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WHERE AM I GOING?
W: Dorothy Fields
M: Cy Coleman
From: Sweet Charity
Barbra Streisand, Gwen Verdun
Key: Am (C)

-3 -4 4 -5 6
Where am I go-ing
-5 4 -4 -3 -4
And what will I find?
4 -4 -3 -4 -4 -3 4 -4 -3 -4
What’s in this grab-bag that I call my mind?
-5 6 -6 7 -7 7 -6 6 -5 6
What am I do-ing a-lone on the shelf?
6 -5* 5* -5* -5*
Ain’t it a shame, but,
-5* 5* -4 4* -4 4* -5
No one’s to blame, but my-self…
6 -5 5 -5
Which way is clear?
-5 6 -6 -6 -6 7 -6 -5* -6
When you’ve lost your way year af-ter year?
6 -6 7 7* 7 7* 7
Do I keep fall-ing in love
-6 7* 7* 7* 7 -6
For just the kick of it?
7* 7 7* 7 7* 7* 7* 7* 7 -6
Stag-ger-ing through the thin and thick of it,
7 -6* 7 -6* 6 7 7 7 -6* 6
Hat-ing each old and tir-ed trick of it.
7 -6* 7 -6*
Know what I am,
6 7 7 7 -6* 6
I’m good and sick of it!

-7 7 -6*-6* 7 -7 7 -6* 7
Where am I go-ing Why do I care?
7 -6* 6 -6* 6 7 -6* 6 -6*
Run to the Bronx, or Wash-ing-ton Square,
6 -5 5* -5 5* -5 6 -5 5 -4 -3*
No mat-ter where I run I meet my-self there,
-3 -4 4 -5 6 6 -6* 7 -7
Look-ing in-side me, what do I see?
7 -6* 7 7 -6* 7
An-ger and hope and doubt,
7 -6* 7 7 -6* 7
What am I all a-bout?
7* -7 7 -6* 7 -7
And where am I go-ing?
7 7 7
You tell me!
Where am I going?
Why do I care?
Run to the Bronx, or Washington Square,
No matter where I run I meet myself there,
Looking inside me, what do I see?
Anger and hope and doubt
What am I all about?
And where am I going?
You tell me!

The Discrete Comb is the invention of Winslow Yerxa.  It is essentially a thick comb (about 50% thicker than a normal comb) with a partition in each chamber to isolate the blow and draw reeds into discrete cells.  Discrete combs are available for the Hohner MS (Modular Series) harps and for Lee Oskars.  Prices are $25 for MS compatible combs and $35 for Lee Oskar compatible combs, plus $5 shipping and handling.  To order one, write cheques (must be drawn on a U.S. Bank) to Harmonica Information Press and mail to:

Discrete Comb
203 14th Avenue
San Francisco CA 94118-1007

By the way, standard disclaimers apply here.. I have no financial or other interest in HIP or the Discrete Comb.  It’s a great invention, full of possibilities, and I just want to help inform everyone of its existance and capabilities.

By covering both the upper and lower cells with the embouchure at the same time, a harp built on the discrete comb responds like a normal diatonic harp with the normal 2-reed bends.  But, by tilting the harp a little up or down you can select a discrete chamber containing either a blow or a draw reed.  By isolating reeds in this fashion, any reed can be played as a closing reed or an opening reed.

What this means is that

• The discrete comb can be played normally (by playing both blow and draw reed cells at the same time)
• “valve-style” single reed closing bends can be played either blow or draw in any hole, in other words blow bends are available on blow reeds 1-6 in addition to the normal holes 7-10, and draw bends are available on draw reeds 7-10 in addition to the normal holes 1-6.
• overblows can be played on any draw reed, including 7-10, where on a normal harp only holes 1-6 overblow
• overdraws can be played on any blow reed, including 1-6, where on a normal harp only holes 7-10 overdraw

The overblows and overdraws are much easier to produce than on a normal comb, and are more stable.  Overbends can be bent in pitch and vibrato applied when played on the discrete comb.  These effects can be achieved on a very well set up normal harp, but they are more difficult to get.  No gap adjustment is needed to get overbends on the discrete comb, though adjustments can help optimize the response based on your own style.

Normally, valves are used to isolate the blow reeds to allow single reed closing bends–and valves prevent overblows. The discrete comb allows both overblows and single reed closing bends.

The downside of the discrete comb is its thickness.  The thicker comb is less comfortable to play, for me anyway, than a normal harp.  The added thickness means you have to be more accurate with your embouchure to get clean single notes, since a more wide open lip/mouth position tends to let in more of the adjacent holes. 

However, these drawbacks are most likely due to limited playing experience with the discrete comb.  The more you play on a discrete comb the more comfortable you are likely to get with its size and playing characteristics.  You’ll have to determine for yourself if the numerous benefits are worth the drawbacks.

Chromatic Harmonica Buying Guide – A chromatic harmonica has all 12 notes of the chromatic level available enabling an individual to play in virtually any key. On the C chromatic harmonica the button managed slide system allows the player to alternative between the scales of C and C# – in place it is similar to alternating between your white and dark records of the piano.

For quite some time Amazon Music never have only supplied top notch brands including Seydel and Hohner to countless customers but also to numerous top professional players from around the united states. All our Chromatic harmonicas are examined through bellows to ensure they play properly before despatch.

Chromatic Harmonica Buying Guide

Here we’ve provided with you some Q&A’s to further a*sist your buying decision.

[toc]

Q. I play the diatonic and want to try the chromatic. Which one do I go for?

A: We stock lots of the top quality brands of harmonica including Hohner,Seydel,Suzuki and Hering chromatic harmonicas for the novice to the professional. Typically the most popular choice is the 12 opening chromatic in C. On the other hand you can test a single tuned diatonic like the Seydel Orchestra. They are just like a mini chromatic harmonicas.

Whilst the techniques are extremely similar in playing most harmonicas the note layout is somewhat different. The Chromatic harmonicas has more range than the diatonic and it is bigger in proportions. Chromatics vary in cost quite a bit depending on quality. An excellent quality starter chromatic can range between £50 upwards.

Q. What does the little button do on the side do?

A: The little button on the side is a slide button and when you press it, it open up the sharps and flats of the chromatic scale ie it plays the black notes as on a piano. This is a feature on mostly all chromatic harmonicas the we sell.

Q. Do I choose a 12,14 or 16 hole Chromatic?

A: Our constant stock includes all 3 types. It all depends on how much range you want from the instrument. The 12 hole has 48 notes available. The 14 opening has 56 records available and the 16 gap has 64 notes available. Most of the big manufacturers have 12-16 hole harmonicas available. Usually the 14 and 16 opening versions have more notes available at the bottom end of the harmonica rather than the top. Very high notes are not used as much and be quite a challenge to play cleanly.

Q. Do I go for a pinned together or screwed together harmonica. Does it make any difference?

A: Both are common build types. The more airtight the harmonica is, the easier and better they will play however the world’s most popular 12 hole chromatic is pinned together and has been so for many years. Certainly the top of the range harmonicas are screwed collectively.

Q. What are windsavers or valves? Should I go for windsavers on my Chromatic?

A: Generally they are fitted as standard on Chromatic harmonicas. In a nutshell they can make harmonicas easier to play. On harmonicas, ‘valves’ are flaps attached to the reed plate at the rivet over the slot opposite the reed. They are made out of a thin plastic strip, or pair of strips. They block the air stream during a draw from entering through the blow reeds (and vice versa for draw reeds) so less air is required overall to play a reed thus they save wind.

Q. Which Key should I go for?

A: Again, this depends on what you are playing and how low or high you want the harmonica to generally sound. Unlike diatonic harmonicas Chromatics are not available in all keys. C is by far the most popular. There are some available as a Tenor C which is an octave lower than normal C. On a 12 hole chromatic opening number 1 blow is the note that the harmonica is labelled in eg if you have a C chromatic then gap #1 blow will be a C note.

Q. Can I play the blues on a Chromatic?

A: Yes. Although not as popular as its cousin the diatonic or blues harp you can play the blues on the chromatic. The note bending technique that is applied to diatonic harmonicas is not used as much on the chromatic. There are several Blues Chromatic books available at Shome Shop Music.

Q. Can I replace the reeds or reed plates on my Chromatic?

A: Yes. They are for sale to most harmonicas but remember that some chromatic harmonicas have the reed plates pinned rather than screwed together. We are able to request any repairs or new parts you will need fitting with a few of the major manufacturers.

The Chromatic Harmonica – what is it and why should I be interested?

Chromatic Harmonica Buying Guide – When I began to master the basic elements of the diatonic harp, several years ago, I started to wonder how difficult it would be to play the chromatic harmonica. After all, I was a classically trained pianist, and the layout of the chromatic harmonica didn’t seem to dissimilar to a piano keyboard. At least, that’s what I thought…

Trying to Play

Sitting in the corner of the office was an old Hohner Chromonica II Deluxe – a remnant from many years ago. I picked it up, expecting instantly to sound like Stevie Wonder (maybe a bit ambitious, but there’s nothing quite like false hope). The resultant cacophony, however, seemed to be most appealing to the local dog population. Less so, sadly, to my colleagues.

If we take a look at the construction of the chromatic harmonica, we can see, perhaps, how my expectations differed from the reality. In most cases it has two sets of reed plates – one mounted above the other – and a button that activates a slide, by which the air is directed to the top or bottom reeds (the exception is cross tuned harps, more of which later).

The top reeds are usually tuned to an altered diatonic major scale, whilst the bottom reeds are usually tuned to the same level, but a semitone higher. Thus, all twelve notes of the chromatic scale are available by using the slider to switch between which reeds are activated.

Visualising the Notes

My primary issue was that I was visualising the tuning as being akin to a piano keyboard – white notes on the top reeds, black notes on the bottom set. In reality, however, underneath reeds actually contain a complete set of notes from the scale that is one semitone higher than the top reeds (so, on a C tuned chromatic, all of the records from the level of C#). This results in some duplication as the two scales will have some shared notes (C, D and F, in this case).

In my naivety I expected to depress the button a few times and perform the sort of trills that Stevie Wonder achieved so effortlessly. Instead, as I had been visualising the records incorrectly, I used to be getting the type of atonal chromaticism beloved of Arnold Schoenberg.

The other main difference I experienced, compared to a diatonic, was related to bending notes. Chromatics, generally speaking, can only bend notes down, and only by a semitone.

There are some exceptions to this rule, but only in the case of nonstandard chromatics, such as the Tombo S50, which achieves its chromaticism without a slide. Thus, chromatic harps are not the sort of instrument on which you’d achieve the traditional blues harp sound, and my ham-fisted attempts to do so did not help my cause!

Where they do excel, however, is in jazz and classical music, where their ability to play any note from the standard Western scales instantly, with no recourse to bending, and to pick out trills and grace notes with ease, is more important than achieving the wailing sound of the diatonic harp.

Let’s have a closer look at a typical chromatic harmonica to see how it achieves this.

How it Works

Although slider operated harps had been around in one form or another from the late 19th Century, it wasn’t until Hohner produced their first chromatic at the start of the 20th Century that something akin to what we play today was widely available. Indeed, the 10 hole Chromonica 260 from 1910 is very similar in appearance and specifications to the modern Chromonica 48.

We have already seen that most chromatics use a slider to switch between the two sets of reeds, but how these sliders operate can vary. The traditional straight tuning has the two reed plates tuned as explained above. Cross harp, in comparison, has a slider with a zigzag of holes, meaning that the notes are split between upper and lower reed plates when the slider is open or closed.

There are some supposed advantages of the latter setup, including greater volume, due to the larger openings, but I struggle to hear or feel any appreciable difference myself.

What on Earth is a Windsaver?

You may have heard the term ‘windsaver’ bandied about when people talk about chromatics. This slightly mystifying word refers to the small valves that are used on most chromatic harps to make them more efficient. Due to their construction, chromatics tend to experience more leaks than diatonics; windsavers limit this leakage, and also help to shape the tone of the instrument.

They, also, make bending notes more difficult, which has led to some players experimenting with their removal, and the creation of slideless harps that do away with their valves altogether.

Chromatic Harmonica Tuning and Keys

You might be wondering why chromatics are sometimes available in a range of keys. After all, you might think, if you can play any note in the chromatic scale, you shouldn’t need different keys of harmonicas for different secrets of songs, as you do for a diatonic. The answer relates to range – a chromatic harmonica tuned to A, for example, will have a lower range (at the expense of the higher notes) than one tuned to C.

It’s useful to note that C is the highest tuned chromatic harp. The order of tips, from lowest to highest is as follows:

C Tenor (low) D (low), E (low), F(low), G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C,

Unlike diatonics, the keys of low D, E and F are not referred to as ‘low’, as there is no equivalent standard D, E or F above C.

Chromatics with 16 holes are generally only available in C, due to the fact that there is little need to offer alternative keys with the range available from this size of harmonica.

In terms of tuning, most chromatics are solo tuned. Of the alternative tunings available, the most common is Orchestra, as shown below in this diagram from Seydel:

The primary advantage of this tuning is the additional range offered in the lower octave.

Okay, What Harmonica MUST I Buy, Then?

Because chromatics are more difficult than diatonics, they have a commensurately higher price. Hohner’s Chrometta range, which is directed at beginners, rests at the £50 – £100 range (the bigger models being more costly), and it is the entry way for chromatics.

Hohner Chrometta 10

The next phase up is the Chromonica 48, which is noticeably weightier and much deeper in tone than its less costly brethren. At the same price is the Seydel Deluxe Chromatic, which is comparable in design and building to the Hohner, but features an acrylic, rather than solid wood, comb.

Seydel De Luxe Chromatic Mouth Organ

The Hohner CX12, at round the £140 mark is exclusive in its design: it’s an exceptionally modern looking harp, with an ABS cover and easily removable reed plates. Sound smart it’s a little brighter when compared to a Chromonica, and its own building makes cleaning and maintenance remarkably trouble-free.

At another price point we’ve a variety of chromatics: the Chromonica 270/48 Deluxe has thicker reed plates than the typical model and a fuller sound; Suzuki’s SCX-48 offers their personal phosphor bronze reeds; and the Seydel Deluxe Metal add unique stainless reeds with their Deluxe range. Each is great harps and can give many years of service if properly looked after.

Above the £200 tag we find chromatics with alternative comb materials, like the Seydel Saxony, using its aluminium comb, and the ones with an increase of than 12 slots, such as the 14 gap Suzuki SCX-54 and the 16 hole Hohner Super 64. As the purchase price increases, we begin to see more amazing materials, and perhaps, such much like the Hohner ACE 48, unique features like the VarioSpring and Accoustic Coupling Elements. The Seydel Symphony even comes with a warmed case that allows the harp to softly warmed to the perfect temperature for playing prior to any performance.

So, there you own it – the chromatic harmonica. It’s difficult to play initially, but, much like any device, persistence will enjoy rewards! And we hope with “Chromatic Harmonica Buying Guide”, you can select right chromatic harmonica for yourself.

Basic Harmonica Maintenance – Care and Maintenance of a harmonica

Maintaining your own harps can give you longer lasting harps that play and sound better.  Just as guitar players have to change their strings and constantly tune, or sax players have to work with their mouthpiece, harmonica players should be able to set up their instruments to sound good and play well. 

Maintenance of a harp most often centers around the reeds, as shown in this picture.  The rivets attach the reeds to the reed plates, and the reeds vibrate through slots in the reed plates to generate the sound.  The action of the reeds depends on the gap between the reed and its slot in the reed plate.

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Tuning

Tuning reeds is done by either removing (normally) or adding (infrequently) metal from/to the reeds.  Here’s how it works

• To raise the pitch of a reed, remove metal from near the reed tip (see above picture).  This lightens the tip of the reed, allowing it to vibrate faster, which raises the pitch.
• To lower the pitch of a reed, remove metal from near the reed base (see above picture).  This weakens the reed and makes its tip heavier relative to its base, which slows the vibration and lowers the pitch.
• Alternately, to lower the pitch of a reed add lead-free solder to the tip of the reed to increase the weight at the tip and cause the reed to vibrate more slowly.  It is also possible to increase the weight near the base of the reed to raise the pitch.

You are removing metal from the flat surface of the reed, not at the edges, which would increase the air gap around the reed and cause air loss in the chamber.  Various tools can be used for removing metal from the reeds, and different people have their own preferences.

• Small jeweler file
• Small chisel
• Wet-dry emery type (usually black) fine grained sandpaper
• Dremel-type rotary tool
• Fish-hook sharpener
• Sandpaper pencil

I prefer a Dremel-type rotary tool with a hard rubber disk, which results in a smooth surface, and doesn’t remove material as fast as a stone or burr.  The Lee Oskar tool kit (around $30) has all the tools you need for tuning reeds, including a small chisel. 

Some people feel that filing a reed (i.e. using a file) can cause striations in the reed that can shorten its life, but manufacturers like Hohner file the reeds to tune them at the factory.  I suggest removing small amounts of metal from a large area, minimizing any gouging or scratching or the reeds.

Before attempting to remove metal from a reed, you need to support the reed so you don’t push it through the slot.  A thin shim like a .003 spark plug feeler gauge works well, as does a razor blade.  You can even use a business card–anything small and thin will do.

Be careful not to push the reed sideways in its slot, or the reed won’t vibrate freely.  Also, be careful about filing the reed edges, which can cause burrs that catch on the slot-edges as the reed vibrates through the slot.  If you get a burr you can shave it off gently with a razor blade, or carefully file it off.  Support the other side of the reed so you don’t get it misaligned when you apply pressure to the reed’s edge with the blade or file.

You need to use a chromatic tuner to check the pitch of the note.  You may notice small pitch differences between a note played with the cover off and when the cover is in place.  As you get experience doing it you’ll be able to judge how to read your tuner and end up with the right note.  A popular tuner for harp is the Seiko Chromatic AutoTuner model ST-1000. 

There are lots of others, both more and less expensive, and even software tuners that use a microphone plugged into your sound card.  Many small digital tuners have a mic input, which provides a better signal to the tuner and can help stabilize a “dancing needle” type problem. 

If you seldom tune your harps, an inexpensive model is probably just fine, but if you tune a lot it’s no good being frustrated by a poor tool.  No matter what tuner you use, don’t forget to use your ears.  Your ears are the final judge as to whether a note is properly in tune…  if the tuner says it’s perfect but it sounds off to you, you’ll probably be happier if you make it sound right to you.

Harmonica reeds often go flat, and sometimes you can tune the reed back up to pitch.  However, if the reed has gone flat by a semitone or more, it is probably fractured, and tuning the reed may not work.  In fact, it may stress the reed enough to cause it to break–but don’t worry, it was broken already.

Many harp players do not tune their harps often enough.  With a little practice you’ll know just how much metal to remove, and where, and it won’t take long at all to get your harp all tuned up.

