Paul McCartney was born on June 18, 1942. The eternal Beatle transcends his time with the Fab Four to become a central figure in the global music scene. His career spans more than six decades and, beyond his legacy as a solo artist, has also been responsible for some of the most memorable musical collaborations in history.
Paul McCartney has maintained a fair number of great collaborations with other artists. Below, see our list of the 5 most remarkable – and unusual.
Stevie Wonder – “Ebony and Ivory” (1982)
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder teamed up, resulting in one of the biggest hits of the era: "Ebony and Ivory." The song is part of McCartney's album Tug of War , released in 1982.
The song addresses racial harmony and unity between different cultures, using the piano keyboard as a metaphor, citing the ebony (black) and ivory (white) of the instrument's keys. The title was inspired by McCartney hearing the British comedian and writer Spike Milligan say, "Black notes, white notes, and you need to play both to make harmony, folks!" "Ebony and Ivory" was an international success, reaching number one on the charts in the US and the UK.
Michael Jackson – “Say Say Say” (1983)
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson collaborated on several tracks, but "Say Say Say" is the most iconic. The song was released in 1983 as part of McCartney's album, Pipes of Peace , and was a commercial success, reaching the top of the charts in several countries.
The partnership between the two icons also included "The Girl Is Mine," from Michael Jackson's Thriller Pipes of Peace' . The relationship between the two great artists ended when Michael Jackson, through a major maneuver that lasted from September 1984 to August 1985, acquired the recording rights from ATV for $53 million, taking with him the rights to most of Lennon & McCartney's songs.
Linkin Park & Jay-Z – “Numb/Encore & Yesterday” (Live At 48th Grammy Awards 2006)
The day Paul McCartney surprised everyone by singing alongside Linkin Park and Jay-Z at the 48th Grammy Awards. It's strange to think that the nu-metal band teamed up with a rapper to record an album and perform songs live on several occasions. What's even more insane is when Paul McCartney joined them on stage for a very special rendition of "Numb," and even added a part of the classic "Yesterday."
This historic moment occurred at the 48th Grammy Awards on February 8, 2006, when Linkin Park and Jay-Z were performing a standard version of "Numb/Encore" when, suddenly, the beat changed and a familiar piano line began to play for Sir Jay-Z's entrance. Without a doubt, this was a strange and seemingly random collaboration.
Nirvana – “Cut Me Some Slack” (2012)
Paul McCartney also made history in 2012 by joining Nirvana on the song "Cut Me Some Slack." The track was released in 2012 on YouTube and on the soundtrack of Dave Grohl 's Sound City , which brought together musicians to write and record songs for the film. The former Beatle was among them, along with two musicians who played with Grohl in Nirvana: Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear , who started a jam session.
“Cut Me Some Slack” won the Grammy for Best Rock Song in 2014. McCartney later described it as a “Nirvana reunion,” and Krist Novoselic referred to the collaboration as “Sirvana.”
Rihanna and Kanye West – “FourFiveSeconds” (2015)
This is perhaps the most unusual collaboration for the former Beatle, but it highlighted McCartney's versatility as a musician. In 2015, he surprised the world by collaborating with Rihanna and Kanye West on the track "FourFiveSeconds".
The folk-pop, R&B, and soul-style track was a huge success, reaching the top 10 in several countries and receiving praise for its simplicity and emotional power. Commercially, it peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 , where McCartney set a record by ending the longest gap between top ten singles on the chart.
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