Paul McCartney is more than a former Beatles member; he's one of the most successful and influential songwriters in music history.
As the co-frontman of The Fab Four, he helped change the shape of popular music in the 1960s, penning timeless classics like ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Let It Be’, and ‘Yesterday’.
But his story didn’t stop when The Beatles split in 1970. From Wings to a long solo career, McCartney stayed with the times and kept reinventing himself, continuing to deliver hit after hit.
Today, on McCartney's 83rd birthday, let’s take a look at some of his greatest songs beyond the Beatles years with a ranked list.
But to put a little spin on things, in this ever-changing world, we were curious to know how his music catalogue fared against a current trending piece of technology - ChatGPT.
For those who may not know, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence in the form of an online chatbot. You message it a question and it gives you a response. Kind of like a Magic 8 Ball, except it gets its data from various sources across the web.
So, with all its knowledge, here’s how it ranked 10 of Paul McCartney’s top hits, mostly from the singer’s solo and Wings era.
The criteria? The “best-loved, most impactful songs” as ranked by “popularity, legacy”, and our favourite descriptor, “sheer musical magic”.
10. ‘Blackbird’ (1968, ‘The White Album’, The Beatles)
Kicking things off at number ten, a Beatles track confirmed as “too good to leave out”.
We’ll admit, we did give the chatbot permission to include a couple of Beatles songs. And ‘Blackbird’ was the one it thought deserved a spot.
It was described by our AI friend as “simple, poetic, and powerful”, and we’d have to agree.
It’s a melancholic and beautiful tune that just makes you feel things, and if ChatGPT has feelings, I’m sure it would have felt the emotion in it too.
9. ‘My Love’ (1973, ‘Red Rose Speedway’, Wings)
As the first Wings entry on the list, this one was noted as being “romantic and lush”.
A ballad dedicated to his wife, Linda McCartney, it’s a sentimental classic loved by all - and now loved by ChatGPT.
8. ‘Coming Up’ (1980, ‘McCartney II’, Paul McCartney)
This one’s a little wacky, a fact recognised by the good ol’ chatbot.
“Weird and wonderful” was what it had to say.
Indeed, it is a little wacky, but that might just be what makes it so good. Funky, synthy, and groovy in that special Paul McCartney way.
7. ‘Let ‘Em In’ (1976, ‘Wings at the Speed of Sound’, Wings)
Apparently, ‘Let ‘Em In’ has a “hypnotic” vibe to it, and honestly, the AI isn’t far off. There really is something about its percussion and musical arrangement that you could imagine slipping into a trance-like state or march.
Again, it’s a tune that has that classic McCartney sound and showcases his ability to turn the mundane into a sing-along hit.
6. ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’ (1971, ‘Ram’, Paul McCartney)
“Playful, theatrical, and totally McCartney”, a sentence that we feel sums up the song pretty well.
Co-composed and written with Linda McCartney, this song takes you on a musical journey. From that low, sombre beginning to the shift into its upbeat second half, this is a hit that’s a true work of art.
5. ‘Let Me Roll It’ (1973, ‘Band on the Run’, Wings)
At the midway point, we have a hit often seen as a nod to John Lennon’s style of writing, what ChatGPT calls a “Lennon-esque love letter.”
Over the years, the bluesy guitar and heartfelt lyrics of ‘Let Me Roll It’ have helped the song become one of McCartney's most-played live tracks.
4. ‘Jet’ (1974, ‘Band on the Run’, Wings)
A classic rock staple, ‘Jet’ is another one of those dynamic McCartney arrangements.
Though the chatbot has given it the label “slightly nonsensical”, the song's catchy and high-energy vibes clearly make it hard to hate as it takes spot number four.
3. ‘Live and Let Die’ (1973, ‘Live and Let Die’, Wings)
A much-loved classic on our radios, we’re glad to see this one coming in the top 3, but we’re a little surprised it’s not number one, as it so often is in these types of lists.
Written for the ‘James Bond’ film of the same name, it’s an epic (“bombastic” in ChatGPT’s words) song that’s full of life and impossible not to sing along to.
2. ‘Band on the Run’ (1973, ‘Band on the Run’, Wings)
The riffs, orchestral elements, and lyrical genius of McCartney come together perfectly to create one great song, or rather, a brilliant multi-part song.
With mood shift and tempo change galore, it’s a hit that ChatGPT has praised as a “triumphant anthem of freedom and reinvention”.
And rightfully so, considering it reached number one on the charts in the US, New Zealand, and Canada.
1. ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ (1970, ‘McCartney’, Paul McCartney)
A worthy number one, written just before The Beatles split and shortly after his marriage to Linda McCartney. ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ is a powerfully honest track that it’s easy to feel drawn to.
“A masterpiece of his early solo career”, as ChatGPT so neatly wrote.
Although the original studio version wasn’t released as a single, it was a concert favourite, and the live version of the song on ‘Wings Over America’ became a hit.
Decades on, Sir Paul McCartney remains an icon with his lyrical genius and creative talent. His legend status is recognised by humans and chatbots alike.