Caution: be sure to check the tuning with a chromatic tuner first to see what the reference ptich frequency is.  Historically, the frequency of an A note is used as the reference frequency, but not everywhere uses the same reference! 

A=440 cycles per second is very common, but harps are often tuned to A=441 or 442 or even higher, because harps are often played slightly flat, so tuning them sharp makes the resultant note fit better with other instruments.

If you tune each note exactly to pitch according to your tuner, the result will be in so-called equal temperament.  Equal temperament is common on many models of harps, such as the Lee Oskar Major Diatonic and the Hohner Golden Melody.  This tuning is optimized for playing single notes and melodies, but the chords will sound a bit out. 

To make certain chords sound better, many harps are tuned to a justified (or just) intonation.  Just intonation involves modifying the pitch of certain notes to make some chords sound better–but melody notes may sound flat or off key.  Various compromised intonations that aren’t quite just intonation and aren’t equal temperament have been devised to try to work as well as possible for both melody notes and chords.

In addition to keeping your harp in tune, various special tunings can be done to provide different notes (without requiring special bending or overbending techniques) and different chords.  Examples include the Natural Minor, country tuning, and Lee Oskar’s Melody Maker tuning.  Using the above procedures, it is relatively easy to build your own specially tuned harps.  Pat Missin’s web page contains his “Altered States” document, which contains hundreds of different tunings for both the diatonic and chromatic harps.

Just Intonation

Just intonation is a modification to equal temperament that makes chords blend together and sound better. There are many variations to just intonation and an extensive discussion is beyond the scope of these pages. For an extensive discussion of tunings and temperaments, see Pat Missin’s web page at: http://patmissin.com/tunings.html.

The following table shows one tuning alteration that produces a just intonation. The values are cents deviations from equal temperament (the raw readings of your chromatic tuner) where negative values mean cents flat and positive values mean cents sharp.

Adjustment from Equal Temperament for Just Intonation

Notice how much flatter the dominant (flat) 7 (5 draw) note is-almost half a semitone. That?s pretty flat and can sound off when playing melodies instead of chords. There are lots of ways to compromise between pure equal temperament and just intonation.

The idea is to achieve a compromise tuning that sounds good for melodies without rough sounding chords, or analogously, sounds good for chords without melody notes sounding out of tune. Here?s one such compromise:

Adjustment from Equal Temperament for Compromise Tuning

For the draw reeds, the thirds are 3 and 7, the fifths are 4 and 8, the flat 7ths are 5 and 9, and the ninths are 6 and 10. (The root notes have no adjustments.)

Reed Gapping

A reed gap is the gap between the reed and the slot in the reed plate (see the picture above).  The gap height (and shape, or profile) greatly influences how the reed plays: how the harp responds to your breath.  A wider gap requires more playing pressure to make the reed sound, and allows more aggressive play before the reed sticks or chokes. 

If you attack notes hard, a relatively wide gap can help keep the reed from missing or refusing to sound.  A narrower gap allows less air to activate the reed.  If you play softly, a relatively small gap will help the reed activate with a soft attack. 

If the gap is too small, for instance with the reed tip inside the slot, the reed will refuse to play.  Since the reed gaps are so important to the harp action, each player should learn to set the gaps for his/her own style of play.

The reed gaps need to be wider for longer reeds than shorter ones for consistent action.  In other words, the low notes should have slightly more gap between the reed and the reed plate than the high notes. 

In order for the harmonica to play smoothly and uniformly, the response must be consistent for every reed, with the slight gap differences applied for different length reeds. The nominal adjustment is for the gap of the reed tip above the slot to be about the same as the thickness of the reed.  Fine tune the gap adjustments from there.

The reed’s gap is really the totality of it’s distance above the slot along its entire length.  This is the area that lets the air flow under the reed and start its vibration.  Every bit of the reed should be above the slot in the reed plate, and the distance between the reed and the slot (the gap) should continually increase from the base of the reed to the tip. 

If any of the reed dips into the slot, or if the reed arches up and then back down it will not respond properly.  If the shape of a reed is wrong, correcting the problem is more difficult and requires more care than the normal setting of the height of the reed tip.  You can use small tools to support the reed at different points and work through the slot when necessary to gently bend the reed to make it as flat as you can. 

The best shape for the reed is probably as flat as you can get it, though some players prefer a very slight arc up toward the tip.  You should be pretty well practiced at gapping your reeds at the tip before you try to work on the reed shape–and as always, it’s a good idea to practice on junk harps.  Never throw out a broken harmonica.. they’re great for practicing gapping and tuning, and they can be used to provide parts you need to fix other harps later.

Harmonica reeds are essentially just brass springs that vibrate through slots in the reed plates to chop the air stream, which produces the sound. To adjust the reed gaps, just use your fingernails or a small tool to gently press the reed down, to close the gap, or up to increase the gap. 

After an adjustment is made, flick the tip of the reed a few times to get the reed to settle to its rest position–if you don’t you can get fooled by the reed position.  It can look one way, but revert back to where it was after you play a little–remember, it’s a spring. 

Flicking the reed tip a few times is a good way to get the reed to settle so you can correctly determine its gap.  It’s best to bend the reed in very small increments, and not make over adjustments.  Slight over adjustments are inevitable, but repeated bending one way, then the other, will weaken the reed and could even cause it to break.  The more you do it the more familiar you will become with the characteristics of the brass, and the easier it will be to set the gaps quickly.

By the way, when you go to increase the gap you may want to slide something thin under the reed tip to get hold of the reed.  Be careful not to slide anything too far back toward the rivet.  If you lift the base of the reed out of the slot you’ll probably end up making the reed pitch flat.  It is always a good idea to make sure your harps are in tune, and after gapping is a good time to check since you’ve got the harp open anyway.

Gapping is easy, safe, and a basic requirement for making a harp play well.  Factory reeds are set to some average beginner gap, and are usually too wide–and most often inconsistent across the harp.  I strongly recommend re-gapping your harps according to your personal playing style and needs.

For overblows, the reeds should be gapped close to the reed plate, i.e. with a small or tight gap.   This can be crucial for getting the overblow to sound!  An improperly gapped reed will simply refuse to overblow, or at the very least make the overblow difficult and temperamental. 

I recommend setting the gap as tight as possible without causing the reed to feel “sticky” (slow to respond) when attacked moderately hard.  There is a trade-off between overblow ease and reed action for fast loud play, and you need to find the gap that works best for you.  There is no visible difference between a gap that seems perfect and one that just doesn’t quite work, so you pretty much have to experiment–gap and try, gap and try.

Misaligned Reeds

Misaligned reeds are not straight along the length of their slot, causing part of the reed to catch on the slot, preventing the reed from vibrating properly.  You need to get the reed centered in its slot along its entire length, and there is very little clearance.  Trying to use a tool to torque the reed back into place can be tricky since the tolerances are so tight, and sideways twisting can easily damage the reed. 

A small piece of cigarette paper (or a feeler guage about the same thickness) can be slid between the side of the reed and the edge of the slot to gently nudge the reed back into place.  I feel that a very thin piece of paper like that is more likely to break than the reed if something goes wrong, so its less risky than using a tool.  You can hold the reed plate up to a light to try to peek at the location of the misalignment.

Embossing Reed Slots

Embossing a reed slot is a narrowing of the slot in order to reduce the air loss around the sides of the reed. This can make the harp more air tight and increase the responsiveness of the reed. It can also help overblows to respond better.

Embossing is relatively simple. Use a smooth round item harder than brass as a tool (like a socket, the round end of a tuning fork or silverware, or even a penny) and run it along the edges of the reed-side of the reed slots a few times.

If you happen to get the slot too tight so the reed won’t vibrate freely or buzzes, run a small “exacto”-type knife or screwdriver blade along the inside of the slot to open it back up a little. Be careful not to mis-align the reed or you’ll have to adjust it back so it’s centered. A thin shim (0.002″) can be used to straighten the reed in the slot and also remove any small burrs that the embossing may have created.

Reed Replacement

This section has been graciously provided by master harmonica customizer Bill Romel.
“I find it troublesome that any harmonica tech or instrument modifier would present information that discourages players from performing simple maintenance on their own instruments. Replacing a reed on a diatonic or chromatic harmonica is a relatively simple technique and it does not require any sophisticated equipment.

Equipment can be obtained from most any hardware store or can be purchased for a few dollars from persons technically competent to make the tools.

• A bar of steel about 2 inches wide and perhaps an inch thick with a hole drilled the size of the rivet head will suffice.
• Two pins made of steel, one with a sharp point and one with a flat head will work very well.
• A small ball peen hammer and some spare reed plates,

or today you can purchase new reeds from your Hohner district office. All Hohner reed plates use reeds that are the same in width, that eliminates one problem. Hering has reeds that are within a fraction of a thousandth of fitting on a Hohner plate if necessary. Run a small diamond file along the slide of the reed just once on both sides and you have a replacement reed from a Hering.

I advocate the rivet reed replacement method. Nine out of 10 times it works perfectly. The tenth time there is usually a problem with reed alignment but you can solve that problem with a screw.

The key to the rivet method is removing the reed used as a replacement from a spare reed plate without removing the rivet. Not a problem. Set the rivet head in the hole in the metal block and tap the rivet on the opposite side gently with your ball peen hammer a few times. The rivet will move. Turn the plate over and grasp the head of the rivet with a needle nose pliers and gently twist back and forth a few times and the rivet will release with the reed attached. It works every time.

Once you have obtained the reed you required, remove the old reed that is fractured or broken from your working reed plate.

To install the replacement reed, place the reed plate on the metal block and place the sharp pointed pin into the receiving hole and tap it once with the hammer. Why? It will spread the sides of the rivet hole outward just a very small amount without distorting the hole and allow you to start the new reed and rivet into the hole in the plate. You may be all fingers at this point.

Once the rivet has been started in the hole slide a thin shim under the reed so it will not fall into the slot and will remain relatively straight while you tap the rivet into the plate with the flat head steel pin and your trusty ball peen hammer. The reed will be loose in the hole.

Next is to set the rivet as my machinist friend use to say. Turn the plate over and place it on the flat surface of the metal block so the rivet head is flat on the surface. If the shaft of the rivet is protruding in the opposite side of the plate, then we must flatten it out with the flat head steel pin.

Turn the plate over and lay the head of the rivet on the metal block. Hold the plate steady and with the flat head pin resting on the protruding rivet body strike the pin a few times until the rivet is flat.

Now we will set the rivet with the sharp pointed pin. Place the point of the steel pin on the rear end of the rivet as close to the center as you can. Secure the reed plate and steel pin with one hand and strike the sharp pointed steel pin about two to three times with the hammer. This will cause the body of the rivet to expand sufficiently to be tight in the hole. Check the reed to ascertain that it is secure and tight. You may have to align the reed with a reed wrench and generally you will have to do some touch up tuning.

Thirty years of experience and trying all methods has convinced me that this is still the best method of reed replacement. Granted there will be times when a screw is necessary due to misalignment but it is the rare occurrence. I like the 0-80 Phillips Round Head stainless steels screws for this problem. Just tap the plate and drill out the reed. It is done in a few minutes.
Regards,
Bill”

Valves

On harmonicas, “valves” are flaps attached to the reed plate at the rivet over the slot opposite the reed.  See the picture above.  They are made out of a thin plastic strip, or pair of strips, though they used to be made of other materials such as leather.

Valves are most often found on chromatic harmonicas, on which they are usually called windsavers. They do indeed function as valves, blocking the air stream during a draw from entering through the blow reeds (and vice versa for draw reeds) while allowing the air stream during a blow to exit via the blow-reed slot (again vice versa for draw reeds).

And since they block the air stream from the opposite reed, less air is required overall to play a reed–thus they save wind, which is important on most chromatics because their mouthpieces and slide a*semblies typically leak substantial amounts of air.  Windsavers on chromatic are normally present for every reed, sometimes with the exception of the very highest notes.

Such is not the case on diatonics, which are generally much more air tight than their chromatic cousins. The valves on diatonics are not used as windsavers. They are used to facilitate valved bends.

A valved-bend is simply a bend on a reed whose paired-reed (i.e. in the same chamber) is valved.  On the diatonic, not all reeds are valved. The valves are used to obtain bends not normally available on the diatonic harp.  Normal bends are draw bends on holes 1 through 6, and blow bends on holes 7 through 10.  A valved diatonic allows all the regular bends, plus blow bends on holds 1 through 6, and draw bends on holes 7 through 10.  So, when valving a diatonic harp, the flaps are placed as follows:

• Over the slots opposite the draw reeds on holes 1-6
• Over the slots opposite the blow reeds on holes 7-10.

The valves for holes 1-6 are inside the reed chambers, so the bottom reed plate must be removed before the valves can be installed.

Installation is simply a matter of using super glue to attach the plastic flaps to the reed plate at the rivet point on the other side of the plate from where the reed is attached.  Only a tiny amount of super glue should be applied to the valve, and care must be taken not to get glue on the reeds! 

A small amount of glue should be put on a small slip of paper or plastic, and the end of valve should be dipped into the glue in order to control the amount of glue applied and make sure you don?t get too much.  If you try to squeeze the glue out of a tube onto the reed plate, you’re sure to get too much and have problems!

There are both single layer and double layer valves. Double layer valves have a slightly shorter, stiffer, usually clear plastic “spring” to help keep the actual valve layer flat over the slot. The double-layer valves are installed stiff side up. A good tip is to put a small kink about one third the way back from the tip of the stiff plastic layer so that the tip bends in to push harder on the actual flap layer, holding it down tighter so it lies flatter.

Some single layer valves have one side textured and one side smooth. The textured side goes toward the reed plate to help keep the valve from sticking to the plate. If there a dimple in one end of the valve, that sits over the rivet to help put the valve as close to the reed plate as possible.

You can buy valves from Hohner, Bill Romel, John Infande, and probably other harp customizers, or you can make your own.  In some sense, valves have not been perfected, and they frequently can rattle or buzz.  One of the best materials to use for valving is a thin (0.003) mylar covered with 3M Micropore tape.  The tape side goes down, toward the plate, which helps reduce sticking, popping, buzzing, etc. The valves should be trimmed to just barely cover the slot they’re on top of.

Take care when reassembling the harmonica that the comb does not interfere with the free operation of the valves.  If the comb keeps the valve from lifting during play, the reed won’t sound, or won’t sound right.

Valved bends are a little different than normal diatonic bends. During a normal bend, both reeds in the chamber can participate to produce the characteristic gutsy sound. These dual-reed bends tend to “snap” into place at the lowest note available.  Valved bends are more delicate and require more control to execute cleanly and clearly on pitch.  Only one reed participates in the generation of the sound, since the other reed is blocked by the valve.  It is especially important not to attack the bend hard when you initiate it, otherwise it will choke off and not sound.  It is also very important to bend “from your diaphragm” using resonance for valved bends.  A pinching of the lips will not produce a good valved bend. Valved bends can be done on the chromatic, as well as a valved diatonic.

The only commercially available valved diatonic at this time is the valved Suzuki ProMaster (or the semi-chromatic Hohner Slide Harp). But, with a little practice valving your own harp will only take 5 or 10 minutes.

Valve Problems

Valve can stick, buzz, rattle, and generally be a nuisance. Cleaning harps with valves takes extra care to avoid knocking off the flaps. Many valve problems are caused by twisted, curled, or bent flaps that don?t lie flat. Many times replacing the valve is the only way to fix a problem. Be careful when you install new valves that any textured side is toward the reed plate, and that the flap is as flat as possible. If it is a 2-layer valve, the stiff plastic goes on top to act as a spring to return the softer flap so it lies flat over the slot.

If the valve is sticking (possibly making a popping sound) there are a couple of things to try. First, tear a small piece of newspaper, moisten it, and slide it between the valve and the reed plate. Sometimes dried saliva is causing the flap to stick, and the wet rough paper can dissolve the “glue” and clean the flap without pulling it off. It sometimes seems to help to make small scratches in the reed plate where the valve hits it to break up the smooth surface to help prevent sticking due to “suction” (surface tension).

Since many sticking problems are due to moisture condensation of your warm breath on the cool harp, it greatly helps to warm up the harmonica before you play it. There are many ways to do that, including wrapping your harp in a warm heating pad for 10 or 15 minutes before you play, or even setting the harp on a warm stereo or TV monitor for a few minutes.

Harp Setup for Chromatic Play Using Valves And Overblows

Overblows and overdraws (overbends) work by choking the reed that normally plays for the airflow direction (blow or draw) and activating the other reed to play as an opening reed.  For overblows, this means the blow reed is choked so as not to sound, and the draw reed is activated to produce the sound.  Using overblows and overdraws it is possible to get full chromatic capability out of a diatonic harp, just as with valved bends.

Valves interfere with overbends.  For example, if a draw reed has been valved, an overblow is not possible in that chamber because the airflow cannot reach the draw reed during a blow.  The bottom line is that you can’t play valved bends and overbends in the same chamber.

Valving the draw reeds in holes 1, 2, 3, and the blow reed in hole 8, is the optimal way to valve a harp while still allowing full chromatic play without losing the most useful overblows.

Storage

Your harps should be stored so that they dry out thoroughly after being played.  It is a good idea to tap the harp on the palm of your hand first, to get out as much moisture as you can before putting the harp away.  Don’t store your harps in unvented plastic boxes, which unfortunately some of them come in.  This keeps them from drying out quickly and can lead to corrosion and reed fatigue.  If you store them with the holes down the moisture will be able to run down out of the harp instead of drying inside it.  Dried saliva is the primary culprit in gunked-up harps, and can keep the harp from playing right and sounding its best.

Cleaning

Occasionally it is a good idea to clean your harps since gunk (the official name..) builds up inside the holes and on the reeds and reed plates.  Saliva is sticky stuff, but fortunately it’s water based and so is best dissolved in water.  You don’t need to use alcohol or harsh chemicals to clean your harp, and you certainly shouldn’t use anything you wouldn’t want anywhere near your mouth–just use water to clean your harps.

I don’t think how you clean your harp is particularly critical, or recommend any specific period of time between cleanings.  Each person’s playing habits, body chemistry, and tolerance for gunk is different.  Obviously, if something is interfering with the way the harp plays you need to take care of it.  If that means some fuzz is lodged in there causing a reed not to respond you need to remove the foreign material.  If you use a brush, make sure to stroke in the direction of the reeds so you don’t cause them to be misaligned by pushing them sideways (not along the slot length).  An electric-shaver type brush works well for brushing out the dried gunk from inside the harp holes, but even a toothpick can be used pluck out any offending material.

