Skip to main content

Many artists can only dream about having the opportunity to work with Paul McCartney. Fortunately, the former Beatle is open to collaborating with other artists, and many of these projects have been quite successful. Paul McCartney’s collaborations might not have produced the same magic with other artists that he did with John Lennon, but he still created fantastic music that had commercial success. 

Here are 5 of the best Paul McCartney collaborations outside of The Beatles

Michael Jackson

Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson collaborating in the studio
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson | Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images

Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney collaborated on two songs together: “The Girl is Mine” and “Say Say Say”. Both tracks were hits, with “Say Say Say” peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “The Girl is Mine” reaching No. 2. “Say Say Say” stayed on the chart for 22 weeks, the longest duration for any song from McCartney’s solo career. 

While the two were a successful duo, their working relationship was brief. In 1985, Jackson bought the publishing rights to a majority of The Beatles’ songs, a move that frustrated McCartney and left the two artists on bad terms.

Elvis Costello 

Paul McCartney and singer-songwriter Elvis Costello were an impressive songwriting duo who could have dominated the music industry if they had formed a group. The pair collaborated on many songs on McCartney’s albums, Flowers in the Dirt and Off the Ground, and Costello’s albums Mighty Like a Rose and Spike. 

The pair wrote 16 songs together, with the most notable being “My Brave Face.” Released as a single in 1989, “My Brave Face” peaked at No. 18 on the U.K. charts and at No. 25 on the U.S. Hot Billboard 100. It is the last Billboard top 40 hit with a former Beatle in the lead credit and the last from McCartney until 2014. 

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder and McCartney have collaborated a few times. McCartney played guitar on Wonder’s “A Time to Love”, and Wonder played on McCartney’s “Only Our Hearts” from his 2012 album Kisses on the Bottom. However, their greatest project together is “Ebony and Ivory” from 1982’s Tug of War. “Ebony and Ivory” was a huge hit upon its release, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining there for seven weeks. 

Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl has shared how he idolizes The Beatles, and he’s been fortunate enough to collaborate with Paul McCartney a few times. McCartney is featured on the Foo Fighters’ “Sunday Rain” song from their 2017 album Concrete and Gold. The “Let it Be” singer plays the drums on the track, with the late drummer Taylor Hawkins moving to vocals. 

Grohl and McCartney also worked with one another during a Nirvana reunion. McCartney performed lead vocals on the track “Cut Me Some Slack,” with Grohl on drums and Pat Smear and Krist Novoselic on guitar and bass. The song was featured on the soundtrack for Grohl’s documentary film Sound City and won the Grammy award for Best Rock Song in 2014. 

Kanye West & Rihanna

Paul McCartney and Kanye West was a collaboration not many could have predicted, but it was wildly successful and served as a resurgence for the former Beatle as it got him back in the Billboard top 10. The pair worked on three songs: “All Day”, “Only One”, and “FourFiveSeconds” with Rihanna.

“FourFiveSeconds” became an international hit, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was McCartney’s first top-10 hit in 29 years. While he only plays guitar on the song, it made him relevant again for the younger generation.

Best in Entertainment