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Beatles
Sir Paul McCartney talks about how songs like Hey Jude have the power to unite people
11 minutes ago
Sir Paul McCartney has described how “valuable” it is that songs such as The Beatles’ Hey Jude can unite people at different ends of the political spectrum.
Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, he also told hosts Richard Osman and Marina Hyde that he refuses to pose for photos with fans because he does not want to feel “like that monkey”.
Referring to the 1968 song, which he wrote for the band, Sir Paul, 83, said: “You do something like Hey Jude and you see the whole audience singing together.
“In Trump’s America, where Republicans and Democrats are at each other’s throats – when we do that song, they’re not.
“They’re all loving it. And it’s like, ‘wow’. Suddenly this room has forgotten all of that. We’re not going to argue; we’re just going to sing together. Those kinds of things, I think, are valuable.”
Sir Paul said he realised it is a “radical” decision to not pose for photos with his fans.
He explained: “Down on the south coast of France in Saint Tropez, there’s a man on the beachfront who has a monkey, and you pay to have your photo taken with the monkey.
“I really do not want to feel like that monkey. And when I take a picture with someone, I do feel like him. I’m not me anymore – I’m suddenly something else.”
Sir Paul, who is due to release his latest solo album on May 29, said he is often asked how he has stayed so “normal” despite his huge success spanning seven decades.
He told the podcast: “I think the truth is my family. I was very lucky – I came from a very loving family of very smart working-class people. And I always say to people: don’t underestimate the working-class.”
The Rest Is Entertainment podcast can be listened to from Thursday, while Sir Paul was also interviewed for The Rest Is History podcast with historian Tom Holland, which is available from Friday.
He told Holland that he believed The Beatles’ sense of humour was due to their Liverpool upbringing.
“I do think the character of Liverpool is a very strong one,” he said.
“I think with the Irish influence and then coming through the war, and having to be happy when bombs were falling, there was a lot of music when I was a kid.
“My dad played the piano at home. There were a lot of jokes. And so they kept their heads above water by laughing at the whole thing. And I think that was something that found its way into The Beatles.
“I think it gave us a good sense of humour – that no matter what we were going to do, like arrive in America and have the New York press ready to make fun of us, we gave as good as we got.”
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