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post

Paul McCartney’s Greatest Bass Line?

July 5, 2016 by Paul Wolfe

There are several bass lines that Paul McCartney played that might be considered the best that he ever played.? Of course, ultimately this is a subjective decision.

For me it comes down to two songs: Something or I Want You (She’s So Heavy).? Here’s the isolated bass line, with vocals, for I Want You.? See what you think:

Filed Under: song tutorial Tagged With: bass, i want you, paul mccartney

Comments

  1. Rich Black says

    July 5, 2016 at 1:36 pm

    Fantastic-he had some of the most influential bass lines of anyone.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 1:46 pm

      It’s not till you go deep into his lines that you start to realize how far ahead of his time he was!

      • Lori says

        July 5, 2016 at 10:47 pm

        Both are so brilliant I their own individual way. To me, they can’t be compared as its like comparing apples to oranges:). Same goes for many others (example-Here Comes The Sun).

  2. Shelley Di Capri says

    July 5, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    I would love to tell you what I think, but it won’t play 🙁

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 1:45 pm

      Are all your flash settings up to date in your internet browser???

  3. Ren says

    July 5, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    brilliant bass line! he must have written this bass line after the song was recorded, if played spontaniously…he’s a miracle!

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 1:47 pm

      By this time in the Beatles career the bass was often the thing that was recorded last. It is an awesome line!

  4. Todd says

    July 5, 2016 at 1:46 pm

    I’m partial to his song “See your Sunshine”. Complex and all over the fretboard. Pretty amazing stuff and he just wrote it less than 10 years ago.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 1:49 pm

      Had never heard that one Todd! Thanks for posting….interesting line….

  5. Yaniv says

    July 5, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    I totally agree.
    Played Something in a cover band once, and it felt so great to nail it… not that it’s particularly hard technically, but it’s just so beautiful. Feels like you’re playing your very own, complete piece of music regardless of what’s going on around you.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 1:53 pm

      Hey Yaniv 😉

      Know what you mean….with the isolated track that’s out there you can actually isolate the vocals and just play bass and vocals. Sounds really cool!

      Paul

    • Yaniv says

      July 5, 2016 at 2:00 pm

      I’d add Dear Prudence to the shortlist.

      But the mere fact that the two first lists that come up on “Paul McCartney’s great basslines” only share about half the entries says a lot about him…

  6. Ed Mercado says

    July 5, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    Fascinating. I also think this is his best baseline. I found it really interesting to hear the odd flub here and there. Gives me hope.

  7. Nigel Walden says

    July 5, 2016 at 1:56 pm

    Well if we judge by dexterity alone it would be this one, However I prefer “Something” as it is more melodic and I guess I am influenced by the song itself, and I much prefer “Something” Amazing how clear this is though, great software.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 2:07 pm

      As a song I prefer SOMETHIGN to this….but bass line wise I like both. In I WANT You especially the ride out from after 4 minutes or so onwards.

  8. Eli Mandelawy says

    July 5, 2016 at 2:04 pm

    Knowing that determining “the Best” is subjective, I always admired the bassline of “Mrs Vanderbilt” with its energetic sound and being so dominant in that song and also the genius mixture between acoustic guitar sound and bass guitar…

    It would be good Paul, to have it in one of the future lessons.. 🙂

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 2:06 pm

      I’ll have a closer listen Eli – thanks for bringing my attention to it!

  9. Simon says

    July 5, 2016 at 2:06 pm

    Paul is right when he says this is subjective although I have a strong preference for “Something” For that you have to listen to the isolated Bass Line which I believe Paul posted once but here is another link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2RIkY-wI5s

    While “SSH” is strong, gritty, cool and masterful it follows the song, helps propel it forwards enhances the drops and crashes but it still to a degree follows the melody.

