Paul McCartney is likely a familiar face on “favorite songwriters” lists everywhere. But, McCartney has a list of his own. Find three of the former Beatle’s favorite songwriters, below.
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[RELATED: The Song That Paul McCartney Regretted Making]
1. Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan and the Beatles are intrinsically linked. Each member of the Fab Four has expressed their love for The Bard and they often ran in the same circles. Naturally, McCartney cites Dylan as one of his favorite songwriters to date.
“I always like what he does,” McCartney once explained. “Sometimes I wish I was a bit more like Bob. He’s legendary… and doesn’t give a shit! I love his singing – he came through the standards albums like a total crooner. But, yeah, I like his new stuff.”
2. Stevie Wonder
McCartney and Stevie Wonder have collaborated a couple of times. Moreover, McCartney has cited Wonder as one of his favorite songwriters. Macca dubbed Wonder with a descriptor we’re sure he’s received a fair few times: “Genius.”
“Stevie came along to the studio in LA and he listened to the track for about ten minutes and he totally got it,” McCartney once said of Wonder on the song “Only Our Hearts.” “He just went to the mic and within 20 minutes had nailed this dynamite solo. When you listen you just think, ‘How do you come up with that?’ But it’s just because he is a genius, that’s why.”
3. Billy Joel
Chuck Berry is a source of inspiration for any rocker–whether they realize it or not. McCartney certainly realized it. He cited Berry as one of the sparks behind the Beatles’ indelible recording career.
“From the first minute we heard the great guitar intro to ‘Sweet Little Sixteen,’ we became fans of the great Chuck Berry,” McCartney once said of Berry. “His stories were more like poems than lyrics – the likes of ‘Johnny B. Goode’ or ‘Maybellene.'”
(Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Redferns)
