Paul McCartney has always been a true student of the musical craft. Given his and The Beatles‘ diverse catalog of music, it seems McCartney never closed himself off from any particular genre of music. Rather, he listened to everything with an astute ear, and as all artists do, translated it all in a way that would pertain to his own work. This practice is nothing novel, but the products Paul McCartney produced from it are.
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Being the student of music he is, Paul McCartney has seemingly toiled with every single musical genre in some way, shape, or form. While The Beatles were always very outspoken about the influence the blues, classical, and Indian music had on them. They didn’t often talk about the impact country music had on them and their music.
The Beatles do have a few tunes that have evident country music themes, and even a cover of one. However, one of the songs that also has those country themes in a much more subtle manner is the 1965 French-themed Beatles single, “Michelle”, from their very experimental album, Rubber Soul.
Paul McCartney Was Inspired by Chet Atkins’ Finger-Picking Style
Chet Atkins is not just a trailblazing pioneer in country music. He’s a trailblazing pioneer in all of music, as he architected the infamous Nashville Sound and invented many contemporary recording techniques. Also, per his affinity for the man, Paul McCartney agrees with this notion. Matter of fact, it was Chet Atkins who inspired Paul McCartney to write “Michelle”.
Regarding how Chet Atkins inspired him, McCartney stated, “‘Michelle’ was a tune that I’d written in Chet Atkins’ finger-picking style. There is a song he did called ‘Trambone’ with a repetitive top line, and he played a bass line while playing a melody. This was an innovation for us; even though classical guitarists had played it, no rock’n’roll guitarists had played it.”
“The first person we knew to use finger-picking style was Chet Atkins. I never learned it. But based on Atkins’ ‘Trambone’, I wanted to write something with a melody and a bass line in it, so I did,” added Paul McCartney, per the book, Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now.
Who would have thought French and country music would ever work together? At the time, seemingly, nobody. Although, leave it to Paul McCartney to stitch together two differing sounds and techniques in a seamless fashion.
Photo by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns
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