Sir Paul McCartney has praised the ability of music to unite opposing factions, citing his iconic song 'Hey Jude' as a prime example. During a recent appearance on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, the 83-year-old Beatles legend responded to fan questions, saying: 'Particularly these days, you do something like 'Hey Jude' and you see this whole audience singing together.'
Music as a Unifying Force
McCartney highlighted the song's power in the context of political division. 'I mean, in Trump's America, and the Republicans and Democrats all at each other's throats — when we do that song, they're not. They're all loving it, and it's like, wow, this is pretty amazing,' he explained. 'Suddenly this room has forgotten all of that, and it's not going to argue with each other, they're just going to sing together. So those kinds of things, I think, are valuable.'
Originally released by the Beatles in 1968, 'Hey Jude' remains a staple of McCartney's solo live performances. In a review of his 2022 show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, The Independent described the song as a 'unifying singalong.'
McCartney on Selfies and Fame
Elsewhere in the podcast interview, McCartney explained why he declines selfie requests from fans. Speaking to hosts Richard Osman and Marina Hyde, he noted that smartphones have transformed fan interactions. 'Now – phones. So if I meet someone, they're reaching for their phone, and I say: 'I'm sorry, I don't do pictures.' And that is radical these days,' he said.
McCartney recounted telling Oprah Winfrey about his policy. 'She said, 'You don't do pictures?' I said, 'No.' She said, 'Why?' I said, 'I don't want to.' It's as simple as that.'
The singer-songwriter elaborated on his reasoning, comparing the experience to a performing monkey he saw on a beach in Saint-Tropez. 'The minute I start thinking I'm something above myself, I won't like me. It's very important for me to just be me,' he explained. 'I really do not want to feel like that monkey. And when I take a picture with someone, I do feel like him. I'm not me anymore – I'm suddenly something else.'
McCartney's eighteenth solo studio album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, is set for release on May 29.