    ” Something” for me is a piece where you see the genius composers they were. While an ode the song generally has a certain melancholy in the melody and the arrangements. The beauty of this bass line is that it counteracts that effect.
    It actually enhances the poem and the physical beauty of the song’s character. It conveys the magic. When I first heard this bass line it was presented to me blind (I wasn’t told what I was listening to) I found the line to be uplifting almost Jazzy and was in awe after the fact of how it wove through the melody!

    Anyone?

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 2:21 pm

      Hey Simon

      You should check out Jamerson’s interpretation of SOMETHING (Martha Reeves was the singer). Be interested in your thoughts on that:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6oZ1ABfru0

      Paul

      • Simon says

        July 5, 2016 at 2:39 pm

        Paul! Thanks for this, hadn’t heard it.
        I’m always amazed at how these patterns can be transformed! What struck me beyond the Motown Jamerson sound was the construction, it felt more
        Aston Barrett and reggae in construction ten years before it’s time. I guess this stands again to prove JJ the visionary that he was.

      • Nigel Walden says

        July 5, 2016 at 4:24 pm

        The comparison of the Sir Paul and JJ basslines on “Something” would make for a very interesting article!

        • Paul Wolfe says

          July 5, 2016 at 5:00 pm

          Hmmm…who do we think might be qualified to write that 😉

      • Michael says

        July 8, 2016 at 11:05 am

        That is a great version. A transcription is definitely in order!

  10. Daniel Eriksson says

    July 5, 2016 at 2:11 pm

    The bass line in the song Hey Bulldog is pretty innovative.

    • David Kincaid says

      July 5, 2016 at 2:43 pm

      That would be my personal favorite.

      • Paul Wolfe says

        July 5, 2016 at 5:07 pm

        Hey Bulldog – not one of my personal faves by the way – has been getting a few votes!

  11. Jill Troy says

    July 5, 2016 at 2:57 pm

    Both songs are so different and amazing for different reasons. His playing on Something is a beautiful, counter-melody that threads it’s way throughout the song. With out it, the song loses its depth and loveliness. While in I Want You (SSH), the basslines move from blues to jazz and absolutely gives the tune it’s smooth edginess! And Your Bird Can Sing is another example of how his melodic playing can give songs their identity. Sir Paul has always been my favorite singer/songwriter; but until I started playing bass six years ago I never really appreciated how his playing framed songs.

    • Simon says

      July 5, 2016 at 3:03 pm

      Well put Jill.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 5:06 pm

      Jill

      As I understand it, once the Beatles stopped playing live (65? I think) plus the advances in recording technology (e.g. multitracks) McCartney was able to spend more time working on his lines and often recorded them last in the recording process. Combining this with a more compositional approach to some of his bass lines yields some of these mid and late period classics.

      • Dale Michael says

        July 6, 2016 at 8:37 pm

        August of 1966 at Candlestick Park was their last live concert for the public… I do believe… also I’m going to go with Paperback Writer…the bass lines on that song is incredible…even to this very day! It got my attention even as a young person back in the day…I would put “Something” as #2…. although there are times that is sit in amazement at what he put on that song…Dale

  12. Pete Springfield says

    July 5, 2016 at 3:03 pm

    Im not keen on that to be honest. It’s too much a case of trying to be smart and clever. Don’t take that the song way though, Paul McCartney passed me by most of my life but only now when trying to play the damn dogs so I realise just how good he is.

    Paperback Writer for me I’m afraid as the state the McCartney art.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 5:04 pm

      Me too in many ways….I always thought he was overshadowed by Jamerson on the other side of the pond, and even on our side of the pond by JPJ and John Entwistle. It’s only on listening more closely and analyzing the progression of his lines that you get the sense of his musicality. When you put Rain in its historical context for example that’s another ‘masterpiece’ line.

  13. Bob says

    July 5, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    I agree with you Paul, that Macca was a million miles ahead of his time…….do you know what I mean like….Wack ? The very same as Jamerson, Babbitt etc. Unfortunately most people outside the musical fraternity never knew “who they were “.
    Bob.

  14. George Bassplayer says

    July 5, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    Thanks for this Paul . I concur that Sir Paul’s work on Something is a pop music masterpiece. First played at playing it some years ago.