Caution: wood comb harps (mainly the Hohner Marine Band) are not good to get wet, certainly not for very long.  Some people swear by soaking their wood comb harps , and others swear at it–bottom line, the comb will swell and dry out, and upon drying be more inclined to crack, split, or warp.  The swelling sometimes will push the comb teeth out beyond the mouthpiece making it very uncomfortable to play.  A swollen comb probably eliminates some air leaks, but once soaked you pretty much have to soak it every time or it won’t be playable, and the life of the harp is greatly reduced. I recommend against soaking wood comb harps.

Soaking plastic or metal comb harps presents no such problems, since neither the plastic nor metal absorb moisture, swell, or shrink.  Prolonged or very frequent soaking can increase corrosion on the reeds and may reduce their overall life, but periodic cleanings shouldn’t cause problems.  Some people report good success putting their harps (not wood!) in a dishwasher for a short time, say 5 minutes or so, using only a small amount of dishwasher detergent (like a tablespoon).  I’ve found that a quick soak in some denture cleaning solution does a pretty good job.  Be sure to shake the excess water out of harp when you’re done.

Sharp Edges

Some harps have reed plates that extend slightly beyond the comb and covers, and sometimes these plates have sharp edges that bother people’s lips.  The outside parts of the harp are not that delicate.. if there’s a sharp edge, file it smooth or sand it with fine grained emery type wet/dry paper.  If a corner feels too sharp or rough you can safely sand it down or round it out by pressing it firmly onto a hard surface.

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar (born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper, songwriter, and actress. Born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx, New York City, she became an Internet celebrity after several of her posts and videos became popular on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York, which depicted her pursuit of her music aspirations. She released two mixtapes—Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, before signing with label Atlantic Records in early 2017.

Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, broke several streaming records, was certified triple platinum by the RIAA and named by Billboard the top female rap album of the 2010s. Critically acclaimed, it won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making Cardi B the only woman to win the award as a solo artist, as well as the first female rap artist in 15 years to be nominated for Album of the Year. It spawned two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100; “Bodak Yellow”, which made her the second female rapper to top the chart with a solo output—following Lauryn Hill in 1998—and “I Like It”, which made her the first female rapper to attain multiple number-one songs on the chart. Her Maroon 5 collaboration “Girls Like You” made her the only female rapper to top the Hot 100 three times. “WAP”, the lead single of her second album, expanded her record as the female rapper with the most Hot 100 number-one singles as her fourth leader, and made her the only female rap artist to achieve chart-topping singles in two decades (2010s and 2020s).

Recognized by Forbes as one of the most influential female rappers of all time, Cardi B is known for her aggressive flow and candid lyrics, which have received widespread media coverage. She is the highest-certified female rapper of all time on the RIAA’s Top Artists (Digital Singles) ranking, also appearing among the ten highest-certified female artists and having the top certified song by a female rap artist. She is the only female rapper with multiple billion-streamers on Spotify. Her accolades include a Grammy Award, eight Billboard Music Awards, five Guinness World Records, five American Music Awards, eleven BET Hip Hop Awards and two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards. In 2018 Time magazine included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2020, Billboard honored her as Woman of the Year.

Early life

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar was born on October 11, 1992, in Washington Heights, Manhattan. The daughter of a Dominican father and Trinidadian mother, she was raised in the Highbridge neighborhood of the South Bronx, and spent much time at her paternal grandmother’s home in Washington Heights, which she credits with giving her “such a thick accent.” Almánzar developed the stage name “Cardi B” as a derivation of Bacardi, a rum brand that was formerly her nickname. She has said she was a gang member with the Bloods in her youth, since the age of 16 However, she has stated ever since that she would not encourage joining a gang.[15] She went on to attend Renaissance High School for Musical Theater & Technology, a vocational high school on the Herbert H. Lehman High School campus.

During her teens, Cardi B was employed at a deli in Tribeca. She was fired, and her manager suggested she apply to be a stripper at the strip club across the street. Cardi B has said that becoming a stripper was positive for her life in many ways: “It really saved me from a lot of things. When I started stripping I went back to school.” She has stated that she became a stripper in order to escape poverty and domestic violence, having been in an abusive relationship at the time after being kicked out of her mother’s house, and that stripping was her only way to earn enough money to escape the situation and get an education. She attended Borough of Manhattan Community College before eventually dropping out. While stripping, Cardi B lied to her mother by telling her she was making money babysitting.

In 2013, she began to gain publicity due to several of her videos spreading on social media, on Vine and her Instagram page.

Career

2015–2016: Career beginnings

In 2015, Cardi B joined the cast of the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York, debuting in season six. Jezebel considered her the breakout star of the show’s sixth season. The sixth and seventh seasons chronicle her rise to stardom and her turbulent relationship with her incarcerated fiancé. On December 30, 2016, after two seasons, she announced that she would be leaving the show to further pursue a career in music.

In November 2015, Cardi B made her musical debut on Jamaican reggae fusion singer Shaggy’s remix to his single “Boom Boom”, alongside fellow Jamaican dancehall singer Popcaan. She made her music video debut on December 15, 2015, with the song “Cheap Ass Weave”, her rendition of British rapper Lady Leshurr’s “Queen’s Speech 4”. On March 7, 2016, Cardi B released her first full-length project, a mixtape titled Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1. In November 2016, she was featured on the digital cover of Vibe magazine’s “Viva” issue. On September 12, 2016, KSR Group released the compilation Underestimated: The Album, which is a collaboration between KSR Group artists Cardi B, HoodCelebrityy, SwiftOnDemand, Cashflow Harlem, and Josh X. It was previously released only to attendees of their U.S. tour. KSR Group’s flagship artist Cardi B said “I wanted to make a song that would make girls dance, twerk and at the same time encourage them to go get that Shmoney,” in regard to the compilation’s single “What a Girl Likes”.

She appeared on the December 9, 2015 episode of Uncommon Sense with Charlamagne. On April 6, 2016, she was on the twelfth episode of Khloé Kardashian’s Kocktails with Khloé: In it, she revealed how she told her mother that she was a stripper. In November 2016, it was announced that she would be joining the cast of the BET series Being Mary Jane. TVLine describes her character, Mercedes, as a “round-the-way beauty with a big weave, big boobs and a big booty to match her oversize, ratchet personality.”

In 2016, Cardi B was featured in her first endorsement deal with Romantic Depot, a large New York chain of lingerie stores that sell sexual health and wellness products. The ad campaign was featured on radio and cable TV. This was noted by the NY Post in a feature article about “Cardi B’s meteoric rise from stripper to superstar” in April 2018.

2017–2018: Breakthrough with Invasion of Privacy

On January 20, 2017, Cardi B released her second mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2. In February 2017, Cardi B partnered with MAC Cosmetics and Rio Uribe’s Gypsy Sport for an event for New York Fashion Week. In late February, it was reported that Cardi B signed her first major record label recording contract with Atlantic Records. On February 25, 2017, Cardi B was the opening act for East Coast hip hop group The Lox’s Filthy America… It’s Beautiful Tour, alongside fellow New York City-based rappers Lil’ Kim and Remy Ma. In April 2017, she was featured in i-D’s “A-Z of Music” video sponsored by Marc Jacobs. Cardi also guest-starred on the celebrity panel show Hip Hop Squares, appearing on the March 13 and April 3, 2017 episodes. In May 2017, the nominees for the 2017 BET Awards were announced, revealing that Cardi B had been nominated for Best New Artist and Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, tying with DJ Khaled and Kendrick Lamar for the most nominations with nine. Although she failed to win any awards, losing to Chance the Rapper and Remy Ma, respectively, Cardi B performed at the BET Awards Afterparty show. On June 11, 2017, during Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam music festival, Remy Ma brought out Cardi B, along with The Lady of Rage, MC Lyte, Young M.A, Monie Love, Lil’ Kim and Queen Latifah, to celebrate female rappers and perform Latifah’s 1993 hit single “U.N.I.T.Y.” about female empowerment. In June 2017, it was revealed that Cardi B would be on the cover of The Fader’s Summer Music issue for July/August 2017. She performed at MoMA PS1 on August 19 to a crowd of 4,000.

On June 16, 2017, Atlantic Records released Cardi B’s commercial debut single, “Bodak Yellow”, via digital distribution. She performed the single on The Wendy Williams Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! The song climbed the charts for several months, and, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated September 25, 2017, “Bodak Yellow” reached the number one spot, making Cardi B the first female rapper to do so with a solo single since Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” debuted atop the chart in 1998.  The song stayed atop the charts for three consecutive weeks, tying with American pop singer Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” as the longest running female at the number one spot in 2017. Cardi B became the first person of Dominican descent to reach number one in the history of the Hot 100 since it was launched in 1958. An editor of The New York Times called it “the rap anthem of the summer”. Selected by The Washington Post and Pitchfork music critics as the best song of 2017,  “Bodak Yellow” was eventually certified nonuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song received nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 60th Grammy Awards.  It won Single of the Year at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards.

With her collaborations “No Limit” and “MotorSport”, she became the first female rapper to land her first three entries in the top 10 of the Hot 100,  and the first female artist to achieve the same on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In October 2017, Cardi B headlined Power 105.1’s annual Powerhouse music celebration, alongside The Weeknd, Migos, and Lil Uzi Vert, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. In December, she released two songs: a collaboration with Puerto Rican singer Ozuna titled “La Modelo”, and “Bartier Cardi”, the second single from her debut album.

On January 3, 2018, Cardi B was featured on Bruno Mars’ remix version of “Finesse”, and also appeared in the 90s inspired video. It reached the top three on the Hot 100, Canada and New Zealand. On January 18, 2018, Cardi B became the first woman to have five top 10 singles simultaneously on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. She released another single, “Be Careful”, on March 30, 2018, a week before her album’s release.

Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy, was released on April 6, 2018, to universal acclaim from music critics. Editors from Variety and The New York Times called it “one of the most powerful debuts of this millennium” and “a hip-hop album that doesn’t sound like any of its temporal peers,” respectively. The album entered at number one in the United States, while she became the first female artist to chart 13 entries simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100, on the chart issue dated April 21. It also became the most streamed album by a female artist in a single week in Apple Music, and the largest on-demand audio streaming week ever for an album by a woman. Cardi held the latter record until 2019. The album’s title reflects Cardi B’s feeling that as she gained popularity her privacy was being invaded in a variety of ways. Following the album’s release, during a performance on Saturday Night Live, Cardi B officially announced her pregnancy, after much media speculation. She also co-hosted an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Several months later, in July 2018, the album’s fourth single, “I Like It”, which features vocals from Bad Bunny and J Balvin, reached number one on the Hot 100; this marked her second number one on the chart and made her the first female rapper to achieve multiple chart-toppers. It received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone naming it “the best summer song of all time” in 2020. Her collaboration with Maroon 5, “Girls Like You”, also reached number one the Hot 100 chart, extending her record among female rappers and also making her the sixth female artist to achieve three number-one singles on the chart during the 2010s. The song’s music video has received more than 2.7 billion views on YouTube and was the fifth-best selling song of the year globally. With “Girls Like You” following “I Like It” at the top of the Billboard Radio Songs chart, Cardi B became the first female rapper to ever replace herself at number one on that chart. The single spent seven weeks atop the Hot 100, making Cardi the female rapper with the most cumulative weeks atop the chart, with eleven weeks. It spent 33 weeks in the top 10, tying both Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and Post Malone and Swae Lee’s “Sunflower” for the longest top 10 run in the chart’s archives at the time. In October 2018, Invasion of Privacy was certified double platinum by the RIAA, and the following year it was updated to triple platinum. With the thirteen tracks, she became the first female artist to have all songs from an album certified gold or higher in the US.

Cardi B received the most nominations for the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards with 12 mentions—including for Video of the Year, winning three awards. She also tied with Drake for the most nominations at the 2018 American Music Awards. She won three AMAs and performed at the ceremony. Her single “Money” earned her a fourth Video Music Award. Her collaboration with DJ Snake “Taki Taki” topped the charts in a number of Hispanic countries, made Cardi B the first female rapper to top the Spotify Global 50 chart, and has garnered more than 1.8 billion views. Both singles were certified multiple-platinum by the RIAA. People en Español named her Star of the Year,  and Entertainment Weekly deemed her “a pop culture phenomenon”, as she was named one of “2018 Entertainers of the Year.”

On November 30, 2018, Cardi B was honored at Ebony’s annual Power 100 Gala. Cardi ranked fifth on the 2018 Billboard Year-End Top Artists chart, while Invasion of Privacy ranked sixth. She achieved the most-streamed album of the year by a female artist globally in Apple Music, and ranked as the most streamed female artist of the year in the United States in Spotify. Editorial staff from Apple Music and Billboard named “I Like It” the best song of 2018,  while Time magazine and Rolling Stone named Invasion of Privacy the best album of the year. Also in 2018, Time included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[ In its decade-end review article, NME stated that the era secured “her crown as the new Queen of Rap.”

2019–present: Hustlers, Rhythm + Flow and upcoming second studio album

Cardi B received five nominations at the 61st Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year, Best Rap Album and Record of the Year (“I Like It”). She became the third female rapper to be nominated for Album of the Year, following Lauryn Hill (1999) and Missy Elliott (2004). On February 10, 2019, she then performed at the award ceremony, where she wore three vintage Thierry Mugler couture looks during the telecast and became the first female rapper to win Best Rap Album as a solo artist. Cardi B also led the 2019 Billboard Music Awards nominations, with 21, the most nominations in a single year ever by a woman and the third most nominations in a year ever (behind Drake and The Chainsmokers, who both had 22 in a year). She ended up winning six awards, including for Top Hot 100 Song, bringing her career total wins to seven—the most of any female rapper in history. An article by Omaha World-Herald called her “the biggest rapper in the world.”

On February 15, 2019, Cardi B released “Please Me”, a collaboration with Bruno Mars, which became her seventh top-ten song on the Hot 100, reaching number three. The song marked Cardi and Bruno’s second collaboration, following “Finesse” in 2018. The official music video was released two weeks later. On March 1, Cardi set a new attendance record at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with 75,580 fans in the audience. With “Backin’ It Up”, “Twerk” and “Money”, Cardi became the first female artist to occupy the top three on the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart. Her following single titled “Press” was released on May 31, 2019. The parental-advisory labeled music video marked her directorial debut—being credited as co-director, and was released on June 26, 2019. It had its debut performance at the 2019 BET Awards, where she won Album of the Year. During the summer of 2019 she embarked on an arena tour.

Cardi B made her film debut in Hustlers directed by Lorene Scafaria, opposite Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, and Lili Reinhart. The film was released on September 13, 2019 to critical acclaim. Cardi B, along with Chance the Rapper and T.I., were confirmed as judges for the Netflix series Rhythm + Flow, a ten-part hip-hop talent search that premiered on October 9, 2019, which she also executive produced. She will next appear in F9, which is set to be released on May 28, 2021, by Universal Pictures. In September 2019, Cardi B became the highest-certified female rapper of all time on the RIAA’s Top Artists (Digital Singles) ranking, with 31.5 million certified units, also being the ninth highest-certified female artist overall. Forbes has recognized her as one of the most influential female rappers of all time. In December 2019, Cardi B embarked on her first tour of Africa, performing in Nigeria and Ghana. Her collaboration “Clout” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. She was the most streamed female rapper of 2019 in the US, according to Spotify. Consequence of Sound deemed her “one of the most formidable hip-hop artists of the decade.”  In March 2020, Cardi B created a reaction video about the coronavirus pandemic. DJ iMarkkeyz, a Brooklyn DJ known for turning memes and online moments into full-length songs, created a track, based on her reaction titled “Coronavirus”, which became an internet meme and was released to music platforms. Netflix announced the return of Rhythm + Flow for 2021.

Cardi B released the single “WAP” featuring American rapper Megan Thee Stallion on August 7, 2020 as the lead single off her forthcoming second studio album. The song received critical acclaim and was praised for its sex positive messages. The Colin Tilley-directed music video accompanied the song itself, and broke the record for the biggest 24-hour debut for an all-female collaboration on YouTube. She became the only female rap artist to top the Global Spotify chart multiple times.[151] “WAP” debuted at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, garnering Cardi B her fourth chart-topper in the US, extending her record as the female rapper with the most number-one singles, and also making her the first female rapper to achieve Hot 100 number one singles in two different decades (2010s and 2020s). With 93 million streaming units, it became the largest first-week streams for a song, breaking the all-time record held by Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings”. It has spent four weeks atop the Hot 100. The single has also spent multiple weeks at number one in seven other countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom. Neil Shah of The Wall Street Journal deemed it “a big moment for female rappers” and “a historic sign that women artists are making their mark on hip-hop like never before”. “WAP” became the first number one single on the inaugural Billboard Global 200 chart. Cardi B won the Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Female Artist for the third time at the 2020 ceremony.  In December 2020, Cardi B became the first female rapper to be named Woman of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music Awards. With her win for “WAP” at the American Music Awards, she became the first artist to win the American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Song multiple times, following her win for “Bodak Yellow” in 2018.

Artistry

Influences

In Billboard’s “You Should Know” series, Cardi B said the first albums she ever purchased were by American entertainers Missy Elliott and Tweet, respectively. She has credited Puerto Rican rapper Ivy Queen and Jamaican dancehall artist Spice as influences, as well as Lady Gaga, Lil’ Kim, Madonna,  and Selena.  When asked about the initial direction for her music, Cardi B said in an interview,

“When I first started rapping […] I liked certain songs from Khia and Trina, and they [were] fighting songs. I haven’t heard fighting songs for a very long time,” crediting the two female rappers for her aggressive rap style. She continued, saying “a lot of girls they cannot afford red bottoms, a lot of girls they cannot afford foreign cars […] but I know that every girl has beef with a girl […] I know that every bitch don’t like some bitch, and it’s like ‘that’s what I wanna rap about.’”

She also credits growing up in the South Bronx and real life experiences as influences for her songwriting; “I wouldn’t be able to rap about the things that I rap about now [if I hadn’t grown up there].

Musical style

Her first studio album, Invasion of Privacy, is primarily a hip hop record, which comprises elements of trap, Latin music, and R&B. Consequence of Sound described her flow as “acrobatic and nimble.” AllMusic editor David Jeffries called Cardi B “a raw and aggressive rapper”. Stereogum called her voice “a full-bodied New Yawk nasal bleat, the sort of thing that you’ve heard if someone has ever told you that you stupid for taking too long at swiping your MetroCard.” They continued to call her voice “an unabashedly loud and sexual f*ck-you New York honk—that translates perfectly to rap.” In a 2017 Complex article about her, the editor wrote “unapologetic does not begin to describe the totally unfiltered and sheer Cardi B-ness of Cardi B’s personality. She’s a hood chick who’s not afraid to be hood no matter the setting. Cardi B is Cardi B 24/7, 365, this is why she resonates with people, and that same energy comes out in her music.” Her flow has been described as aggressive. Cardi B has defended her musical content primarily comprising sexually-charged lyrics—like most contemporary female rappers; she stated that the content “seems like that’s what people want to hear”, since she faced negative reactions after releasing her more emotional song, “Be Careful.”

