Accessibility links
Paul McCartney Paul McCartney artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music

Paul McCartney

Monday

Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan and Eddie Murphy during the “Black Jeopardy” sketch on SNL50: The Anniversary Special.

Leslie Jones (from left), Tracy Morgan and Eddie Murphy during the "Black Jeopardy" sketch during SNL50: The Anniversary Special. Chris Haston/NBC hide caption

toggle caption
Chris Haston/NBC

Television

The SNL 50th anniversary special: What worked and what didn't

The Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary prime-time special was full of sketches and nostalgia — and stretched more than three hours. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans breaks it down.

The 'SNL' 50th anniversary special: What worked and what didn't

Listen · 3:49
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5292384/nx-s1-5360617-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

New Music Friday: The best albums out June 14

Luke Combs's new album, Fathers & Sons, is his first since his cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" became a pop smash in 2023. Zach Massey/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Zach Massey/Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best albums out June 14

This week, NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers steer the New Music Friday podcast straight into the oncoming Father's Day weekend, following the lead of country superstar Luke Combs, whose new album Fathers & Sons is a heartfelt meditation on what it means to fill both of those roles. It's Combs' first album since his cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" landed him on the pop charts last year.

New Music Friday: The best albums out June 14

Listen · 46:25
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197962203/1254165375" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday

A new Lennon-McCartney collab has dropped — but this time, it's by the Beatles' sons

Last week, James McCartney (left), the son of Beatle Paul McCartney, released a new song called "Primrose Hill" that he co-wrote with Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John Lennon. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Lionel Hahn/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Lionel Hahn/Getty Images

Music News

A new Lennon-McCartney collab has dropped — but this time, it's by the Beatles' sons

A new single, "Primrose Hill," was co-written by Sean Ono Lennon and James McCartney, the youngest sons of Beatles musicians John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Thursday

Tuesday

Paul McCartney's photos of early Beatlemania are in a book and on display in London

John Lennon in Paris, 1964 ©1964 Paul McCartney hide caption

toggle caption
©1964 Paul McCartney

Photography

Paul McCartney's photos of early Beatlemania are in a book and on display in London

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Paul McCartney about his book of photographs from the time the Beatles first visited the United States.

Paul McCartney's photos of early Beatlemania are in a book and on display in London

Listen · 7:02
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1181868235/1181868236" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

The Fellowship of the Rockers

The Beatles on Mount Doom (or a still from Peter Jackson's Get Back, a documentary constructed from footage shot during the making of the band's last studio albums and final performance). Linda McCartney/Apple Corps Ltd. hide caption

toggle caption
Linda McCartney/Apple Corps Ltd.

Music

The Fellowship of the Rockers

The new documentary Get Back, cut from 50-year-old footage of Beatles recording sessions by director Peter Jackson, offers a chance to look at one moment when the myth of the "band guy" took shape.

Wednesday

Paul McCartney knew he'd never top The Beatles — and that's just fine with him

Paul McCartney, shown here in 1963, says the initial rush of Beatlemania "was the fulfillment of all our dreams." Fiona Adams/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Fiona Adams/Redferns/Getty Images

Music Interviews

Paul McCartney knew he'd never top The Beatles — and that's just fine with him

Fresh Air

The forthcoming documentary Get Back revisits The Beatles' final days together. McCartney says he took the band's breakup hard: "It was quite difficult, because I didn't know what to do at all."

Paul McCartney knew he'd never top The Beatles — and that's just fine with him

Listen · 43:32
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1051809546/1051998358" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

On 'McCartney III,' Paul McCartney Is A One-Man Show Again

Paul McCartney has released McCartney III, the latest in a trilogy of solo recordings that stretches back to 1970. Mary McCartney hide caption

toggle caption
Mary McCartney

Music Interviews

On 'McCartney III,' Paul McCartney Is A One-Man Show Again

McCartney has been busy in quarantine. The artist speaks about his new album, McCartney III, the quirks of writing love songs and remembering his late friends John Lennon and George Harrison.

On 'McCartney III,' Paul McCartney Is A One-Man Show Again

Listen · 7:58
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/947735248/948222394" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Tuesday

Monday

Monday

Friday

New Music Friday For Sep. 7: Eight Albums You Should Hear Now

Paul McCartney's Egypt Station is on our shortlist for the week's best new albums, out on Sep. 7. Mary McCartney hide caption

toggle caption
Mary McCartney

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday For Sep. 7: Eight Albums You Should Hear Now

This week's essential new releases includes Paul McCartney's best album in 20 years, the funk and disco of St. Paul & The Broken Bones, dark and twisted sounds from the rap duo $uicideboy$ and more.

New Music Friday For Sep. 7: Eight Albums You Should Hear Now

Listen · 27:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/645197504/645438273" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday

Saturday

A Songwriting Mystery Solved: Math Proves John Lennon Wrote 'In My Life'

Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote songs for The Beatles under Lennon-McCartney, but a new statistical model can be used to tell who actually took the lead. AP hide caption

toggle caption
AP

Music Features

A Songwriting Mystery Solved: Math Proves John Lennon Wrote 'In My Life'

John Lennon and Paul McCartney have differing memories of who wrote the music for "In My Life." A mathematics professor has spent 10 years working with statistics to decide once and for all.

A Songwriting Mystery Solved: Math Proves John Lennon Wrote 'In My Life'

Listen · 5:21
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/637468053/637780661" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript