The Two Pop Icons Who Paul McCartney Says Made Him a Better Musician: “It Keeps You on Your Toes”

Paul McCartney‘s career has gone through many evolutions. His music in more recent decades sounds completely different than his early work with the Beatles. One of the most distinctive and successful legs of McCartney’s career came in the 1980s, when he began working with major pop singers. There were two such singers who, according to McCartney, made him a better musician.

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The Pop Singers That Pushed McCartney in His Career

McCartney is a rocker through and through, but he is set apart from his former Beatles bandmates due to his pop sensibilities. McCartney knows what makes a radio hit: a good melody and catchy chorus. While maintaining his roots music inspirations, McCartney has meddled in pop throughout his career.

Perhaps he was most intertwined with pop in the ’80s, when he collaborated with both Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Both of these artists made McCartney level up his musicianship. He has spoken at length about the impact of both of them.

How Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson Influenced Paul McCartney

McCartney famously duetted with Wonder on a, perhaps misguided, unification attempt, Ebony and Ivory. Despite being a little overly sympathetic, the track proved to be successful for McCartney. But the singer redirected the praise to Wonder.

“Someone like Stevie [Wonder], he’s a very talented musician,” McCartney once said. “So, just being around him, it keeps you on your toes.”

While Wonder challenged McCartney musically, the former Beatle found a comfortable collaborator in Jackson. The pair duetted several times and were close friends. McCartney once compared his relationship with the pop giant to that of John Lennon.

“Michael [Jackson] is such a great singer and everything,” McCartney added elsewhere. “He’s so ‘up’ he’s ridiculous…I think it rubs off, and you find yourself being a little bit better because, you know, that’s how it was with John [Lennon]. You know, we just egg each other on all the time.”

Of course, their relationship would soon sour thanks to Jackson buying out the Beatles’ publishing rights. Though it threw a wrench in their collaborative history, it doesn’t erase the many stellar works they released together.

McCartney has been more or less on top of the world since the ’60s, but the ’80s saw him turn from a nostalgia act to a viable artist with something new to say. In McCartney’s opinion, his fans have to thank both Wonder and Jackson for helping him achieve that newfound spirit.

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