Sir James Paul McCartney, better known to fans simply as Paul McCartney, was born on June 18, 1942, in Liverpool, England. Today marks his 84th birthday, and he’s still fiercely dedicated to his music.
After getting his start with The Beatles, Paul McCartney went on to create his own sound and unique brand. Even in his 80s, he loves performing and creating music.
See photos of the iconic musician in his early days and now.
Paul McCartney Still Feels Passionate About His Music
GettyMany artists retire at some point, but that isn’t the case for Paul McCartney. Though well into his 80s, he wants to keep playing for as long as he can.
“I remember when I was 50-years-old, my manager at the time said, ‘Well, are you thinking of retiring?’ I went, ‘Uh, I don’t think so.’ But he obviously thought, 50… which, I get it, because we thought 30 was really old [when] we were 20,” McCartney told NME in a recent interview.
“So 30 was like that’d be unseemly, but it came, and it went, and people were still playing, and audiences like the music,” the musician continued. “If the music is from that period, they don’t get to hear it live any other way, so you’ve got to hear Neil Young live to get the whole feel of Neil – the Neil feel. Same with a lot of bands – the Stones, The Eagles. There’s nothing like it.”
GettyIn the interview, McCartney dug into his motivation. At the end of the day, he sincerely loves creating new music for fans.
“Audiences are a great satisfaction. Creative satisfaction is just writing a song – it’s still the same old satisfaction that it was,” the artist continued. “There’s something magical about it, and I often think, ‘I never set out to be a singer-songwriter person.'”
McCartney admitted he thought he would end up being a teacher because he didn’t have the best grades and wasn’t particularly passionate about anything. Everything changed when he met his bandmates. After all this time, he still feels tremendous satisfaction from singing and writing.
Getty“It’s still a great achievement to sit down with, let’s say, my guitar and there’s nothing there, and I’m just noodling around, and suddenly, maybe after three or four hours, I’ve got a song,” he told NME. “I know how it goes, and I’ve written the lyrics down, and it’s a real achievement. That still is a magic feeling for me. I think that’s the creative buzz still, and hopefully always will be.”
The Beatles Songwriter Loves the Next Generation of Musicians
In an interview with BBC Radio, a journalist asked what advice Paul McCartney would share with modern musicians, such as Taylor Swift. The singer admitted he was open to giving anyone tips, but didn’t think Taylor Swift needed his help.
“But I don’t think she needs any advice to tell you the truth,” he laughed. “If she asked for it, I definitely would, you know. Because I’m like the older brother to that generation. Or more like the grandad, actually.”
GettyMcCartney went on to share that he had previously met many famous pop stars, such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter.
“They’re really cool people,” the 84-year-old gushed over the singers. “They’re very good. So basically, to answer your question, I like their voices. If they needed any advice, yeah, I would be happy to give it. But I don’t think they do.”
