Root notes and bass melodies: how Paul McCartney used ‘Pet Sounds’ to educate his kids
Paul McCartney is celebrated as one of the most prolific songwriters ever. His ability to master rhythm and melody while writing lyrics that connect with listeners on a human level has cemented him as one of the best out there. If you were looking to educate someone on good songwriting, you would show them all of McCartney’s catalogue. Interestingly, though, McCartney wouldn’t do this with his own children, as he believes his former rivals’ music is the best for educating people.
The Beatles and The Beach Boys, two of the most popular bands in the 1960s, had a healthy rivalry. This was a good thing, as it spurred both bands to create their best work in a bid to one-up each other. One of the best albums that the Beach Boys made during this rivalry was their 1966 release, Pet Sounds.
McCartney admits, like many people, that the surf rock sound didn’t do much for him before The Beach Boys came along. “The early surf records… I was aware of them as a musical act, and I used to like all that, but I didn’t get deeply interested in it,” he said, “It was just a real nice sound… We used to admire the singing, the high falsetto really and the very sort of ‘California’ lyrics.”
When Pet Sounds was released, it took the world by storm. People were given a version of the surf rock Californian sound that they hadn’t experienced before. It was truly mesmerising as Brian Wilson experimented with various melodies, harmonies, and root notes to create something innovative and exciting.
“It was later… it was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. First of all, it was Brian’s writing. I love the album so much,” he said, “I’ve just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life—I figure no one is educated musically ‘til they’ve heard that album. I was into the writing and the songs.”
As a bassist, it’s not a surprise that the bass playing on the album is what stood out to McCartney. He went into detail about the specifics of the songwriting on the record that stood out to him.
“The other thing that really made me sit up and take notice was the bass lines on Pet Sounds. If you were in the key of C, you would normally use—the root note would be, like, a C on the bass,” he said, “You’d always be on the C. I’d done a little bit of work, like on ‘Michelle’, where you don’t use the obvious bass line.”
McCartney praised the tension created when the bass’ root notes are played, and it differs from the original root note. “You just get a completely different effect if you play a G when the band is playing in C. There’s a kind of tension created,” he said.
Given their fun rivalry, McCartney would have been well aware of how what The Beatles were doing was different from what The Beach Boys were doing. As such, it makes sense that he educates his kids in songwriting by showing them what he knows they won’t get from his music.