Other ventures

In February 2017, she partnered with M.A.C and Rio Uribe’s Gypsy Sport for an event for New York Fashion Week. During an April 2017 interview with HotNewHipHop, Cardi B spoke on being rejected by fashion designers. Her April appearance in i-D’s “A-Z of Music” video was sponsored by designer Marc Jacobs, and she made the cover of The Fader’s July/August 2017 Summer Music issue. Tom Ford’s Cardi B-inspired lipstick, and named after her, was released in September 2018. It sold out within 24 hours. In November, she partnered with Reebok, promoting the brand’s Aztrek sneaker. The same month she released a clothing line collection with Fashion Nova.

Cardi B teamed up with Pepsi for two television commercials, which aired during the Super Bowl LIII and the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. In early 2019, Cardi also joined other hip hop artists (including her husband Offset, as part of Migos) in releasing her flavors of snack food Rap Snacks: two flavors of chips, and two of popcorn. The bags’ artwork were inspired by the cover of Invasion of Privacy. In partnership with Reebok, she released a footwear and apparel collection, inspired by her personal style and paying homage to “classic 80s styling” and motifs.

Public image

Cardi B identifies as a feminist. The New York Times wrote “on Love & Hip Hop: New York some viewers saw her as a hero of female empowerment, as she made pronouncements such as ‘Ever since I started using guys, I feel so much better about myself. I feel so damn powerful.’”

Political statements

The star has been called “unabashedly, directly political” and often uses social media to advocate for causes she believes in, such as gun control. During the 2016 presidential primaries, she warned her fans of President Trump’s immigration policies and encouraged them to vote for Senator Bernie Sanders. At the Grammy Awards in 2018, she appeared in a video along with Hillary Clinton to narrate a portion of Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s insider’s account of Trump’s administration, and stated “Why am I even reading this shit? I can’t believe this. I can’t believe—this is how he really lives his life?” Cardi B endorsed Sanders once again in his second bid for the presidency in the 2020 United States presidential election, while also praising U.S. Representative Tim Ryan. She also stated that one of the reasons for her endorsement is Sanders’ long-time involvement in supporting underprivileged minorities and “people getting Medicare because he knows they can’t afford it,” while Politico website argued that she “might be one of Bernie’s most powerful 2020 allies.” She has also used her social pages to raise awareness for victims of police brutality, and has encouraged people to vote for mayors, judges and district attorneys in local elections. In a conversation with Democratic candidate Joe Biden for Elle, they discussed Medicare, free college tuition, and racial equality.[ According to a study published by The Hollywood Reporter, Cardi B ranked as the fifth most influential celebrity, and fourth among Generation Z, for the 2020 presidential election.

She has praised President Franklin D. Roosevelt for advocating for the Social Security program and the New Deal project in general and has noted her admiration for his wife Eleanor Roosevelt’s humanitarianism and advocacy for African-Americans. She said of President Roosevelt, “he helped us get over the Depression, all while he was in a wheelchair. Like, this man was suffering from polio at the time of his presidency, and yet all he was worried about was trying to make America great—make America great again for real. He’s the real ‘Make America Great Again,’ because if it wasn’t for him, old people wouldn’t even get Social Security.” Sanders himself has praised her for her “leading role” in calling attention to Social Security. During the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown she released a video on Instagram, where she said “our country is a hellhole right now”.

On October 8, 2020, Cardi B posted a message on her Instagram condemning Azerbaijan for attacking Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), a disputed territory, and asked her followers to donate to Armenia Fund, a humanitarian organization that supports Armenia’s development and the needy. The next day she removed the message and apologized to her followers for posting such a message and instead she said she is just in favor of ending the war.

Controversies

Cardi B caused controversy after throwing one of her high heel shoes at, and attempting to physically fight, fellow rapper Nicki Minaj at an after-party hosted by Harper’s Bazaar during New York Fashion Week 2018. She later stated that Minaj had previously “liked” comments made by other users on social media who spoke negatively about Cardi B’s abilities to take care of her newly born daughter. Minaj denied the accusations. Nevertheless, she covered the spring fashion issue of Harper’s Bazaar in early 2019, featuring her in a Cinderella-themed photo shoot wearing a red gown and leaving a shoe behind, which some writers found reflective of the incident.

After the release of “Girls” in May 2018, a collaboration where she had a featured verse, Cardi B responded to the accusations of the song trivializing and sexualizing LGBT relationships. She stated on Twitter, “We never try to cause harm or had bad intentions with the song.” Cardi B then went on to say, “I personally myself had experiences with other women.”

In March 2019, a livestream from Instagram resurfaced from 2016 where she can be heard claiming that in the past she “had drugged and robbed men” who willingly came with her to hotel rooms for sex. She stated that the men she referred to were conscious, willing and aware; they were getting “twisted in the club” before approaching her, and denied putting anything on a man’s drink. She added that she took some money from them because they wasted her time by falling asleep, and then “kept coming back.” She concluded by saying that at the time she had very limited options to survive, and feels a responsibility not to glorify it.

Fashion

Cardi has a noted affinity for Christian Louboutin heels, a running theme in her song “Bodak Yellow”. She has also mentioned her affinity for cheap, fast-fashion brands stating “I don’t care if it cost $20 or $15. If it looks good on me, it looks good on me”. In November 2018 she released a collection with Fashion Nova.  Cardi wore vintage Thierry Mugler to the 2018 Grammy Awards. An article from Vogue noted she “is famous for her statement getups—whether she’s rocking archival Mugler on the red carpet, or dripping in Chanel while sitting courtside at a basketball game.” Her over-the-top manicures, designed by nail artist Jenny Bui and studded with Swarovski crystals, has become a part of her signature look.

In 2018, she became the first female rapper in the US to appear on the cover of Vogue. Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the cover, one of four for the January 2019 issue that included Stella McCartney, features her in a red and white Michael Kors dress and matching red Jimmy Choo shoes, while holding her daughter, Kulture.

In 2019, the Council of Fashion Designers of America included her on their list of “28 Black Fashion Forces”.

Cardi B became the face of Balenciaga’s ad campaign for the winter 2020 season. The campaign includes billboards in several international locations, including the Louvre museum. Vogue’s Brooke Bobb commented, “This is Cardi’s first campaign for a luxury fashion house, though she’s definitely no stranger to the Parisian style scene”, citing her floral printed Richard Quinn ensemble “that literally covered her from head to toe” and her being “a front row fixture” at high fashion shows, adding, “She and her stylist Kollin Carter have been wildly successful in carving out a much-needed space for Cardi within the fashion industry, and they’ve cultivated a personal style that is all her own while being inspiring to all”.

In 2020, Cardi B became the first female rapper to be awarded by the FN Achievement Awards when she won the Style Influencer of the Year award. In a press release for the awards show, she was called an “influence just about everything in pop culture—from music, fashion and style to social media, politics and even public service”.

Impact

Multiple publications, including Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and Entertainment Weekly, have called her “Hip Hop’s Reigning Queen” since the release of Invasion of Privacy. Spin staff credited her for opening “the table to a new generation of pop artists remaking American music in their own image and accents. [Cardi B] recognized that POC artists no longer need to pander or soften themselves in order to become household names.” An article from Uproxx noted Cardi B for promoting up-and-coming female rappers; “[she is] choosing to use her position at the height of stardom to open doors for other women to flourish in hip-hop at a greater level than any since the Golden Era and “Ladies First”. This is something of a departure from tradition; for the decade previous to Cardi’s precipitous come-up, it seemed hip-hop had an unspoken, Highlander-esque rule in place regarding women.” The New Yorker also credited her for “changing a genre that has rarely allowed for more than one female superstar at a time.” Billboard editors stated that with “Bodak Yellow”‘s commercial success, “she left an indelible mark on the summer of 2017, not only because she rewrote history, but she gave hope to the have nots…”. “I Like It” became the first Latin trap song to reach number one on the Hot 100, which reflected “the times, the moment and the new openness of the world” towards Spanish-infused music in streaming services according to the magazine. In 2020, The Wall Street Journal’s Neil Shah stated that “today’s female-rap renaissance was sparked partly by the success of Cardi B”, while Genius staff credited her for “helping jumpstart a new wave of female hip-hop signings and promotion at labels”.

NPR defined “Cardi B effect” as “a branding power rooted in specific authenticity, created and permeated by rapper Cardi B” and noticed that with her breakthrough, “brands finally started to become hip to [her] effect, noticing the cultural markers outside of the rap world that were proving it wasn’t limited to clubs, concerts and radio.” Business magazine Inc. stated that her success “shows how social media changed everything we knew about traditional marketing and media”, which no longer relies on a “well-thought marketing scheme or millions of dollars in advertising.” Articles by Vogue and The Telegraph have referred to her as a “fashion icon for our times.” In 2019, a life-sized sculpture of her was on display at the Brooklyn Museum, as part of Spotify’s RapCaviar “Pantheon”. Bloomberg reported that her data bill helped to boost Ghana’s GDP growth in 2019, after it was part of a concert tour. She inspired the creation of the sitcom Partners in Rhyme, executively produced by MC Lyte about a young woman in high school who “aspires to be the next Cardi B.” P-Valley creator Katori Hall credited her influence for “helping prepare the public” for the storyline depicted in the TV series. Singer-songwriter Rosalía has cited her among her influences. Cardi B has been credited for supporting and uniting female rappers in the industry.

Achievements

Cardi B is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award, eight Billboard Music Awards, five Guinness World Records, five American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, four BET Awards, and eleven BET Hip Hop Awards. Time included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018. She received the ASCAP award for Songwriter of the Year in 2019, becoming the first female rapper to win the award. She received the honor for the second time in 2020, making her the first female songwriter to win the award twice. In 2020, Cardi B became the first female rapper to be named Woman of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music Awards.

Cardi B is the female rapper with the most Billboard Hot 100 number one singles (4) and the one with the most total weeks on the top position (15). “Bodak Yellow”—certified nonuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)—became the highest-certified single by a female rapper. “I Like It” became the first song led by a female rapper to surpass a billion streams on Spotify, also making her the first woman in hip hop with multiple billion-streamers on the service, with a total of three so far. Invasion of Privacy was the top female rap album of the 2010s, according to the Billboard 200 decade-end chart. It also became the longest-charting album by a female rapper on the Billboard 200, and the most-streamed album by a female rapper on Spotify.  Invasion of Privacy—which made her the first female rapper to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album as a solo artist—became the first female rap album in fifteen years to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Rolling Stone and Billboard ranked her debut album number 13 and 34 on their critics’ lists of best albums of the 2010s respectively, both the highest rank for a female rapper for the decade.

Personal life

Cardi B is Catholic;  she has mentioned her “strong relationship” with God in interviews, often saying that she directly communicates with God.

Cardi B’s younger sister, Hennessy Carolina, also has a strong following on social media and has accompanied her to award shows, such as the 2017 Grammy Awards.

In an interview in 2018, Cardi talked about being Afro-Latina and Afro-Caribbean:

We are Caribbean people […] Some people want to decide if you’re black or not, depending on your skin complexion, because they don’t understand Caribbean people or our culture. I feel like people need to understand or get a passport and travel. I don’t got to tell you that I’m black. I expect you to know about it. When my father taught me about Caribbean countries, he told me that these Europeans took over our lands. That’s why we all speak different languages […] Just like everybody else, we came over here the same way. I hate when people try to take my roots from me. Because we know that there’s African roots inside of us…

She has been a resident of Edgewater, New Jersey, renting an apartment for $3,000 a month that she says would be twice as much in Manhattan for an equivalently sized unit.

Cardi has opened up about the #MeToo movement and being sexually a*saulted.

Relationships

As of early 2017, Cardi B began publicly dating fellow American rapper Offset, of the southern hip hop group Migos. When speaking on her relationship with Offset, Cardi B told The Fader, “It’s been a blessing, me meeting him and meeting his friends. I see how hard they work. And that motivated me to work even harder. And I see how good things are going for them and how popping it is to be number one. And I’m like, I want that. A lot of people just see they jewelry and they money, but I don’t think a lot of people see how hard they work for that shit every single day.” Cardi B and Offset became engaged on October 27, 2017, after Offset proposed to her at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, during the Power 99 Powerhouse concert. On April 7, 2018, during her second performance on Saturday Night Live, Cardi B wore a stunning, white Christian Siriano evening gown which, along with several deliberate camera side shots, revealed her pregnancy. She was about 6 months (24 weeks) pregnant at the time. On June 25, 2018, TMZ found a marriage license revealing Cardi B and Offset had actually secretly married in September 2017, doing so one month before the public proposal. Cardi B later went on to confirm this revelation in a social media post. In July 2018, Cardi B gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Kulture Kiari Cephus  In December 2018 she announced on Instagram that she and Offset had broken up, though the pair later reunited. In February 2019, the couple made a public appearance for the Grammys.  He accompanied her on the stage during her acceptance speech for Best Rap Album. In September 2020, it was reported that Cardi B had filed for divorce, but the next month it was revealed they were back together.

Legal issues

On October 1, 2018, Cardi B agreed to meet with investigators at a Queens police station in connection with an alleged a*sault. She denied involvement through her attorney. She was charged with two misdemeanors: a*sault and reckless endangerment. Cardi B appeared in court for her arraignment on December 7, 2018, after she failed to show up for the originally scheduled date due to a scheduling conflict, according to her attorney. She was ordered by the judge to avoid having any contact with the two bartenders. She was released by the judge despite prosecutors requesting bail to be set at $2,500. On June 21, 2019, a grand jury indicted Cardi B on 14 charges, including two counts of felony a*sault with intent to cause serious physical injury, stemming from the incident. She was arraigned on June 25, 2019 and pleaded not guilty on all charges

Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He is best known as the founder, lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which he founded in 1988 and of which he was the sole official member until 2016.[a] The first Nine Inch Nails album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was a commercial and critical success. Reznor has since released 11 more Nine Inch Nails studio albums.

Reznor began his career in the mid-1980s as a member of synth-pop bands such as Option 30, The Innocent, and Exotic Birds. He has contributed to the albums of artists such as Marilyn Manson, whom he mentored, and rapper Saul Williams. Alongside his wife Mariqueen Maandig and long-time Nine Inch Nails collaborators Atticus Ross and Rob Sheridan, he formed the post-industrial group How to Destroy Angels in 2009.

Reznor and Ross scored the David Fincher films The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and Gone Girl (2014). They won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Social Network and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. They also scored the 2018 film Bird Box and composed original music for the 2019 TV series Watchmen, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for the latter. In 1997, Reznor appeared on Time’s list of the year’s most influential people, and Spin magazine described him as “the most vital artist in music”.

Early life

Michael Trent Reznor was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, on May 17, 1965, the son of Nancy Lou (née Clark) and Michael Reznor. He grew up in Mercer, Pennsylvania, and is of German and Irish descent. His great-grandfather, George Reznor, founded the heating and air conditioning manufacturer The Reznor Company in 1888.[12] After his parents divorced when he was six years old, Reznor’s sister Tera lived with their mother while he went to live with his maternal grandparents. He began playing the piano at the age of 12 and showed an early aptitude for music. His grandfather, Bill Clark, told People in February 1995, “[Reznor] was a good kid […] a Boy Scout who loved to skateboard, build model planes, and play the piano. Music was his life, from the time he was a wee boy. He was so gifted.”

Reznor has acknowledged that his sheltered life left him feeling isolated from the outside world. In a September 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, he said of his career choices, “I don’t know why I want to do these things, other than my desire to escape from Small Town, U.S.A., to dismiss the boundaries, to explore. It isn’t a bad place where I grew up, but there was nothing going on but the cornfields. My life experience came from watching movies, watching TV and reading books and looking at magazines. And when your culture comes from watching TV every day, you’re bombarded with images of things that seem cool, places that seem interesting, people who have jobs and careers and opportunities. None of that happened where I was. You’re almost taught to realize it’s not for you.” However, in April 1995, he told Details that he did not “want to give the impression it was a miserable childhood”.

At Mercer Area Junior/Senior High School, Reznor learned to play the tenor saxophone and tuba, and was a member of both the jazz band and marching band. The school’s former band director remembered him as “very upbeat and friendly”. He became involved in theater while in high school, being awarded the “Best in Drama” accolade by his classmates for his roles as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man. He graduated in 1983 and enrolled at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he studied computer engineering.

Career

Early projects

While still in high school, Reznor joined local band Option 30 and played three shows a week with them. After a year of college, he dropped out to pursue a career in music in Cleveland, Ohio. His first band in Cleveland was the Urge, a cover band. In 1985, he joined The Innocent as a keyboardist; they released one album, Livin’ in the Street, but Reznor left the band after three months. In 1986, he joined local band Exotic Birds and appeared with them as a fictional band called The Problems in the 1987 film Light of Day. Reznor also contributed on keyboards to the band Slam Bamboo during this time.

Reznor got a job at Cleveland’s Right Track Studio as an a*sistant engineer and janitor. Studio owner Bart Koster later commented, “He was so focused in everything he did. When that guy waxed the floor, it looked great.”  Reznor asked Koster for permission to record demos of his own songs for free during unused studio time. Koster agreed, remarking that it cost him “just a little wear on [his] tape heads”.

Nine Inch Nails

While a*sembling the earliest Nine Inch Nails recordings, Reznor was unable to find a band that could articulate his songs as he wanted. Instead, inspired by Prince, he played all the instruments except drums himself. He continued in this role on most Nine Inch Nails studio recordings, though he has occasionally involved other musicians, a*sistants, drummers, and rhythm experts. Several labels responded favorably to the demo material, and Reznor signed with TVT Records. Nine selections from the Right Track demos were unofficially released in 1988 as Purest Feeling and many of these songs appeared in revised form on Pretty Hate Machine, Reznor’s first official release under the Nine Inch Nails name.

Pretty Hate Machine was released in 1989 and was a moderate commercial success, certified Gold in 1992. Amid pressure from his record label to produce a follow-up to Pretty Hate Machine, Reznor secretly began recording under various pseudonyms to avoid record company interference, resulting in an EP called Broken (1992). Nine Inch Nails was included in the Lollapalooza tour in the summer of 1991, and won a Grammy Award in 1993 under “Best Heavy Metal Performance” for the song “Wish”.

Nine Inch Nails’ second full-length album, The Downward Spiral, entered the Billboard 200 chart in 1994 at number two, and remains the highest-selling Nine Inch Nails release in America. To record the album, Reznor rented and moved into the 10050 Cielo Drive mansion, where the Tate–LaBianca murders had been perpetrated by the Manson Family in 1969. He built a studio space in the house, which he renamed Le Pig, after the word that was scrawled on the front door in Sharon Tate’s blood by her murderers. Reznor told Entertainment Weekly that, despite the notoriety attached to the house, he chose to record there because he “looked at a lot of places, and this just happened to be the one I liked most”. He has also explained that he was fascinated by the house due to his interest in “American folklore,” but has stated that he does not “want to support serial-killer bullshit.”

