Paul McCartney Extraordinary Bass Musicianship

As he celebrates his 80th birthday tomorrow, Paul McCartney’s compositional genius, and his eagerness to please as a pop star, may be his most noticeable qualities, but if he had never sung or written a single song, he’d still be among rock’s greats. His career as a bass player rivals the late John Entwistle’s for its imaginative potency and its continuous tendency to surprise and delight.

Take “Silly Love Songs,” much scoffed at from the day of its release in 1976. I’ve always loved the song for the summery feel of that horn section, and it’s an early example of what later became a pop obsession — a sly commentary on itself. Far from supporting the cliché that McCartney is shallow and unreflective, the song’s lyrics proved he was the rare rock superstar who could poke fun at himself (if Lennon or George Harrison ever did this, I must have missed it).

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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As he celebrates his 80th birthday tomorrow, Paul McCartney’s compositional genius, and his eagerness to please as a pop star, may be his most noticeable qualities, but if he had never sung or written a single song, he’d still be among rock’s greats. His career as a bass player rivals the late John Entwistle’s for its imaginative potency and its continuous tendency to surprise and delight.

Take “Silly Love Songs,” much scoffed at from the day of its release in 1976. I’ve always loved the song for the summery feel of that horn section, and it’s an early example of what later became a pop obsession — a sly commentary on itself. Far from supporting the cliché that McCartney is shallow and unreflective, the song’s lyrics proved he was the rare rock superstar who could poke fun at himself (if Lennon or George Harrison ever did this, I must have missed it).