Is Paul McCartney Crazy?

We are now less than a month away from our first PLP Trip Of the year to Seattle, and the surrounding unit known as Cray Cray Yay Yay is underway. After watching Apples ‘Think Different’ commercial from the 1997 campaign, we were tasked with choosing an individual who was featured in the campaign, and presenting a Pecha Kucha Style keynote. The Keynotes job was to help answer the question: Why was this person thought of as crazy, and how did they change the world?

For my presentation, I chose Paul McCartney. I chose him because even though him and the Beatles are super famous, I knew next to nothing about them. Also, England and music are two of my favourite things so it made perfect sense.

Paul McCartney was born on the 18th of June, 1942 in Liverpool England, picking up music early on as his dad played in jazz bands in between working in the cotton industry. His mum worked as a maternity nurse, but Paul’s life took a turn for the worse when she died during surgery when he was just 14. To help cope, he continued playing the trumpet, piano and Spanish guitar through his teenage years. In the summer of ‘57 Paul met a boy named John Lennon at a church festival where John’s band, the Quarrymen, were playing. Paul was soon invited to the band and he and John became the main writers. They had a strong bond, likely in part because like Paul, John’s mother died when he was growing up.

After multiple switches, in 1960, the band settled on the name, the Beatles, and the rest is history. Playing in and around Liverpool, the group gained enough recognition to play in Hamburg, Germany. After recording more songs over there and building their following, they picked up a manager and in turn signed to EMI record label. As they made the cross over to America, this era-to be, known as the “British Invasion” would have a lasting effect on rock ‘n roll. Absolutely smashing it in the US, Paul McCartney kept writing songs that would become some of the most well-known ever. Together they pushed the lifestyle they lived and loved, and the world was all ears. Alongside the others, McCartney pushed for contemporaries for peace, love, and rock ‘n roll, all the while keeping to his roots of British cheek and rebellion.

Following the release of 12 smash hit studio albums between 1960 and 1970, the Beatles disbanded. McCartney married an America photographer and had 4 children before moving to his farm in Scotland. Though it came to a close, the way the Beatles carried themselves was a way in which they were proving that its okay to be out of the ordinary, and that to live a happy free life was best suited with a peaceful mindset. Throughout his life, Paul McCartney used his talent to present these ideas in the form of some of the most beautifully written music ever. Pushing the boundaries of music further than ever done before, the Beatles will have a lasting effect on not only music, but pop culture as a whole. Their music meant a lot to people, it went beyond language borders and cultural barriers. Paul enjoyed nothing more than touching the lives of others. He is the most dedicated musician to ever grave the earth. He proved to people that he could do it all, and after leaving the Beatles and thriving on his own, he sealed that. He found a delicate yet powerful way to write about things he believed in. Although he won’t be around forever, his music will certainly continue to change lives for a long time. Quotes such as this are the reason the world will always love him. People like Paul McCartney who some see as crazy, help change the world, whether you like it or not.

Learning about Paul has taught me how the term ‘crazy’ can mean so much more than insane or wild. It can be the way someone pushes something they are passionate about, knowing the rest of the world isn’t on board. Or possessing the mentality to persevere no matter the consequences. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this unit, and getting to learn more during our trip to Seattle.