Nine Inch Nails toured extensively over the next few years, including a performance at Woodstock ’94, although Reznor admitted to the audience that he did not like to play large venues. Around this time, Reznor’s studio perfectionism, struggles with addiction, and bouts of writer’s block prolonged the production of a follow-up to The Downward Spiral.

In 1999, the double album The Fragile was released. It was partially successful, but lost money for Reznor’s label, so he funded the North American Fragility Tour out of his own pocket. A further six years followed before the next Nine Inch Nails album With Teeth was released. Reznor went into rehab during the time between the two records, and was able to manage his drug addictions. With Teeth reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.[ After With Teeth, Reznor released the concept album Year Zero in 2007, which has an alternate reality game themed after the album (see Year Zero (game)) which is about how the current policies of the American government will affect the world in the year 2022. After Year Zero’s release, Reznor broke from large record labels and released two albums, Ghosts I-IV and The Slip, independently on his own label, The Null Corporation. In 2009, Nine Inch Nails went on hiatus following the Wave Goodbye Tour. In 2013, Nine Inch Nails returned to large record labels, signing with Columbia Records. In September, the album Hesitation Marks was released, and earlier in August the Tension 2013 tour began.

In 2019, Reznor received a songwriting credit on the Lil Nas X song “Old Town Road”, due to the song heavily sampling the 2008 Nine Inch Nails instrumental track “34 Ghosts IV”. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2019, with Reznor and Ross both receiving songwriting and production credit. The song would go on to become the chart’s longest-running #1 hit, staying at the top for a record 19 weeks.

Collaboration with other artists

One of Reznor’s earliest collaborations was a Ministry side project in 1990 under the name of 1000 Homo DJs. Reznor sang vocals on a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut”. Due to legal issues with his label, Reznor’s vocals had to be distorted to make his voice unrecognizable. The band also recorded additional versions with Al Jourgensen doing vocals. While there is still debate as to which version is Reznor and which is Jourgensen, it has been definitively stated that Reznor’s vocals were used in the TVT Records’ Black Box box set. He also performed with another of Jourgensen’s side projects, Revolting Cocks, in 1990. He said: “I saw a whole side of humanity that I didn’t know existed. It was decadence on a new level, but with a sense of humor.”

Reznor then sang the vocals on the 1991 Pigface track “Suck” from their first album Gub, which also featured production work from Steve Albini. Reznor sang backing vocals on “Past the Mission” on Tori Amos’ 1994 album Under the Pink.[40] He produced Marilyn Manson’s first album, Portrait of an American Family (1994), and several tracks on Manson’s albums Smells Like Children (1995) and Antichrist Superstar (1996). Relations between Reznor and Manson subsequently soured, and Manson later said: “I had to make a choice between being friends and having a mediocre career, or breaking things off and continuing to succeed. It got too competitive. And he can’t expect me not to want to be more successful than him.”

Reznor was in the David Bowie video for the song “I’m Afraid of Americans” in 1997. In the video, Reznor is a stalker who shows up wherever David Bowie goes. In a 2016 Rolling Stone article after Bowie’s death, Reznor recalled how touring with Bowie in 1995-96 inspired Reznor to stay sober.

Reznor produced a remix of The Notorious B.I.G.’s song “Victory”, featuring Busta Rhymes, in 1998. Under the stage name Tapeworm, Reznor collaborated for nearly 10 years with Danny Lohner, Maynard James Keenan, and Atticus Ross, but the project was eventually terminated before any official material was released. The only known released Tapeworm material is a reworked version of a track called “Vacant” (retitled “Passive”) on A Perfect Circle’s 2004 album eMOTIVe, as well as a track called “Potions” on Puscifer’s 2009 album “C” Is for.

In 2006, Reznor played his first “solo” shows at Neil Young’s annual Bridge School Benefit. Backed by a four piece string section, he performed stripped-down versions of many Nine Inch Nails songs. Reznor featured on El-P’s 2007 album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, providing guest vocals on the track “Flyentology”. Reznor co-produced Saul Williams’ 2007 album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! after Williams toured with Nine Inch Nails in 2005 and 2006. Reznor convinced Williams to release the album as a free download, while giving fans the option of paying $5 for higher quality files, or downloading all of the songs at a lower quality for free. Reznor was also credited as “Musical Consultant” on the 2004 film Man on Fire. The movie features six Nine Inch Nails songs.[50] He has produced a number of songs for Jane’s Addiction in his home studio in Beverly Hills. The first recordings, new versions of the early tracks “Chip Away” and “Whores”, were released simultaneously on Jane’s Addiction’s website and the NINJA 2009 Tour Sampler digital EP.

In November 2012, Reznor revealed on Reddit that he would be working with Queens of the Stone Age on a song for their sixth studio album, …Like Clockwork.  He had worked with the band once before, providing backing vocals on the title track of the 2007 album Era Vulgaris. Josh Homme has since revealed that Reznor was originally meant to produce the album.

In January 2013, Reznor was seen in a documentary entitled Sound City, directed by former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. Sound City is based on real-life recording studio Sound City Studios, originating in Van Nuys, California. It has housed the works of some of the most famed names in music history since its founding in 1969. The film has been chosen as an official selection for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and will be available to download from its official website on February 1, 2013.  Reznor also contributed to the soundtrack for the film, on the track “Mantra”, along with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme.

Reznor appeared in a live performance with Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, Dave Grohl, and Queens of the Stone Age at the January 2014 Grammy Award ceremony. In an interview with a New Zealand media outlet, Reznor explained his thought process at the time that he was considering his participation in the performance:

I spent a long time talking about the pros and cons. You know, “Do we want to be on a shit show on TV?” No, not really. “Do we want to be affiliated with the Grammys?” No, not really. “Would we like to reach a large audience and actually do something with integrity on our terms?” Well, yeah. Let’s roll the dice and go into it with the best intentions, with a performance we think is worthy and might–you know–stand out from the crowd. Or it might not!

How to Destroy Angels

In April 2010, it was announced that Reznor had formed a new band with his wife Mariqueen Maandig and Atticus Ross, called How to Destroy Angels. The group digitally released a self-titled six song EP on June 1, 2010, with the retail edition becoming available on July 6, 2010. They covered the Bryan Ferry song “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” for the soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was released on December 9, 2011. On September 21, 2012, Reznor announced that the group’s next release would be an EP entitled An Omen EP, set for release on Columbia Records in November 2012, and that some of the EP’s songs would later appear on the band’s first full-length album in 2013. On October 8, 2012, they released a song and music video from An Omen EP entitled “Keep it Together”. How to Destroy Angels announced in January 2013 that their first full-length album entitled Welcome Oblivion would be released on March 5 of the same year.

As an independent artist

Following the release of Year Zero, Reznor announced later that Nine Inch Nails had split from its contractual obligations with Interscope Records, and would distribute its next major albums independently. In May 2008 Reznor founded The Null Corporation and Nine Inch Nails released the studio album The Slip as a free digital download. In his appreciation for his following and fan base, and having no contractual obligation, he made “The Slip” available for free on his website, stating “This one’s on me.” A month and a half after its online release, The Slip had been downloaded 1.4 million times from the official Nine Inch Nails website.

In February 2009, Reznor posted his thoughts about the future of Nine Inch Nails on NIN.com, stating that “I’ve been thinking for some time now it’s time to make NIN disappear for a while.” Reznor noted in an interview on the official website that while he has not stopped creating music as Nine Inch Nails, the group will not be touring in the foreseeable future.

Video games

The original music from id Software’s 1996 video game Quake is credited to “Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails”;  Reznor helped record sound effects and ambient audio, and the NIN logo appears on the nailgun ammunition boxes in the game. Reznor’s a*sociation with id Software began with Reznor being a fan of the original Doom. He reunited with id Software in 2003 as the sound engineer for Doom 3, though due to “time, money and bad management”, he had to abandon the project, and his audio work did not make it into the game’s final release.

Nine Inch Nails’ 2007 major studio recording, Year Zero, was released alongside an accompanying alternate reality game. With its lyrics written from the perspective of multiple fictitious characters, Reznor described Year Zero as a concept album criticizing the United States government’s current policies and how they will affect the world 15 years in the future. In July 2012, it was announced that Reznor had composed and performed the theme music for Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Film composition

In 1994, Reznor produced the soundtrack for Oliver Stone’s film Natural Born Killers, using a portable Pro Tools in his hotel room. Nine Inch Nails recorded an exclusive song, “Burn” for the film. The group also recorded a cover version of Joy Division’s “Dead Souls” for The Crow soundtrack.

Reznor produced the soundtrack for David Lynch’s 1997 film Lost Highway. He produced two pieces of the film’s score, “Driver Down” and “Videodrones; Questions”, with Peter Christopherson. He tried to get Coil onto the soundtrack, but couldn’t convince Lynch. Nine Inch Nails also recorded a new song, “The Perfect Drug” for the soundtrack. The release spawned its release as a single, the music video for which was also directed by Mark Romanek.

In 2001, Reznor was asked by Mark Romanek to provide the score for One Hour Photo, but the music did not work for the film and was not used. These compositions eventually evolved into Still. A remix of the Nine Inch Nails track “You Know What You Are?” by Clint Mansell was used as part of the latter’s soundtrack to the 2005 film adaptation of Doom. In 2009, Trent Reznor composed “Theme for Tetsuo” for the Japanese cyberpunk film Tetsuo: The Bullet Man from Shinya Tsukamoto.

Reznor collaborated with Ross to compose the score for David Fincher’s The Social Network, a 2010 drama film about the founding of Facebook. Says Reznor, “When I actually read the script and realized what he was up to, I said goodbye to that free time I had planned.”[86] The score was noted for portraying “Mark Zuckerberg the genius, developing a brilliant idea over ominous undertones,” and received nearly unanimous praise. The film’s score was released in October 2010 in multiple formats, including digital download, compact disc, 5.1 surround on Blu-ray, and vinyl record. A 5-song sampler EP was released for free via digital download.

On January 7, 2011, Reznor announced that he would again be working with Fincher, this time to provide the score for the American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A cover of “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin, produced by Reznor and Ross, with Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) as the featured singer, accompanied a trailer for the film. Reznor and Ross’ second collaboration with Fincher was scored as the film was shot, based on the concept, “What if we give you music the minute you start to edit stuff together?” Reznor explained in 2014 that the composition process was “a lot more work,” and that he “would be hesitant to go as far in that direction in the future.”

Reznor and Ross again collaborated, to score Fincher’s film Gone Girl. Fincher was inspired by music he heard while at an appointment with a chiropractor and tasked Reznor with creating the musical equivalent of an insincere facade. Reznor explained Fincher’s request in an interview: “David [Fincher] was at the chiropractor and heard this music that was inauthentically trying to make him feel OK, and that became a perfect metaphor for this film. […] The challenge was, simply, what is the musical equivalent of the same sort of façade of comfort and a feeling of insincerity that that music represented? [My primary aim was] to instill doubt [and] remind you that things aren’t always what they seem to be.”

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs sang a cover version of the song “She,” which was used in the film’s teaser trailer. The soundtrack album was released on the Columbia label on September 30, 2014.

During Reznor and Ross’ keynote session at the 2014 “Billboard and Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference,” held on November 5, Reznor said that he is open to working with other filmmakers besides Fincher, the only director he had worked with as a composer up until that point: “I’m open to any possibility. […] Scoring for film kind of came up unexpectedly. It was always something I’d been interested in and it was really a great experience and I’ve learned a lot.” Reznor further explained that he cherishes his previous experiences with Fincher as “there’s a pursuit and dedication to uncompromised excellence”.

In 2018, Reznor and Ross scored Susanne Bier’s film Bird Box and Jonah Hill’s directorial debut Mid90s. Reznor and Ross will next score the 2020 animated Disney film Soul, and reunite with Fincher to score his upcoming Netflix drama film Mank.

Business activity

Dispute with John Malm

In 2004, Reznor’s former manager John Malm Jr. filed a suit against Reznor for over $2 million in deferred commissions. The suit alleged that Reznor “reneged on every single contract he and Malm ever entered into” and that Reznor refused to pay Malm money to which he was contractually entitled. Weeks later, Reznor filed a counter-suit in the U.S. District Court of New York, charging Malm with fraud and breach of fiduciary duties. Reznor’s suit arose from a five-year management contract signed in the early days of Nine Inch Nails, between Reznor and Malm’s management company J. Artist Management. This contract, according to the suit, was unlawful and immoral in that it secured Malm 20% of Reznor’s gross earnings, rather than his net earnings, as is the standard practice between artists and their management. The suit also alleged that the contract secured this percentage even if Malm was no longer representing Reznor, and for all Reznor’s album advances. The suit also described how Malm had misappropriated the ownership rights regarding Nine Inch Nails, including the trademark name “NIИ”. According to testimony by Malm, Reznor gave him half of the “NIИ” trademark “as a gift.”

Reznor stated that he began to fully understand his financial situation after tackling his addiction to drugs and alcohol. Reznor requested a financial statement from Malm in 2003, only to discover that he had only $400,000 in liquid a*sets. He told the court, “It was not pleasant discovering you have a tenth as much as you’ve been told you have.” Malm’s lawyers, however, claimed that Malm had worked for years “pro bono”, and that Reznor’s inability to release an album or tour and his uninhibited spending were the reasons for Reznor’s financial situation. After a three-week trial in 2005, jurors sided with Reznor, awarding him upwards of $2.95 million and returning to him complete control of his trademarks. After adjustment for inflation, Reznor’s award rose to nearly $5 million.

Beats Music

In January 2013, Reznor and TopSpin Media founder Ian Rogers were chosen to head Beats Electronics’ new music subscription service, Project Daisy, described by Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine as having “hardware, brand, distribution partnerships, and artist relations to differentiate Daisy from the competition”. There was some speculation as to what Reznor’s role would be within the company, but he was later named chief creative officer. He promised that he and the other members would strive to create a music subscription service that will be like “having your own guy when you go to the record store, who knows what you like but can also point you down some paths you wouldn’t have necessarily encountered”. The service was officially launched in the United States on January 21, 2014.

Reznor has continued on in a similar role under Beats’ new ownership at Apple, where he has been involved in the launch of Apple Music.

Criticism of the music industry

In May 2007, Reznor made a post on the official Nine Inch Nails website condemning Universal Music Group—the parent company of the band’s record label, Interscope Records—for their pricing and distribution plans for Nine Inch Nails’ 2007 album Year Zero. He labeled the company’s retail pricing of Year Zero in Australia as “ABSURD,” concluding that “as a reward for being a ‘true fan’ you get ripped off”. Reznor went on to say that as “the climate grows more and more desperate for record labels, their answer to their mostly self-inflicted wounds seems to be to screw the consumer over even more.” Reznor’s post, specifically his criticism of the recording industry at large, elicited considerable media attention. In September 2007, Reznor continued his attack on Universal Music Group at a concert in Australia, urging fans there to “steal” his music online instead of purchasing it legally. Reznor went on to encourage the crowd to “steal and steal and steal some more and give it to all your friends and keep on stealin’.”

While on tour in Prague in 2009, Reznor realized the importance of the marketing aspect of a major label when he saw a lot of promotion for Radiohead’s then-upcoming tour, but little promotion for his current Nine Inch Nails tour or any of its recently released albums. At a 2012 panel discussion with David Byrne and Josh Kun, he stated that the marketing from a major label outweighed the aspects of being independent that he liked, namely the ability to release albums whenever he wanted to avoid leaking and to take a larger cut of the profits from record sales. Reznor’s first album released through a major label after his return was How to Destroy Angels’ An Omen EP released in November 2012 through Columbia Records. On working with Columbia for the release of the EP, Reznor said that “so far it’s been pleasantly pleasant”.

In 2013, Reznor returned to Columbia Records for Hesitation Marks, the eighth Nine Inch Nails studio album. On the Columbia release of Hesitation Marks, Reznor has stated: “I’m trying to make the best thing I can make… and I also want as many people as possible to be aware that it’s out there.”

Musical style and influences

Prior to releasing Pretty Hate Machine, Reznor was primarily influenced by punk rock, specifically The Clash. He later said, “I f*cked around with some bad music; I was trying to sound like other bands. I thought The Clash were cool so I was trying to be cool, too. Important political statements, no one’s going to make fun of me for them. But the journal entries of a horny, sad guy who doesn’t fit in … the words I was writing in my journal to keep myself from going crazy were the real lyrics I needed.”

Reznor’s subsequent work was described by People magazine in 1995 as “self-loathing, sexual obsession, torture and suicide over a thick sludge of gnashing guitars and computer-synthesized beats”. The magazine also said that “[Reznor], like Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne before him, has built his name on theatrics and nihilism”. Nine Inch Nails concerts were often picketed by fundamentalist Christians. Reznor’s former high school band director considered him to be “very upbeat and friendly” in reality and theorized that “all that ‘dark avenging angel’ stuff is marketing”. Conversely, the owner of the recording studio where Reznor recorded the first Nine Inch Nails album said of Reznor’s “pain-driven” stage act, “It’s planned, but it is not contrived. He’s pulling that stuff out from inside somewhere. You cannot fake that delivery.” Pain and sorrow came to be regarded as such defining elements of Reznor’s music that a group of fans once responded with joy when told that his dog had died because “it’s good for his music when he is depressed” and that “it’s good to see [Reznor] back in hell, where he belongs”.

Reznor possesses a baritone vocal range. He mentioned that college radio introduced him to bands such as Bauhaus, Joy Division, and Throbbing Gristle, which were inspirational for him. He is a fan of David Bowie, and has cited Bowie’s 1977 album Low as one of his favorite albums; he stated that he played the album constantly during the recording of The Downward Spiral for inspiration. In 1995, Nine Inch Nails toured as a co-headlining act on the North American leg of David Bowie’s Outside Tour. Reznor also appeared in Bowie’s video for “I’m Afraid of Americans”, cast as Bowie’s stalker. Reznor also made several remixes for the single release of the same song, as well as a remix of “The Hearts Filthy Lesson”. Reznor also states in the 2010 documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage that the band Rush had played a major part in his childhood influences.  He also stated that he considered Rush to be “one of the best bands ever” and had gained a perspective on how keyboards could be introduced into hard rock after listening to their 1982 album Signals.

