‘Ecce’: the meaning of Paul McCartney’s favourite Latin word
In some exceptional circumstances, you don’t really need to understand that much about a language to know how to adopt certain aspects of a culture’s beliefs and traditions. In Sweden, for instance, a lot of people try to live by the concept of ‘Lagom’, meaning not too much, but not too little—a balanced lifestyle. Similarly, Paul McCartney endeared himself to the Latin language by learning only one word and everything it represented.
Although McCartney has a lot of knowledge about many things, his foray into spirituality largely began when The Beatles embraced Indian philosophy and transcendental meditation. Although every member allowed it to transform their mindsets and ways of life in distinctive ways, with George Harrison taking it more as a core guiding principle than the others, McCartney always appreciated the finer, more simplistic readings.
The quest for enlightenment and greater inner peace was something that hit home in the early days and transpired into different manifestations as time went on. While John Lennon embodied this mantra by envisioning a world filled with immense love and peace, Harrison knew all he ever needed was his own soul and mind. On the other hand, McCartney always knew that one single force of humanity would always prevail: love.
In the broader concept of Beatles-inspired lexicon and philosophy, ‘All You Need Is Love’ could be viewed as their definitive cultural teaching, just like Sweden’s ‘Lagom’, with respect and admiration for others forming the basis of anything that would ever hold value in our brief time on earth. McCartney knew this and held it close as the years went by: “I still believe that love is all you need,” he said. “I don’t know a better message than that.”
But McCartney has always felt enlightened by the many things and people he has met, which if for nothing else, is a tell-all about how to open his mind and heart as a person. When meeting Bob Dylan for the first time, for instance, he could feel himself “climbing a spiral walkway” as if, by some miracle, connecting with the legendary troubadour set him on an immediate path to “figuring it all out, the meaning of life.”
Perhaps this is why, when he first discovered the Latin word ‘ecce’, something resonated deep within. In Latin, ‘ecce’ is translated to ‘behold’, occurring in many religious and archaic phrases, usually in relation to the spiritual or the divine. In principle, ‘ecce’ could also be sourced as an existential mantra about grandiosity and the life-long quest for searching for something greater than ourselves or that superiority comes from within.
The singer once claimed that his “fondness” for the word “came about” when he was on holiday and came across a woman who needed a four-letter Latin word for a crossword she was doing one morning. Of course, McCartney celebrated the fact he immediately knew the answer. However, his appreciation for the concept was taken a step further in 2006 with his classic venture, Ecce Cor Meum, meaning ‘Behold My Heart’ in Latin.
McCartney initially discovered this phrase above a statue of Jesus in New York City, and it formed the basis of a record loosely inspired by his late wife, Linda. Aside from being one of his more ambitious efforts, Ecce Cor Meum took the idea of ‘ecce’ for a broader piece about matters of the heart, with spirituality and emotion central drivers. Beyond representing a sense of revelation, ‘ecce’ enabled McCartney to choose an album title reflecting the music’s themes of love, the one thing he will always regard as life’s enduring power.
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