full solo album with no assistance (he played guitar, bass, keyboards and drums on the album) didnāt have to worry about looking uncool to bandmates as he wrote an ode to his solid relationship with LInda.
4. āJetā – Wings – ‘Band On The Run’ (1973)
ShareWhat is āJetā about? McCartney has said that itās about a puppy that they had at the time, although that doesnāt explain the āsuffragetteā line. In āPaul McCartney: In His Own Words,ā he said, āI make up so much stuff. It means something to me when I do it, and it means something to the record buyer, but if I'm asked to analyze it I can't really explain what it is. 'Suffragette' was crazy enough to work.ā
3. āBand On The Runā – Wings – ‘Band On The Run’ (1973)
SharePaul was an icon in the ā60s with the Beatles, but as a solo artist, he also fit in perfectly on radio playlists in the ā70s. The title track to Wingsā best album was a multi-part epic (a la Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer) that had elements of funk-rock *and* country-rock. He somehow fit all of this into a song that was barely longer than five minutes.
2. āMaybe Iām Amazed (live)ā – Wings – ‘Wings Over America’ (1976)
ShareThe original version came from Paulās solo debut, āMcCartney,ā and was inspired by Linda. Paul wrote the song as the Beatles were disintegrating, and as lovely as that intimate solo debut was, āMaybe Iām Amazedā benefitted from the full-band treatment. Indeed, it was the live version that became a top 10 hit, and it was one of the best stadium ballads of the ā70s. Itās still a high point of Paulās solo shows today.
1. “Live And Let Die” – Paul McCartney and Wings – ‘Live And Let Die (soundtrack)’ (1973)
ShareItās the best James Bond theme song ever, and also Paulās best post-Beatles moment. The song, which reunited Paul with Beatles producer George Martin, combines Paulās lovely balladry with some laser-and-pyro-friendly arena rock. He also succinctly summarizes 007ās job thusly: āWhen you got a job to do/You got to do it well/You got to give the other fellow HEEEEEELLLLLL!!!ā The song got a more sinister update nearly two decades later when Guns Nā Roses covered it for 1991ās Use Your Illusion I.