Reznor once said that “Freddie Mercury’s death meant more to [him] than John Lennon’s” and he covered Queen’s “Get Down Make Love”, which was co-produced by Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen and released on the single for “Sin”. He also expressed the significant influence that Coil had on his work, saying that Horse Rotorvator was “deeply influential”. Another large influence on the band’s sound is Gary Numan, which is evident as Reznor once said that “after hearing ‘Cars’ I knew I wanted to make music with synthesizers”. The 2005 single “Only” exemplifies the disco-style beats and synthesizers drawn from Numan’s persuasion. In many interviews with Musician, Spin, and Alternative Press, Reznor mentioned Devo, The Cars, The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Pere Ubu, Soft Cell,  Prince, Ministry, Test Dept, Cabaret Voltaire  and The Cure’s 1985 album, The Head on the Door, as important influences. According to Todd Rundgren, Reznor told him that he listened to Rundgren’s 1973 album, A Wizard, a True Star with “great regularity”. In a radio interview, Reznor stated the first song he ever wrote “Down in It” was a “total rip-off” of the Skinny Puppy song “Dig It”.

Reznor also cited Depeche Mode, in particular their 1986 album Black Celebration, as a major influence: “It was the summer of ’86. I’d dropped out of college and was living in Cleveland trying to find my way in the local music scene. I knew where I wanted to go with my life but I didn’t know how to get there. A group of friends and I drove down to Blossom Music Center amphitheatre to see the Black Celebration tour. DM was one of our favorite bands and the Black Celebration record took my love for them to a new level. I’ve thought about that night a lot over the years. It was a perfect summer night and I was in exactly the right place I was supposed to be. The music, the energy, the audience, the connection… it was spiritual and truly magic. I left that show grateful, humbled, energized, focused, and in awe of how powerful and transformative music can be… and I started writing what would eventually become Pretty Hate Machine. Many times, particularly when we’re playing an amphitheatre, I’ll think of that show while I’m onstage and hope someone in the audience is in the midst of a perfect summer night feeling how DM made me feel so many years ago.”

Legacy

Reznor’s work as Nine Inch Nails has influenced many newer artists, which according to Reznor range from “generic imitations” dating from the band’s initial success to younger bands echoing his style in a “truer, less imitative way”. Following the release of The Downward Spiral, mainstream artists began to take notice of Nine Inch Nails’ influence: David Bowie compared NIN’s impact to that of The Velvet Underground. In 1997, Reznor appeared in Time magazine’s list of the year’s most influential people, and Spin magazine described him as “the most vital artist in music”. Bob Ezrin, producer for Pink Floyd, Kiss, Alice Cooper, and Peter Gabriel, described Reznor in 2007 as a “true visionary” and advised aspiring artists to take note of his no-compromise attitude. During an appearance at the Kerrang! Awards in London that year, Reznor accepted the Kerrang! Icon, honoring Nine Inch Nails’ long-standing influence on rock music.

Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, an early supporter of Nine Inch Nails, was heavily influenced by Reznor in the writing and composition of the band’s Chinese Democracy album. Steven Wilson of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree has stated that he is influenced by and much admires Reznor’s production work, in particular The Fragile, and in 2008 said that “[Reznor] is the only one [he’d] let near [his] music”. Writing for Revolver magazine on the 25th anniversary of Broken, musician Greg Puciato stated that one of the few vivid musical memories of his teenage years was listening to the EP at age 12, front-to-back, in the first digipak he had seen. Later, after discovering the story behind its release, it became a giant influence on him, particularly “when it comes to [his] own artistic path or output”. Timbaland has cited Reznor as his favorite studio producer.

Awards

In 2011, Reznor and Ross won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and the Academy Award for Best Original Score for their work on The Social Network.

For their work on Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, Reznor and Ross were nominated for the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, and won the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. Neither man was present to accept the award; Reznor, who has a contentious history with the Grammys, simply tweeted, “Why thanks, y’all.”

Ross and Reznor’s Gone Girl score was nominated for Best Original Score in a Feature Film at the 5th Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA)—the award was eventually won by Antonio Sanchez for Birdman on November 4, 2014.  In a November 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Reznor revealed that he values Oscar trophies above Grammy awards: “When the Oscar [nomination] came up, it felt very different. I can’t tell if that’s because I’m older or it felt like it’s coming from a more sincere pedigree.”

Reznor and Ross won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series and were nominated for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for their work on the series Watchmen.

Personal life

During the five years following the release of The Downward Spiral in 1994, Reznor suffered from depression, worsened by the death of the grandmother who had raised him. He began abusing alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs. He successfully completed rehab in 2001, and reflected on his self-destructive past in a 2005 Kerrang! interview: “There was a persona that had run its course. I needed to get my priorities straight, my head screwed on. Instead of always working, I took a couple of years off, just to figure out who I was and working out if I wanted to keep doing this or not. I had become a terrible addict; I needed to get my shit together, figure out what had happened.” In contrast to his former suicidal tendencies, he admitted in another interview that he is “pretty happy”.

Reznor married Filipino-American singer Mariqueen Maandig in October 2009. They live in Los Angeles and have five children: sons Lazarus Echo Reznor (born October 10, 2010) and Balthazar Venn Reznor (born December 31, 2011), a third son whose name has not been revealed (born November 1, 2015), daughter Nova Lux Reznor (born December 2016), and a fifth child whose name and gender have not been revealed (born January 2020).

Sir James Paul McCartney CH MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record and film producer who gained worldwide fame as co-lead vocalist and bassist for the Beatles. His songwriting partnership with John Lennon remains the most successful in history.[4] After the group disbanded in 1970, he pursued a solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda, and Denny Laine.

A self-taught musician, McCartney is proficient on bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums. He is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing (mainly playing with a plectrum), his versatile and wide tenor vocal range (spanning over four octaves), and his eclecticism (exploring styles ranging from pre-rock and roll pop to classical and electronica). McCartney began his career as a member of the Quarrymen in 1957, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Starting with the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, he gradually became the Beatles’ de facto leader, providing the creative impetus for most of their music and film projects. His Beatles songs “And I Love Her” (1964), “Yesterday” (1965), “Eleanor Rigby” (1966) and “Blackbird” (1968) rank among the most covered songs in history.[5][6]

In 1970, McCartney debuted as a solo artist with the album McCartney. Throughout the 1970s, he led Wings, one of the most successful bands of the decade, with more than a dozen international top 10 singles and albums. McCartney resumed his solo career in 1980. Since 1989, he has toured consistently as a solo artist. In 1993, he formed the music duo the Fireman with Youth of Killing Joke. Beyond music, he has taken part in projects to promote international charities related to such subjects as animal rights, seal hunting, land mines, vegetarianism, poverty, and music education.

McCartney is one of the most successful composers and performers of all time. He has written or co-written 32 songs that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2009, had sales of 25.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States. His honours include two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999), 18 Grammy Awards, an appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1965, and a knighthood in 1997 for services to music. As of 2020, he is also one of the wealthiest musicians in the world, with an estimated fortune of £800 million.

Early life

James Paul McCartney was born on 18 June 1942 at Walton Hospital in the Walton area of Liverpool, where his mother, Mary Patricia (née Mohin), had qualified to practise as a nurse. His father, James (“Jim”) McCartney, was absent from his son’s birth due to his work as a volunteer firefighter during World War II.[8] McCartney has a younger brother named Michael and a stepsister named Ruth. The children were baptised in their mother’s Catholic faith, even though their father was a former Protestant who had turned agnostic. Religion was not emphasised in the household.[9]

McCartney attended Stockton Wood Road Primary School in Speke from 1947 until 1949, when he transferred to Joseph Williams Junior School in Belle Vale because of overcrowding at Stockton.[10] In 1953, he was one of only three students out of 90 to pass the 11-Plus exam, meaning he could attend the Liverpool Institute, a grammar school rather than a secondary modern school.[11] In 1954, he met schoolmate George Harrison on the bus from his suburban home in Speke. The two quickly became friends; McCartney later admitted: “I tended to talk down to him because he was a year younger.”

Career

1957–1960: The Quarrymen

At the age of fifteen on 6 July 1957, McCartney met John Lennon and his band, the Quarrymen, at the St Peter’s Church Hall fête in Woolton.[26] The Quarrymen played a mix of rock and roll and skiffle, a type of popular music with jazz, blues and folk influences.[27] Soon afterwards, the members of the band invited McCartney to join as a rhythm guitarist, and he formed a close working relationship with Lennon. Harrison joined in 1958 as lead guitarist, followed by Lennon’s art school friend Stuart Sutcliffe on bass, in 1960.[28] By May 1960, the band had tried several names, including Johnny and the Moondogs, Beatals and the Silver Beetles.[29] They adopted the name the Beatles in August 1960 and recruited drummer Pete Best shortly before a five-engagement residency in Hamburg.

1960–1970: The Beatles

In 1961, Sutcliffe left the band and McCartney reluctantly became their bass player.[31] While in Hamburg, they recorded professionally for the first time and were credited as the Beat Brothers, who were the backing band for English singer Tony Sheridan on the single “My Bonnie”.[32] This resulted in attention from Brian Epstein, who was a key figure in their subsequent development and success. He became their manager in January 1962.[33] Ringo Starr replaced Best in August, and the band had their first hit, “Love Me Do”, in October, becoming popular in the UK in 1963, and in the US a year later. The fan hysteria became known as “Beatlemania”, and the press sometimes referred to McCartney as the “cute Beatle”.[34][nb 2] McCartney co-wrote (with Lennon) several of their early hits, including “I Saw Her Standing There”, “She Loves You”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (1963) and “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1964).[36]

In August 1965, the Beatles released the McCartney composition “Yesterday”, featuring a string quartet. Included on the Help! LP, the song was the group’s first recorded use of classical music elements and their first recording that involved only a single band member.[37] “Yesterday” became one of the most covered songs in popular music history.[38] Later that year, during recording sessions for the album Rubber Soul, McCartney began to supplant Lennon as the dominant musical force in the band. Musicologist Ian MacDonald wrote, “from [1965] … [McCartney] would be in the ascendant not only as a songwriter, but also as instrumentalist, arranger, producer, and de facto musical director of the Beatles.”[39] Critics described Rubber Soul as a significant advance in the refinement and profundity of the band’s music and lyrics.[40] Considered a high point in the Beatles catalogue, both Lennon and McCartney said they had written the music for the song “In My Life”.[41] McCartney said of the album, “we’d had our cute period, and now it was time to expand.”[42] Recording engineer Norman Smith stated that the Rubber Soul sessions exposed indications of increasing contention within the band: “the clash between John and Paul was becoming obvious … [and] as far as Paul was concerned, George [Harrison] could do no right—Paul was absolutely finicky.”[43]

In 1966, the Beatles released the album Revolver. Featuring sophisticated lyrics, studio experimentation, and an expanded repertoire of musical genres ranging from innovative string arrangements to psychedelic rock, the album marked an artistic leap for the Beatles.[44] The first of three consecutive McCartney A-sides, the single “Paperback Writer” preceded the LP’s release.[45] The Beatles produced a short promotional film for the song, and another for its B-side, “Rain”. The films, described by Harrison as “the forerunner of videos”, aired on The Ed Sullivan Show and Top of the Pops in June 1966.[46] Revolver also included McCartney’s “Eleanor Rigby”, which featured a string octet. According to Gould, the song is “a neoclassical tour de force … a true hybrid, conforming to no recognizable style or genre of song”.[47] Except for some backing vocals, the song included only McCartney’s lead vocal and the strings arranged by producer George Martin.

The band gave their final commercial concert at the end of their 1966 US tour.[50] Later that year, McCartney completed his first musical project independently of the group—a film score for the UK production The Family Way. The score was a collaboration with Martin, who used two McCartney themes to write thirteen variations. The soundtrack failed to chart, but it won McCartney an Ivor Novello Award for Best Instrumental Theme.[51]

Upon the end of the Beatles’ performing career, McCartney sensed unease in the band and wanted them to maintain creative productivity. He pressed them to start a new project, which became Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, widely regarded as rock’s first concept album.[52] McCartney was inspired to create a new persona for the group, to serve as a vehicle for experimentation and to demonstrate to their fans that they had musically matured. He invented the fictional band of the album’s title track.[53] As McCartney explained, “We were fed up with being the Beatles. We really hated that f*cking four little mop-top approach. We were not boys we were men … and [we] thought of ourselves as artists rather than just performers.”[54]

Starting in November 1966, the band adopted an experimental attitude during recording sessions for the album.[55] Their recording of “A Day in the Life” required a forty-piece orchestra, which Martin and McCartney took turns conducting.[56] The sessions produced the double A-side single “Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” in February 1967, and the LP followed in June.[35][nb 4] Based on an ink drawing by McCartney, the LP’s cover included a collage designed by pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, featuring the Beatles in costume as the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, standing with a host of celebrities.[58] The cover piqued a frenzy of analysis.Epstein’s death in August 1967 created a void, which left the Beatles perplexed and concerned about their future.[61] McCartney stepped in to fill that void and gradually became the de facto leader and business manager of the group that Lennon had once led.[62][dubious – discuss] In his first creative suggestion after this change of leadership, McCartney proposed that the band move forward on their plans to produce a film for television, which was to become Magical Mystery Tour. According to Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, the project was “an administrative nightmare throughout”.[63] McCartney largely directed the film, which brought the group their first unfavourable critical response.[64] However, the film’s soundtrack was more successful. It was released in the UK as a six-track double extended play disc (EP), and as an identically titled LP in the US, filled out with five songs from the band’s recent singles.[35] The only Capitol compilation later included in the group’s official canon of studio albums, the Magical Mystery Tour LP achieved $8 million in sales within three weeks of its release, higher initial sales than any other Capitol LP up to that point.

The Beatles’ animated film Yellow Submarine, loosely based on the imaginary world evoked by McCartney’s 1966 composition, premiered in July 1968. Though critics admired the film for its visual style, humour and music, the soundtrack album issued six months later received a less enthusiastic response.[66] By late 1968, relations within the band were deteriorating. The tension grew during the recording of their eponymous double album, also known as the “White Album”.[67][nb 5] Matters worsened the following year during the Let It Be sessions, when a camera crew filmed McCartney lecturing the group: “We’ve been very negative since Mr. Epstein passed away … we were always fighting [his] discipline a bit, but it’s silly to fight that discipline if it’s our own”.[69]

In March 1969, McCartney married his first wife, Linda Eastman, and in August, the couple had their first child, Mary, named after his late mother.[70] Abbey Road was the band’s last recorded album, and Martin suggested “a continuously moving piece of music”, urging the group to think symphonically.[71] McCartney agreed, but Lennon did not. They eventually compromised, agreeing to McCartney’s suggestion: an LP featuring individual songs on side one, and a long medley on side two.[71] In October 1969, a rumour surfaced that McCartney had died in a car crash in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike, but this was quickly refuted when a November Life magazine cover featured him and his family, accompanied by the caption “Paul is still with us”.[72]

McCartney was in the midst of business disagreements with his bandmates when he announced his departure from the group on 10 April 1970.[73] He filed a suit for the band’s formal dissolution on 31 December 1970, and in March 1971 the court appointed a receiver to oversee Apple’s finances. An English court legally dissolved the Beatles’ partnership on 9 January 1975, though sporadic lawsuits against their record company EMI, Klein, and each other persisted until 1989.

1970–1981: Wings

As the Beatles were breaking up in 1969–70, McCartney fell into a depression. His wife helped him pull out of that condition by praising his work as a songwriter and convincing him to continue writing and recording. In her honour, he wrote “Maybe I’m Amazed”, explaining that with the Beatles breaking up, “that was my feeling: Maybe I’m amazed at what’s going on … Maybe I’m a man and maybe you’re the only woman who could ever help me; Baby won’t you help me understand … Maybe I’m amazed at the way you pulled me out of time, hung me on the line, Maybe I’m amazed at the way I really need you.” He added that “every love song I write is for Linda.”[79][80]

In 1970, McCartney continued his musical career with his first solo release, McCartney, a US number-one album. Apart from some vocal contributions from Linda, McCartney is a one-man album, with McCartney providing compositions, instrumentation and vocals.[81][nb 8] In 1971, he collaborated with Linda and drummer Denny Seiwell on a second album, Ram. A UK number one and a US top five, Ram included the co-written US number-one hit single “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”.[83] Later that year, ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine joined the McCartneys and Seiwell to form the band Wings. McCartney had this to say on the group’s formation: “Wings were always a difficult idea … any group having to follow [the Beatles’] success would have a hard job … I found myself in that very position. However, it was a choice between going on or finishing, and I loved music too much to think of stopping.”[84][nb 9] In September 1971, the McCartneys’ daughter Stella was born, named in honour of Linda’s grandmothers, both of whom were named Stella.[86]

Following the addition of guitarist Henry McCullough, Wings’ first concert tour began in 1972 with a debut performance in front of an audience of seven hundred at the University of Nottingham. Ten more gigs followed as they travelled across the UK in a van during an unannounced tour of universities, during which the band stayed in modest accommodation and received pay in coinage collected from students, while avoiding Beatles songs during their performances.[87] McCartney later said, “The main thing I didn’t want was to come on stage, faced with the whole torment of five rows of press people with little pads, all looking at me and saying, ‘Oh well, he is not as good as he was.’ So we decided to go out on that university tour which made me less nervous … by the end of that tour I felt ready for something else, so we went into Europe.”[88] During the seven-week, 25-show Wings Over Europe Tour, the band played almost solely Wings and McCartney solo material: the Little Richard cover “Long Tall Sally” was the only song that had previously been recorded by the Beatles. McCartney wanted the tour to avoid large venues; most of the small halls they played had capacities of fewer than 3,000 people.[89]

In March 1973, Wings achieved their first US number-one single, “My Love”, included on their second LP, Red Rose Speedway, a US number one and UK top five.[90][nb 10] McCartney’s collaboration with Linda and former Beatles producer Martin resulted in the song “Live and Let Die”, which was the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. Nominated for an Academy Award, the song reached number two in the US and number nine in the UK. It also earned Martin a Grammy for his orchestral arrangement.[91] Music professor and author Vincent Benitez described the track as “symphonic rock at its best”.

