How the anthem Paul McCartney called “the greatest song ever written” changed music forever
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A bumper playlist of every song Paul McCartney has covered live
Paul McCartney is the archetypal lover of music in all of its glorious guises. As the surrealist comedian Vic Reeves once confirmed, he’s the sort of fellow who knows all the words and notes to just about any song that you can think of. In short, his brain is musically wired, after all, he did simply dream songs into existence.
Thus, out of the mausoleum of music contained within his fair-headed mind, it would be somewhat of an honour if you’re song was the one he chose to chuck into one of his gilded setlists. This is particularly true when it comes his latter years when his own repertoire was as vast and revered as any in music.
The songs he has covered also represent his own musical journey. As he said of the Gene Vincent classic that he has covered countless times: “It was just very early days of rock ‘n’ roll, so it was just such a thrill, and then I got back on the bus, went home and played it endlessly, and these memories, of Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps singing ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ will stay with me forever.”
In later years, it is a mark of how ‘Macca’ has stayed culturally relevant – scratch that, culturally vital – that he has even covered the likes of Taylor Swift and teamed up with Dave Grohl and co for renditions of the Sound City Players. As is self-evident from his recent output and collaborative efforts, he is also still very much influenced by what is in vogue.
Below we have collated every cover that Paul McCartney has played at live concerts according to Setlist.FM and clobbered them into one long old playlist that takes you on his musical journey. (NB not every song in the list below is on Spotify). From your Bourrée’s to your Bill Wither’s of this world, McCartney can play them all.
Every song Paul McCartney has covered live in concert:
- ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ – Eddie Cochran
- ‘Midnight Special’ – Traditional Cover
- ‘Ain’t That a Shame’ – Fats Domino
- ‘Sing the Changes’ – The Fireman
- ‘Good Rocking Tonight’ – Roy Brown
- ‘San Francisco Bay Blues’ – Jesse Fuller
- ‘Honey Don’t’ – Carl Perkins
- ‘Matchbox’ – Carl Perkins
- ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ – Bill Withers
- ‘Highway’ – The Fireman
- ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ – Carl Perkins
- ‘Till There Was You’ – Meredith Willson
- ‘Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying’ – Gerry and the Pacemakers
- ‘Honey Hush’ – Big Joe Turner
- ‘It’s So Easy’ – The Crickets
- ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’ – Big Maybelle
- ‘Give Peace a Chance’ – Plastic Ono Band
- ‘Miss Ann’ – Little Richard
- ‘Baby Face’ – Jan Garber
- ‘Singing the Blues’ – Marty Robbins
- ‘All Things Must Pass’ – George Harrison
- ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ – Gene Vincent
- ‘Come and Get It’ – Badfinger
- ‘Just Because’ – Nelstone’s Hawaiians
- ‘Leaning on a Lamp Post’ – George Formby
- ‘Mean Woman Blues’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘Someone Else I’d Like to Be’ – Max Miller
- ‘O Sole Mio’ – Eduardo Di Capua
- ‘Summertime’ – George Gershwin
- ‘Tequila’ – The Champs
- ‘All My Trials’ – Bob Gibson
- ‘Crackin’ Up’ – Bo Diddley
- ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’ – Tommy Tucker
- ‘Hitch Hike’ – Marvin Gaye
- ‘It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’’ – Wendell Hall
- ‘The Hustle’ – Van McCoy
- ‘Bourrée in E Minor’ – Johann Sebastian Bach
- ‘Bring it to Jerome’ – Bo Diddley
- ‘Hot Pursuit’ – Adrian Mitchell
- ‘I Like That Stuff’ – Adrian Mitchell
- ‘Linda Lu’ – Ray Sharpe
- ‘Maybe May Time’ – Adrian Mitchell
- ‘No Other Baby’ – The Vipers
- ‘Song in Space’ – Adrian Mitchell
- ‘Sun Is Shining’ – The Fireman
- ‘The World is Waiting for the Sunrise’ – John Steel
- ‘Bring It On Home to Me’ – Sam Cooke
- ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ – Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys
- ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ – Sound City Players
- ‘Lonesome Town’ – Ricky Nelson
- ‘Long Tall Sally’ – Little Richard
- ‘Lucille’ – Little Richard
- ‘Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu’ – Domenico Modugno
- ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ – Neil Young
- ‘Sally’ – Gracie Fields
- ‘What I’d Say’ – Earl Thomas Conley
- ‘All Shook Up’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ – Chuck Berry
- ‘I’m Gonna Be a Wheel Someday’ – Bobby Mitchell
- ‘Islands in the Sun’ – Harry Belafonte
- ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ – Prince
- ‘Peggy Sue’ – Buddy Holly
- ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ – Big Joe Turner
- ‘The Fool’ – Sanford Clark
- ‘Young Love’ – Sonny James
- ‘(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean’ – Ruth Brown
- ‘Ain’t She Sweet’ – Lou Gold & His Orchestra
- ‘Being With You’ – Smokey Robinson
- ‘Bésame Mucho’ – Consuelo Velázquez
- ‘Blue Jean Bop’ – Gene Vincent
- ‘Bo Diddley’ – Bo Diddley
- ‘Cheek to Cheek’ – Irving Berlin
- ‘Do You Know the Way to San Jose’ – Burt Bacharach
- ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’ – Duke Ellington
- ‘Fabulous’ – Charlie Gracie
- ‘Falling in Love Again’ – Marlene Dietrich
- ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ – Kaye Ballard
- ‘Fortune Teller’ – Benny Spellman
- ‘Foxy Lady’ – Jimi Hendrix
- ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter’ – Fats Waller
- ‘I’m In Love Again’ – Fats Domino
- ‘In the Month of Athyr’ – John Tavener
- ‘In the Summertime’ – Bob Dylan
- ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ – Lloyd Price
- ‘Let’s Have a Party’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘Love is Strange’ – Mickey & Sylvia
- ‘Maggie May’ – Traditional cover
- ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ – Barrett Strong
- ‘Purple Haze’ – Jimi Hendrix
- ‘Raunchy’ – Bill Justis
- ‘Rave On!’ – Sonny West
- ‘Reelin’ and Rockin’’ – Chuck Berry
- ‘Rip it Up’ – Little Richard
- ‘Sailor’s Hornpipe’ – Traditional cover
- ‘Searchin’’ – The Coasters
- ‘Send Me Some Lovin’’ – Leo Price
- ‘Shake a Hand’ – Faye Adams
- ‘Shake it Off’ – Taylor Swift
- ‘Stand By Me’ – Ben E. King
- ‘The Hippy Hippy Shake’ – Chan Romero
- ‘Walking the Dog’ – Rufus Thomas
- ‘We Are Family’ – Sister Sledge
- ‘Yakety Yak’ – The Coasters
- ‘You Are My Sunshine’ – Jimmie Davis