    I think his work on “I Want You” also sets a high bar and for me, it is great deal more fun to play. I like the feel the song has and want to get this on my to do list.

  15. Randy says

    July 5, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    I think It’s hard to top Hey Bulldog as his most complex bass line. His ad lib at the end is a syncopated classic!

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 5:02 pm

      Yep – another good tune!

  16. Mick says

    July 5, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    Paul

    Has to be the earlier lines for me Day Tripper ,saw her standing there , drive my car , Taxman as examples.

    Cheers

    Mick

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 5:02 pm

      They are all interesting lines no doubt….and without the progression through the early stuff to albums like Rubber Soul and the mid 60s period we wouldn’t have got the kind of lines we got on Something and I Want You….advances in recording and multitracking also helped.

  17. Harry says

    July 5, 2016 at 4:17 pm

    Paul McCartney was an early favorite of mine from Baby You Can Drive My Car, Taxman, Hey Bulldog to Come Together. You’ve picked out a couple of gems from the lot.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 5:01 pm

      Come Together is another one that’s definitely “up there” in terms of quality. I have a soft spot for Taxman too.

  18. Dave says

    July 5, 2016 at 4:49 pm

    It’s a great line but like you say it’s subjective. I lean to the rock/blues numbers like “Hey Bulldog” for it’s rhythm and drive.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 5:00 pm

      Of course it’s subective…and we all have our opinions and favourites….for the record Hey Bulldog is a pretty cool line too 😉

  19. Dave says

    July 5, 2016 at 5:15 pm

    Yes put together a set of Beatles bass lines like you did with the funk numbers.
    My top 10 would be Hey Bulldog, Stg Peppers…, Taxman, You Can Drive My Car, With A Little Help From My Friends, I am the Walrus, When I’m SIxty Four. Lovey Rita. Or you could do sets of transcriptions by album. Start with Stg. Peppers and Abbey Road. There you go-marketing tips for you. Then do the Stones,
    Head Hunters and Weather Report and Pink Floyd.

  20. Ross says

    July 5, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    Thanks Paul.

    My favorite bassline from McCartney and the FINAL reason I decided to pick up the bass in the first place is Silly Love Songs.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 5, 2016 at 5:26 pm

      Silly Love Songs and Another Day are his finest post Beatles bass lines I think…

  21. Randy says

    July 5, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    Paul, could you tell what settings you use on AutoTune to bring out the bass line? I use AutoTune an awful lot and have been trying to figure out how to increase the bass but nothing I do seems to make a difference. Whenever I try to change or increase the bass on the equalizer it doesn’t seem to make any difference. Thanks Paul!

  22. Terry says

    July 5, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    No 1 Something
    Then
    Rain
    And your bird can sing

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:49 pm

      Good ones there…..

  23. John says

    July 5, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    The first great Macca bassline I ever played was ‘All my loving’ – wonderful ‘walking’ bassline.

  24. Tracy says

    July 5, 2016 at 8:40 pm

    My vote would have to go to “Something”. I love listening to the isolated bass track, just this alone is very uplifting. When added to the mix the bass line transforms the whole feel of the song.
    I’d never heard “I want you” before today. Lots of raw emotion in there, and genius composing, but it doesn’t tug at my heart strings like “Something”.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:49 pm

      Something is very, very good.

  25. Vlad says

    July 5, 2016 at 9:21 pm

    Hi Paul. It was Paul’s bass lines that helped me to start playing bass.
    Will you teach us how to play it?

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:50 pm

      I have a series of Beatles tutorials….

  26. Ray says

    July 5, 2016 at 10:37 pm

    one their best songs indeed and the bass line is second to none . if they hadn’t been so far ahead of their time could you imagine what they could’ve and would’ve done. Totally Awesome!!

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:51 pm

      Yep – shame that they fell apart….but also in its own way it has a tragic inevitability.

