How Paul McCartney Feels About Other Artists Covering His Music
Many artists have covered The Beatles and Paul McCartney’s music. While not every artist likes others performing versions of their work, McCartney says he is flattered by it and has publicly supported many different music covers.
The Beatles are the most covered musical act ever
Unsurprisingly, The Beatles are the most covered musical act ever. Millions of people worldwide are familiar with their music, and the band has countless iconic songs registered in people’s minds. Famous artists who have covered The Beatles include Joe Cocker, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, U2, David Bowie, Otis Redding, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, and Amy Winehouse.
The Beatles’ most covered track is “Yesterday,” written by Paul McCartney and released in 1965. According to Mental Floss, the song has been covered over 2200 times by various artists, such as Bob Dylan, Gaye, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Neil Diamond.
Paul McCartney is ‘flattered’ by other artists covering his music
In an interview with Barnes & Noble’s James Daunt, Paul McCartney shared his feelings about other artists covering his music. The “Let it Be” singer said he loves it and is “flattered” that these other artists like his work enough to want to make their own version. He is also impressed with many of these covers, including Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends.”
“I love it. I do love it. Some people aren’t that keen, they don’t like it being messed with, but I love it. I feel very flattered that somebody else likes my song enough to have a go at it. Joe Cocker did ‘A Little Help from My Friends,’ which turned the song into a sort of rock classic. You know, it was done by people like John Belushi and… ‘And I Love Her,’ one of my early ones, was covered by a soul singer called Esther Phillips, and she did ‘And I Love Him.’ So, you know, I’m very flattered, I’m honored that all that distance away, she’s heard it and she wants to do it. What’s to complain about?”
McCartney once called Joe Cocker’s Beatles cover ‘mind-blowing’
“With a Little Help from My Friends” debuted on The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. A year later, British singer Joe Cocker released a cover version on his debut album of the same name. Cocker transformed the song into a blues-inspired ballad that redefined how many heard the track. Upon its release, the song peaked at No. 68 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 but was a No. 1 hit in the U.K.
Following Cocker’s death in 2014, McCartney released a statement sharing an anecdote about Cocker playing the song to him before releasing it. He called Cocker’s version “mind-blowing” and was grateful for his interpretation.
“I remember [Cocker] and Denny Cordell coming round to the studio in Saville Row and playing me what they’d recorded. It was just mind-blowing … [he] totally turned the song into a soul anthem, and I was forever grateful for him for doing that.”