After the departure of McCullough and Seiwell in 1973, the McCartneys and Laine recorded Band on the Run. The album was the first of seven platinum Wings LPs.[94] It was a US and UK number one, the band’s first to top the charts in both countries and the first ever to reach Billboard magazine’s charts on three separate occasions. One of the best-selling releases of the decade, it remained on the UK charts for 124 weeks. Rolling Stone named it one of the Best Albums of the Year for 1973, and in 1975, Paul McCartney and Wings won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance for the song “Band on the Run” and Geoff Emerick won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording for the album.[95][nb 12] In 1974, Wings achieved a second US number-one single with the title track.[97] The album also included the top-ten hits “Jet” and “Helen Wheels”, and earned the 413th spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[98][nb 13]

Wings followed Band on the Run with the chart-topping albums Venus and Mars (1975) and Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976).[100][nb 14] In 1975, they began the fourteen-month Wings Over the World Tour, which included stops in the UK, Australia, Europe and the US. The tour marked the first time McCartney performed Beatles songs live with Wings, with five in the two-hour set list: “I’ve Just Seen a Face”, “Yesterday”, “Blackbird”, “Lady Madonna” and “The Long and Winding Road”.[102] Following the second European leg of the tour and extensive rehearsals in London, the group undertook an ambitious US arena tour that yielded the US number-one live triple LP Wings over America.[103]

In September 1977, the McCartneys had a third child, a son they named James. In November, the Wings song “Mull of Kintyre”, co-written with Laine, was quickly becoming one of the best-selling singles in UK chart history.[104] The most successful single of McCartney’s solo career, it achieved double the sales of the previous record holder, “She Loves You”, and went on to sell 2.5 million copies and hold the UK sales record until the 1984 charity single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

London Town (1978) spawned a US number-one single (“With a Little Luck”), and continued Wings’ string of commercial successes, making the top five in both the US and the UK. Critical reception was unfavourable, and McCartney expressed disappointment with the album.[107][nb 16] Back to the Egg (1979) featured McCartney’s a*semblage of a rock supergroup dubbed “Rockestra” on two tracks. The band included Wings along with Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, Gary Brooker, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and others. Though certified platinum, critics panned the album.[109] Wings completed their final concert tour in 1979, with twenty shows in the UK that included the live debut of the Beatles songs “Got to Get You into My Life”, “The Fool on the Hill” and “Let it Be”.[110]

In 1980, McCartney released his second solo LP, the self-produced McCartney II, which peaked at number one in the UK and number three in the US. As with his first album, he composed and performed it alone.[111] The album contained the song “Coming Up”, the live version of which, recorded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1979 by Wings, became the group’s last number-one hit.[112] By 1981, McCartney felt he had accomplished all he could creatively with Wings and decided he needed a change. The group discontinued in April 1981 after Laine quit following disagreements over royalties and salaries.

1982–1990

In 1982, McCartney collaborated with Stevie Wonder on the Martin-produced number-one hit “Ebony and Ivory”, included on McCartney’s Tug of War LP, and with Michael Jackson on “The Girl Is Mine” from Thriller.[117][nb 19] “Ebony and Ivory” was McCartney’s record 28th single to hit number one on the Billboard 100.[119] The following year, he and Jackson worked on “Say Say Say”, McCartney’s most recent US number one as of 2014. McCartney earned his latest UK number one as of 2014 with the title track of his LP release that year, “Pipes of Peace”.[120][nb 20]

In 1984, McCartney starred in the musical Give My Regards to Broad Street, a feature film he also wrote and produced which included Starr in an acting role. It was disparaged by critics: Variety described the film as “characterless, bloodless, and pointless”;[122] while Roger Ebert awarded it a single star, writing, “you can safely skip the movie and proceed directly to the soundtrack”.[123] The album fared much better, reaching number one in the UK and producing the US top-ten hit single “No More Lonely Nights”, featuring David Gilmour on lead guitar.[124] In 1985, Warner Brothers commissioned McCartney to write a song for the comedic feature film Spies Like Us. He composed and recorded the track in four days, with Phil Ramone co-producing.[125][nb 21] McCartney participated in Live Aid, performing “Let it Be”, but technical difficulties rendered his vocals and piano barely audible for the first two verses, punctuated by squeals of feedback. Equipment technicians resolved the problems and David Bowie, Alison Moyet, Pete Townshend and Bob Geldof joined McCartney on stage, receiving an enthusiastic crowd reaction.[127]

McCartney collaborated with Eric Stewart on Press to Play (1986), with Stewart co-writing more than half the songs on the LP.[128][nb 22] In 1988, McCartney released Снова в СССР, initially available only in the Soviet Union, which contained eighteen covers; recorded over the course of two days.[130] In 1989, he joined forces with fellow Merseysiders Gerry Marsden and Holly Johnson to record an updated version of “Ferry Cross the Mersey”, for the Hillsborough disaster appeal fund.[131][nb 23] That same year, he released Flowers in the Dirt; a collaborative effort with Elvis Costello that included musical contributions from Gilmour and Nicky Hopkins.[133][nb 24] McCartney then formed a band consisting of himself and Linda, with Hamish Stuart and Robbie McIntosh on guitars, Paul “Wix” Wickens on keyboards and Chris Whitten on drums.[135] In September 1989, they launched the Paul McCartney World Tour, his first in over a decade. During the tour, McCartney performed for the largest paying stadium audience in history on 21 April 1990, when 184,000 people attended his concert at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[136] That year, he released the triple album Tripping the Live Fantastic, which contained selected performances from the tour.

1991–1999

McCartney ventured into orchestral music in 1991 when the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society commissioned a musical piece by him to celebrate its sesquicentennial. He collaborated with composer Carl Davis, producing Liverpool Oratorio. The performance featured opera singers Kiri Te Kanawa, Sally Burgess, Jerry Hadley and Willard White with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir of Liverpool Cathedral.[140] Reviews were negative. The Guardian was especially critical, describing the music as “afraid of anything approaching a fast tempo”, and adding that the piece has “little awareness of the need for recurrent ideas that will bind the work into a whole”.[141] The paper published a letter McCartney submitted in response in which he noted several of the work’s faster tempos and added, “happily, history shows that many good pieces of music were not liked by the critics of the time so I am content to … let people judge for themselves the merits of the work.”[141] The New York Times was slightly more generous, stating, “There are moments of beauty and pleasure in this dramatic miscellany … the music’s innocent sincerity makes it difficult to be put off by its ambitions”.[142] Performed around the world after its London premiere, the Liverpool Oratorio reached number one on the UK classical chart, Music Week.[143]

In 1991, McCartney performed a selection of acoustic-only songs on MTV Unplugged and released a live album of the performance titled Unplugged (The Official Bootleg).[144][nb 27] During the 1990s, McCartney collaborated twice with Youth of Killing Joke as the musical duo “the Fireman”. The two released their first electronica album together, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest, in 1993.[146] McCartney released the rock album Off the Ground in 1993.[147][nb 28] The subsequent New World Tour followed, which led to the release of the Paul Is Live album later that year.[149][nb 29][nb 30]

Starting in 1994, McCartney took a four-year break from his solo career to work on Apple’s Beatles Anthology project with Harrison, Starr and Martin. He recorded a radio series called Oobu Joobu in 1995 for the American network Westwood One, which he described as “widescreen radio”.[153] Also in 1995, Prince Charles presented him with an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Music—”kind of amazing for somebody who doesn’t read a note of music”, commented McCartney.[154]

In 1997, McCartney released the rock album Flaming Pie. Starr appeared on drums and backing vocals in “Beautiful Night”.[155][nb 31] Later that year, he released the classical work Standing Stone, which topped the UK and US classical charts.[157] In 1998, he released Rushes, the second electronica album by the Fireman.[158] In 1999, McCartney released Run Devil Run.[159][nb 32] Recorded in one week, and featuring Ian Paice and David Gilmour, it was primarily an album of covers with three McCartney originals. He had been planning such an album for years, having been previously encouraged to do so by Linda, who had died of cancer in April 1998.[160]

McCartney did an unannounced performance at the benefit tribute, “Concert for Linda,” his wife of 29 years who died a year earlier. It was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 10 April 1999, and was organised by two of her close friends, Chrissie Hynde and Carla Lane. Also during 1999, he continued his experimentation with orchestral music on Working Classical.

2000–2009

In 2000, he released the electronica album Liverpool Sound Collage with Super Furry Animals and Youth, using the sound collage and musique concrète techniques that had fascinated him in the mid-1960s.[162] He contributed the song “Nova” to a tribute album of classical, choral music called A Garland for Linda (2000), dedicated to his late wife.[163]

Having witnessed the 11 September 2001 attacks from the JFK airport tarmac, McCartney was inspired to take a leading role in organising the Concert for New York City. His studio album release in November that year, Driving Rain, included the song “Freedom”, written in response to the attacks.[164][nb 33] The following year, McCartney went out on tour with a band that included guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, accompanied by Paul “Wix” Wickens on keyboards and Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums.[166] They began the Driving World Tour in April 2002, which included stops in the US, Mexico and Japan. The tour resulted in the double live album Back in the US, released internationally in 2003 as Back in the World.[167][nb 34][nb 35] The tour earned a reported $126.2 million, an average of over $2 million per night, and Billboard named it the top tour of the year.[169] The group continues to play together; McCartney has played live with Brian Ray, Rusty Anderson, Abe Laboriel Jr. and Wix Wickens longer than he played live with the Beatles.[170]

In July 2002, McCartney married Heather Mills. In November, on the first anniversary of George Harrison’s death, McCartney performed at the Concert for George.[171] He participated in the National Football League’s Super Bowl, performing “Freedom” during the pre-game show for Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 and headlining the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.[172] The English College of Arms honoured McCartney in 2002 by granting him a coat of arms. His crest, featuring a Liver bird holding an acoustic guitar in its claw, reflects his background in Liverpool and his musical career. The shield includes four curved emblems which resemble beetles’ backs. The arms’ motto is Ecce Cor Meum, Latin for “Behold My Heart”.[173] In 2003, the McCartneys had a child, Beatrice Milly.

In July 2005, he performed at the Live 8 event in Hyde Park, London, opening the show with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (with U2) and closing it with “Drive My Car” (with George Michael), “Helter Skelter”, and “The Long and Winding Road”.[175][nb 36] In September, he released the rock album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, for which he provided most of the instrumentation.[177][nb 37][nb 38] In 2006, McCartney released the classical work Ecce Cor Meum.[180][nb 39] The rock album Memory Almost Full followed in 2007.[181][nb 40] In 2008, he released his third Fireman album, Electric Arguments.[183][nb 41] Also in 2008, he performed at a concert in Liverpool to celebrate the city’s year as European Capital of Culture. In 2009, after a four-year break, he returned to touring and has since performed over 80 shows.[185] More than forty-five years after the Beatles first appeared on American television during The Ed Sullivan Show, he returned to the same New York theatre to perform on Late Show with David Letterman.[186] On 9 September 2009, EMI reissued the Beatles catalogue following a four-year digital remastering effort, releasing a music video game called The Beatles: Rock Band the same day.[187]

McCartney’s enduring fame has made him a popular choice to open new venues. In 2009, he played to three sold-out concerts at the newly built Citi Field, a venue constructed to replace Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. These performances yielded the double live album Good Evening New York City later that year.

2010–present

In 2010, McCartney opened the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; it was his first concert in Pittsburgh since 1990 due to the old Civic Arena being deemed unsuitable for McCartney’s logistical needs.[189][nb 42] In July 2011, McCartney performed at two sold-out concerts at the new Yankee Stadium. A New York Times review of the first concert reported that McCartney was “not saying goodbye but touring stadiums and playing marathon concerts”.[191] McCartney was commissioned by the New York City Ballet, and in September 2011, he released his first score for dance, a collaboration with Peter Martins called Ocean’s Kingdom.[192] Also in 2011, McCartney married Nancy Shevell.[193] He released Kisses on the Bottom, a collection of standards, in February 2012, the same month that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honoured him as the MusiCares Person of the Year, two days prior to his performance at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.[194]

McCartney remains one of the world’s top draws. He played to over 100,000 people during two performances in Mexico City in May, with the shows grossing nearly $6 million.[195][nb 43] In June 2012, McCartney closed Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Concert held outside Buckingham Palace, performing a set that included “Let It Be” and “Live and Let Die”.[197] He closed the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on 27 July, singing “The End” and “Hey Jude” and inviting the audience to join in on the coda.[198] Having donated his time, he received £1 from the Olympic organisers.[199]

On 12 December 2012, McCartney performed with three former members of Nirvana (Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl, and Pat Smear) during the closing act of 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief, seen by approximately two billion people worldwide.[200] On 28 August 2013, McCartney released the title track of his upcoming studio album New, which came out in October 2013.[201] A primetime entertainment special was taped on 27 January 2014 at the Ed Sullivan Theater with a 9 February 2014 CBS airing. The show featured McCartney and Ringo Starr, and celebrated the legacy of the Beatles and their groundbreaking 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show, titled The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles, featured 22 classic Beatles songs as performed by various artists, including McCartney and Starr.[202]

On 19 May 2014, it was reported that McCartney was bedridden on doctor’s orders due to an unspecified virus, which forced him to cancel a sold-out concert tour of Japan that was scheduled to begin later in the week. The tour would have included a stop at the famed Budokan Hall. McCartney also had to move his June US dates to October, as part of his doctor’s order to rest to make a full recovery.[203] However, he resumed the tour with a high-energy three hour appearance in Albany, New York on 5 July 2014.[204] On 14 August 2014, McCartney performed in the final concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California before its demolition. It was the same venue that the Beatles played their final concert in 1966.[205] In 2014, McCartney wrote and performed “Hope for the Future,” the ending song for the video game Destiny.[206][207] In November 2014, a 42-song tribute album titled The Art of McCartney was released, which features a wide range of artists covering McCartney’s solo and Beatles work.[208] Also that year, McCartney collaborated with American recording artist Kanye West on the single “Only One”, released on 31 December.[209] In January 2015, McCartney collaborated with West and Barbadian singer Rihanna on the single “FourFiveSeconds”.[210] They released a music video for the song in January[211] and performed it live at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards on 8 February 2015.[212] McCartney is a featured guest on West’s 2015 single “All Day”, which also features Theophilus London and Allan Kingdom.

In February 2015, McCartney appeared and performed with Paul Simon for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special. McCartney and Simon performed the first verse of “I’ve Just Seen a Face” on acoustic guitars, and McCartney later performed “Maybe I’m Amazed”.[214] McCartney shared lead vocals on the Alice Cooper-led Hollywood Vampires supergroup’s cover of his song “Come and Get It”, which appears on their debut album, released on 11 September 2015.[215] On 10 June 2016, McCartney released the career-spanning collection Pure McCartney.[216] The set includes songs from throughout McCartney’s solo career and his work with Wings and the Fireman, and is available in three different formats (2-CD, 4-CD, 4-LP and Digital). The 4-CD version includes 67 tracks, the majority of which were top 40 hits.[217][218] McCartney appeared in the adventure film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which was released in 2017.[219]

In January 2017, McCartney filed a suit in United States district court against Sony/ATV Music Publishing seeking to reclaim ownership of his share of the Lennon–McCartney song catalogue beginning in 2018. Under US copyright law, for works published before 1978 the author can reclaim copyrights a*signed to a publisher after 56 years.[220][221] McCartney and Sony agreed to a confidential settlement in June 2017.[222][223] On 20 June 2018, McCartney released two songs, “I Don’t Know” and “Come On to Me”, from his album Egypt Station, which was released on 7 September through Capitol Records.[224] Egypt Station became McCartney’s first album in 36 years to top the Billboard 200, and his first to debut at number one.[225]

In October 2020, McCartney announced his new album McCartney III, which is set to be released on 11 December via Capitol Records.

Musicianship

McCartney was largely a self-taught musician, and his approach was described by musicologist Ian MacDonald as “by nature drawn to music’s formal aspects yet wholly untutored … [he] produced technically ‘finished’ work almost entirely by instinct, his harmonic judgement based mainly on perfect pitch and an acute pair of ears … [A] natural melodist—a creator of tunes capable of existing apart from their harmony”. McCartney commented, “I prefer to think of my approach to music as … rather like the primitive cave artists, who drew without training.”

Early influences

McCartney’s earliest musical influences include Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and Chuck Berry.[230] When asked why the Beatles did not include Presley on the Sgt. Pepper cover, McCartney replied, “Elvis was too important and too far above the rest even to mention … so we didn’t put him on the list because he was more than merely a … pop singer, he was Elvis the King.”[231] McCartney stated that for his bassline for “I Saw Her Standing There”, he directly quoted Berry’s “I’m Talking About You”.[232]

McCartney called Little Richard an idol, whose falsetto vocalisations inspired McCartney’s own vocal technique.[233] McCartney said he wrote “I’m Down” as a vehicle for his Little Richard impersonation.[234] In 1971, McCartney bought the publishing rights to Holly’s catalogue, and in 1976, on the fortieth anniversary of Holly’s birth, McCartney inaugurated the annual “Buddy Holly Week” in England. The festival has included guest performances by famous musicians, songwriting competitions, drawing contests and special events featuring performances by the Crickets.

Bass guitar

Best known for primarily using a plectrum or pick, McCartney occasionally plays fingerstyle.[236] He does not use slapping techniques.[237] He was strongly influenced by Motown artists, in particular James Jamerson, whom McCartney called a hero for his melodic style. He was also influenced by Brian Wilson, as he commented: “because he went to very unusual places”.[238] Another favourite bassist of his is Stanley Clarke.[239] McCartney’s skill as a bass player has been acknowledged by bassists including Sting, Dr. Dre bassist Mike Elizondo, and Colin Moulding of XTC.

During McCartney’s early years with the Beatles, he primarily used a Höfner 500/1 bass, although from 1965, he favoured his Rickenbacker 4001S for recording. While typically using Vox amplifiers, by 1967, he had also begun using a Fender Bassman for amplification.[242] During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he used a Wal 5-String, which he said made him play more thick-sounding basslines, in contrast to the much lighter Höfner, which inspired him to play more sensitively, something he considers fundamental to his playing style.[237] He changed back to the Höfner around 1990 for that reason.[237] He uses Mesa Boogie bass amplifiers while performing live.[243]

MacDonald identified “She’s a Woman” as the turning point when McCartney’s bass playing began to evolve dramatically, and Beatles biographer Chris Ingham singled out Rubber Soul as the moment when McCartney’s playing exhibited significant progress, particularly on “The Word”.[244] Bacon and Morgan agreed, calling McCartney’s groove on the track “a high point in pop bass playing and … the first proof on a recording of his serious technical ability on the instrument.”[245] MacDonald inferred the influence of James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour”, American soul tracks from which McCartney absorbed elements and drew inspiration as he “delivered his most spontaneous bass-part to date”.[246]

Bacon and Morgan described his bassline for the Beatles song “Rain” as “an astonishing piece of playing … [McCartney] thinking in terms of both rhythm and ‘lead bass’ … [choosing] the area of the neck … he correctly perceives will give him clarity for melody without rendering his sound too thin for groove.”[247] MacDonald identified the influence of Indian classical music in “exotic melismas in the bass part” on “Rain” and described the playing as “so inventive that it threatens to overwhelm the track”.[248] By contrast, he recognised McCartney’s bass part on the Harrison-composed “Something” as creative but overly busy and “too fussily extemporised”.[249] McCartney identified Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as containing his strongest and most inventive bass playing, particularly on “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.