  27. David says

    July 5, 2016 at 11:55 pm

    Oh Darling – my favourite

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:51 pm

      Will drill down on that one….

      • Joel D Canfield says

        July 6, 2016 at 7:08 pm

        Please do. Until I tried to learn it, I had totally missed that it’s a blues song. (I specialize in missing the obvious.)

  28. Michael says

    July 6, 2016 at 10:11 am

    Impossible to say. Technically I want You/She’s so heavy is probably ahead.
    Both fit their songs well (there’s a lesson).
    I have always thought that the Something line was perfect for that song – and pretty radical for a ballad.
    I love the way Macca “changes gears”- Staccatto 1/4 notes and then a flurry of 1/8th or 1/16ths, he really knew how to drive a song forwards. He was the master of Staccatto 1/4 notes!

  29. Michael says

    July 6, 2016 at 10:12 am

    ….and how on earth did you narrow it down to 2?

    • Keith Parks says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:08 pm

      Exactly! Lady Madonna, Rain, Dear Prudence, Come Together, Getting Better, Hello Goodbye, the list is nearly endless!

      • Paul Wolfe says

        July 6, 2016 at 4:53 pm

        Well there are only just over 200 songs in the list, so not nearly endless 😉 But there are a good number of great songs and performances for us to dig into.

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:52 pm

      It was based on a combination of technical ability, compositional flavours in the bass line and gut instinct.

  30. Robert says

    July 6, 2016 at 11:28 am

    My pick is Something…..what a masterpiece of subtleties.

  31. David Goldstein says

    July 6, 2016 at 4:15 pm

    Something is my absolute favorite pop/rock tune of all times. The bass line is more like a second melody within the song. The text is beautifullt wriiten. The guitar solo is absolutely wonderful. I Want Yiou, Oh, Darling!, and too many others to mention-Blackbird, for example, is underrated and great-make it difficult to pick a number 2 song, but Something always does it fot me and i have listened to that song thousands of times

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 6, 2016 at 4:52 pm

      It is a cool song and bass line. My favourite Beatles “song” is In My Life. Awesome song.

  32. Joel D Canfield says

    July 6, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    Thanks for giving this song some attention, Paul. I’ve never given the bassline more than a passing listen. This isolation shows me what I’ve been missing all these years.

    Any idea what bass he was playing on this song?

    On another front: did John Lennon ever get proper recognition as a vocalist? Stunning hearing the vocal isolated like this, out of what I’ve always considered a right muddy mix for the track overall.

  33. Rob Walker says

    July 6, 2016 at 10:05 pm

    Is it just me, but of all the Beatle songs mentioned in previous posts, SHE?S SO HEAVY, SOMETHING, RAIN, TAXMAN, HEY BULL DOG, DEAR PRUDENCE, COME TOGETHER, AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING, etc?it seems the greater majority if not all are not a McCartney composition? Maybe, he was able to relax and really cut loose not having to worry about vocals, writing, this and that. He was able to shine and explore untrod bass roads on a John or George track. I imagine just himself and an engineer in the wee hours of the morning having a go. It also showed he was a true team player, bringing his best when his best was needed. Thanks to both ?Pauls? for helping to stay on the right path to better bass playing.

  34. Antony Harris says

    July 7, 2016 at 1:02 pm

    I’ve always enjoyed his funky little bass line in Goodnight Tonight (by Wings)

  35. Jeffrey Strough says

    July 10, 2016 at 1:30 am

    Are you kidding me ? unreal ! Sadly it makes me wonder if there was a special additive in his system that enabled a higher level of creativity ? His “picking” technique is amazing. His blend of running 5th’s and a selection of bass notes that harmonize with the melody line … simply, the best ! Both of your uploads bring delight to my head and heart, and an uncanny challenge for me to emulate. Thanks Paul … you’re the best

    • Paul Wolfe says

      July 21, 2016 at 12:15 pm

      That was a wonderful euphemism….”a special additive.” Both are great bass lines – glad you enjoyed them,

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