Acoustic guitar

McCartney primarily flatpicks while playing acoustic guitar, though he also uses elements of fingerpicking.[251] Examples of his acoustic guitar playing on Beatles tracks include “Yesterday”, “I’m Looking Through You”, “Michelle”, “Blackbird”, “I Will”, “Mother Nature’s Son” and “Rocky Raccoon”.[252] McCartney singled out “Blackbird” as a personal favourite and described his technique for the guitar part in the following way: “I got my own little sort of cheating way of [fingerpicking] … I’m actually sort of pulling two strings at a time … I was trying to emulate those folk players.”[251] He employed a similar technique for “Jenny Wren”.[253] He played an Epiphone Texan on many of his acoustic recordings, but also used a Martin D-28.

Electric guitar

McCartney played lead guitar on several Beatles recordings, including what MacDonald described as a “fiercely angular slide guitar solo” on “Drive My Car”, which McCartney played on an Epiphone Casino. McCartney said of the instrument: “if I had to pick one electric guitar it would be this.”[256] He contributed what MacDonald described as “a startling guitar solo” on the Harrison composition “Taxman” and the “shrieking” guitar on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Helter Skelter”. MacDonald also praised McCartney’s “coruscating pseudo-Indian” guitar solo on “Good Morning Good Morning”.[257] McCartney also played lead guitar on “Another Girl”.[258]

During his years with Wings, McCartney tended to leave electric guitar work to other group members,[259] though he played most of the lead guitar on Band on the Run.[260] In 1990, when asked who his favourite guitar players were he included Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour, stating, “but I still like Hendrix the best”.[251] He has primarily used a Gibson Les Paul for electric work, particularly during live performances.

Vocals

McCartney is known for his belting power, versatility and wide tenor vocal range, spanning over four octaves.[261][262] He was ranked the 11th greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone,[263] voted the 8th greatest singer ever by NME readers[264] and number 10 by Music Radar readers in the list of “the 30 greatest lead singers of all time”.[265] Over the years, McCartney has been named a significant vocal influence by Chris Cornell,[266] Billy Joel,[267] Steven Tyler,[268] Brad Delp,[269] and Axl Rose.[270]

McCartney’s vocals have crossed several music genres throughout his career. On “Call Me Back Again”, according to Benitez, “McCartney shines as a bluesy solo vocalist”, while MacDonald called “I’m Down” “a rock-and-roll classic” that “illustrates McCartney’s vocal and stylistic versatility”.[271] MacDonald described “Helter Skelter” as an early attempt at heavy metal, and “Hey Jude” as a “pop/rock hybrid”, pointing out McCartney’s “use of gospel-style melismas” in the song and his “pseudo-soul shrieking in the fade-out”.[272] Benitez identified “Hope of Deliverance” and “Put It There” as examples of McCartney’s folk music efforts while musicologist Walter Everett considered “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Honey Pie” attempts at vaudeville.[273] MacDonald praised the “swinging beat” of the Beatles’ twenty-four bar blues song, “She’s a Woman” as “the most extreme sound they had manufactured to date”, with McCartney’s voice “at the edge, squeezed to the upper limit of his chest register and threatening to crack at any moment.”[274] MacDonald described “I’ve Got a Feeling” as a “raunchy, mid-tempo rocker” with a “robust and soulful” vocal performance and “Back in the U.S.S.R.” as “the last of [the Beatles’] up-tempo rockers”, McCartney’s “belting” vocals among his best since “Drive My Car”, recorded three years earlier.[275]

McCartney also teasingly tried out classical singing, namely singing various renditions of “Besame Mucho” with the Beatles. He continued experimenting with various musical and vocal styles throughout his post-Beatles career.[276][277][278][text–source integrity?] “Monkberry Moon Delight” was described by Pitchfork’s Jayson Greene as “an absolutely unhinged vocal take, Paul gulping and sobbing right next to your inner ear”, adding that “it could be a latter-day Tom Waits performance”.

Keyboards

McCartney played piano on several Beatles songs, including “She’s a Woman”, “For No One”, “A Day in the Life”, “Hello, Goodbye”, “Lady Madonna”, “Hey Jude”, “Martha My Dear”, “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding Road”.[280] MacDonald considered the piano part in “Lady Madonna” as reminiscent of Fats Domino, and “Let It Be” as having a gospel rhythm.[281] MacDonald called McCartney’s Mellotron intro on “Strawberry Fields Forever” an integral feature of the song’s character.[282] McCartney played a Moog synthesizer on the Beatles song “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” and the Wings track “Loup (1st Indian on the Moon)”.[283] Ingham described the Wings songs “With a Little Luck” and “London Town” as being “full of the most sensitive pop synthesizer touches”.

Drums

McCartney played drums on the Beatles’ songs “Back in the U.S.S.R.”, “Dear Prudence”, “Martha My Dear”, “Wild Honey Pie” and “The Ballad of John and Yoko”.[285] He also played all the drum parts on his first and second solo albums McCartney and McCartney II, as well as on the Wings album Band on the Run and most of the drums on his solo LP Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.[286] His other drumming contributions include Paul Jones’ rendition of “And the Sun Will Shine” (1968),[287] Steve Miller Band’s 1969 tracks “Celebration Song” and “My Dark Hour”,[288][289] and “Sunday Rain” from the Foo Fighters’ 2017 album Concrete and Gold.

Tape loops

In the mid-1960s, when visiting artist friend John Dunbar’s flat in London, McCartney brought tapes he had compiled at then-girlfriend Jane Asher’s home. They included mixes of various songs, musical pieces and comments made by McCartney that Dick James made into a demo for him.[291] Heavily influenced by American avant-garde musician John Cage, McCartney made tape loops by recording voices, guitars and bongos on a Brenell tape recorder and splicing the various loops. He referred to the finished product as “electronic symphonies”.[292] He reversed the tapes, sped them up, and slowed them down to create the desired effects, some of which the Beatles later used on the songs “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “The Fool on the Hill”.

Personal life

Creative outlets

While at school during the 1950s, McCartney thrived at art a*signments, often earning top accolades for his visual work. However, his lack of discipline negatively affected his academic grades, preventing him from earning admission to art college.[294] During the 1960s, he delved into the visual arts, explored experimental cinema, and regularly attended film, theatrical and classical music performances. His first contact with the London avant-garde scene was through artist John Dunbar, who introduced McCartney to art dealer Robert Fraser.[295] At Fraser’s flat he first learned about art appreciation and met Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Peter Blake, and Richard Hamilton.[296] McCartney later purchased works by Magritte, whose painting of an apple had inspired the Apple Records logo.[297] McCartney became involved in the renovation and publicising of the Indica Gallery in Mason’s Yard, London, which Barry Miles had co-founded and where Lennon first met Yoko Ono. Miles also co-founded International Times, an underground paper that McCartney helped to start with direct financial support and by providing interviews to attract advertiser income. Miles later wrote McCartney’s official biography, Many Years from Now (1997).[298]

McCartney became interested in painting after watching artist Willem de Kooning work in de Kooning’s Long Island studio.[299] McCartney took up painting in 1983, and he first exhibited his work in Siegen, Germany, in 1999. The 70-painting show featured portraits of Lennon, Andy Warhol and David Bowie.[300] Though initially reluctant to display his paintings publicly, McCartney chose the gallery because events organiser Wolfgang Suttner showed genuine interest in McCartney’s art.[301] In September 2000, the first UK exhibition of McCartney’s paintings opened, featuring 500 canvases at the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol, England.[302] In October 2000, McCartney’s art debuted in his hometown of Liverpool. McCartney said, “I’ve been offered an exhibition of my paintings at the Walker Art Gallery … where John and I used to spend many a pleasant afternoon. So I’m really excited about it. I didn’t tell anybody I painted for 15 years but now I’m out of the closet”.[303] McCartney is lead patron of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a school in the building formerly occupied by the Liverpool Institute for Boys.[304]

When McCartney was a child, his mother read him poems and encouraged him to read books. His father invited Paul and his brother Michael to solve crosswords with him, to increase their “word power”, as McCartney said.[305] In 2001, McCartney published Blackbird Singing, a volume of poems and lyrics to his songs for which he gave readings in Liverpool and New York City.[306] In the foreword of the book, he explains: “When I was a teenager … I had an overwhelming desire to have a poem published in the school magazine. I wrote something deep and meaningful—which was promptly rejected—and I suppose I have been trying to get my own back ever since”.[307] His first children’s book was published by Faber & Faber in 2005, High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tail, a collaboration with writer Philip Ardagh and animator Geoff Dunbar. Featuring a squirrel whose woodland home is razed by developers, it had been scripted and sketched by McCartney and Dunbar over several years, as an animated film. The Observer labelled it an “anti-capitalist children’s book”.[308] In 2018, he wrote the children’s book Hey Grandude! together with illustrator Kathryn Durst, which was published by Random House Books in September 2019. The book is about a grandpa and his three grandchildren with a magic compass on an adventure.

In 1981, McCartney asked Geoff Dunbar to direct a short animated film called Rupert and the Frog Song; McCartney was the writer and producer, and he also added some of the character voices.[311] His song “We All Stand Together” from the film’s soundtrack reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1992, he worked with Dunbar on an animated film about the work of French artist Honoré Daumier, which won them a BAFTA award.[312] In 2004, they worked together on the animated short film Tropic Island Hum.[313] The accompanying single, “Tropic Island Hum”/”We All Stand Together”, reached number 21 in the UK.[314]

McCartney also produced and hosted The Real Buddy Holly Story, a 1985 documentary featuring interviews with Keith Richards, Phil and Don Everly, the Holly family, and others.[315] In 1995, he made a guest appearance on the Simpsons episode “Lisa the Vegetarian” and directed a short documentary about the Grateful Dead.

Business

Since the Rich List began in 1989, McCartney has been the UK’s wealthiest musician, with an estimated fortune of £730 million in 2015.[317] In addition to an interest in Apple Corps and MPL Communications, an umbrella company for his business interests, he owns a significant music publishing catalogue, with access to over 25,000 copyrights, including the publishing rights to the musicals Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line, Annie and Grease.[318] He earned £40 million in 2003, the highest income that year within media professions in the UK.[319] This rose to £48.5 million by 2005.[320] McCartney’s 18-date On the Run Tour grossed £37 million in 2012.[321]

McCartney signed his first recording contract, as a member of the Beatles, with Parlophone Records, an EMI subsidiary, in June 1962. In the United States, the Beatles recordings were distributed by EMI subsidiary Capitol Records. The Beatles re-signed with EMI for another nine years in 1967. After forming their own record label, Apple Records, in 1968, the Beatles’ recordings would be released through Apple although the masters were still owned by EMI.[35] Following the break-up of the Beatles, McCartney’s music continued to be released by Apple Records under the Beatles’ 1967 recording contract with EMI which ran until 1976. Following the formal dissolution of the Beatles’ partnership in 1975, McCartney re-signed with EMI worldwide and Capitol in the US, Canada and Japan, acquiring ownership of his solo catalogue from EMI as part of the deal. In 1979, McCartney signed with Columbia Records in the US and Canada—reportedly receiving the industry’s most lucrative recording contract to date, while remaining with EMI for distribution throughout the rest of the world.[322] As part of the deal, CBS offered McCartney ownership of Frank Music, publisher of the catalogue of American songwriter Frank Loesser. McCartney’s album sales were below CBS’ expectations and reportedly the company lost at least $9 million on the contract.[323] McCartney returned to Capitol in the US in 1985, remaining with EMI until 2006.[324] In 2007, McCartney signed with Hear Music, becoming the label’s first artist. He remains there as of 2012’s Kisses on the Bottom.[325]

In 1963, Dick James established Northern Songs to publish the songs of Lennon–McCartney.[326] McCartney initially owned 20% of Northern Songs, which became 15% after a public stock offering in 1965. In 1969, James sold a controlling interest in Northern Songs to Lew Grade’s Associated Television (ATV) after which McCartney and John Lennon sold their remaining shares although they remained under contract to ATV until 1973. In 1972, McCartney re-signed with ATV for seven years in a joint publishing agreement between ATV and McCartney Music. Since 1979, MPL Communications has published McCartney’s songs.

McCartney and Yoko Ono attempted to purchase the Northern Songs catalogue in 1981, but Grade declined their offer. Soon afterward, ATV Music’s parent company, Associated Communications Corp., was acquired in a takeover by businessman Robert Holmes à Court, who later sold ATV Music to Michael Jackson in 1985. McCartney has criticised Jackson’s purchase and handling of Northern Songs over the years. In 1995, Jackson merged his catalogue with Sony for a reported £59,052,000 ($95 million), establishing Sony/ATV Music Publishing, in which he retained half-ownership.[327] Northern Songs was formally dissolved in 1995, and absorbed into the Sony/ATV catalogue.[328] McCartney receives writers’ royalties which together are 33⅓ percent of total commercial proceeds in the US, and which vary elsewhere between 50 and 55 percent.[329] Two of the Beatles’ earliest songs—”Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You”—were published by an EMI subsidiary, Ardmore & Beechwood, before signing with James. McCartney acquired their publishing rights from Ardmore in 1978, and they are the only two Beatles songs owned by MPL Communications.

Drugs

McCartney first used drugs in the Beatles’ Hamburg days when they often used Preludin to maintain their energy while performing for long periods.[331] Bob Dylan introduced them to marijuana in a New York hotel room in 1964; McCartney recalls getting “very high” and “giggling uncontrollably”.[332] His use of the drug soon became habitual, and according to Miles, McCartney wrote the lyrics “another kind of mind” in “Got to Get You into My Life” specifically as a reference to cannabis.[333] During the filming of Help!, McCartney occasionally smoked a joint in the car on the way to the studio during filming, and often forgot his lines.[334] Director Richard Lester overheard two physically attractive women trying to persuade McCartney to use heroin, but he refused.[334] Introduced to cocaine by Robert Fraser, McCartney used the drug regularly during the recording of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and for about a year in total but stopped because of his dislike of the unpleasant melancholy he felt afterwards.[335]

Initially reluctant to try LSD, McCartney eventually did so in late 1966, and took his second “acid trip” in March 1967 with Lennon after a Sgt. Pepper studio session.[336] He later became the first Beatle to discuss the drug publicly, declaring: “It opened my eyes … [and] made me a better, more honest, more tolerant member of society.”[337] He made his attitude about cannabis public in 1967, when he, along with the other Beatles and Epstein, added his name to a July advertisement in The Times, which called for its legalisation, the release of those imprisoned for possession, and research into marijuana’s medical uses.[338]

In 1972, a Swedish court fined McCartney £1,000 for cannabis possession. Soon after, Scottish police found marijuana plants growing on his farm, leading to his 1973 conviction for illegal cultivation and a £100 fine. As a result of his drug convictions, the US government repeatedly denied him a visa until December 1973.[339] Arrested again for marijuana possession in 1975 in Los Angeles, Linda took the blame, and the court soon dismissed the charges. In January 1980, when Wings flew to Tokyo for a tour of Japan, customs officials found approximately 8 ounces (200 g) of cannabis in his luggage. They arrested McCartney and brought him to a local jail while the Japanese government decided what to do. After ten days, they released and deported him without charge.[340] In 1984, while McCartney was on holiday in Barbados, authorities arrested him for possession of marijuana and fined him $200.[341] Upon his return to England, he stated: “cannabis is … less harmful than rum punch, whiskey, nicotine and glue, all of which are perfectly legal … I don’t think … I was doing anyone any harm whatsoever.”[342] In 1997, he spoke out in support of decriminalisation of the drug: “People are smoking pot anyway and to make them criminals is wrong.”[295] He did, however, decide to quit cannabis in 2015, citing a desire to set a good example for his grandchildren.

Vegetarianism and activism

Since 1975, McCartney has been a vegetarian.[344][345] He and his wife Linda were vegetarians for most of their 29-year marriage. They decided to stop consuming meat after Paul saw lambs in a field as they were eating a meal of lamb. Soon after, the couple became outspoken animal rights activists.[346] In his first interview after Linda’s death, he promised to continue working for animal rights, and in 1999, he spent £3,000,000 to ensure Linda McCartney Foods remained free of genetically engineered ingredients.[347] In 1995, he narrated the documentary Devour the Earth, written by Tony Wardle.[348] McCartney is a supporter of the animal-rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has appeared in the group’s campaigns, and in 2009, McCartney narrated a video for them titled “Glass Walls”, which was harshly critical of slaughterhouses, the meat industry, and their effect on animal welfare.[349][350][351] McCartney has also supported campaigns headed by the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, World Animal Protection, and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.[352][353]

Following McCartney’s marriage to Mills, he joined her in a campaign against land mines, becoming a patron of Adopt-A-Minefield.[354] In a 2003 meeting at the Kremlin with Vladimir Putin, ahead of a concert in Red Square, McCartney and Mills urged Russia to join the anti-landmine campaign.[355] In 2006, the McCartneys travelled to Prince Edward Island to raise international awareness of seal hunting. The couple debated with Danny Williams, Newfoundland’s then Premier, on Larry King Live, stating that fishermen should stop hunting seals and start seal-watching businesses instead.[356] McCartney also supports the Make Poverty History campaign.[357]

McCartney has participated in several charity recordings and performances, including the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Live Aid, Live 8, and the recording of “Ferry Cross the Mersey”.[358] In 2004, he donated a song to an album to aid the “US Campaign for Burma”, in support of Burmese Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2008, he donated a song to Aid Still Required’s CD, organised as an effort to raise funds to a*sist with the recovery from the devastation caused in Southeast Asia by the 2004 tsunami.[359]

In 2009, McCartney wrote to Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, asking him why he was not a vegetarian. As McCartney explained, “He wrote back very kindly, saying, ‘my doctors tell me that I must eat meat’. And I wrote back again, saying, you know, I don’t think that’s right … I think he’s now being told … that he can get his protein somewhere else … It just doesn’t seem right—the Dalai Lama, on the one hand, saying, ‘Hey guys, don’t harm sentient beings … Oh, and by the way, I’m having a steak.’”[360] In 2012, McCartney joined the anti-fracking campaign Artists Against Fracking.[361]

Save the Arctic is a campaign to protect the Arctic and an international outcry and a renewed focus concern on oil development in the Arctic, attracting the support of more than five million people. This includes McCartney, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and 11 Nobel Peace Prize winners.[362][363] In 2015, following British prime minister David Cameron’s decision to give Members of Parliament a free vote on amending the law against fox hunting, McCartney was quoted: “The people of Britain are behind this Tory government on many things but the vast majority of us will be against them if hunting is reintroduced. It is cruel and unnecessary and will lose them support from ordinary people and animal lovers like myself.”[364] During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, McCartney called for Chinese wet markets (which sell live animals including wild ones) to be banned. He expressed concern over both the health impacts of the practice as well as its cruelty to animals.

Meditation

In August 1967, McCartney met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the London Hilton and later went to Bangor in North Wales to attend a weekend initiation conference, where he and the other Beatles learned the basics of Transcendental Meditation.[366] He said, “The whole meditation experience was very good and I still use the mantra … I find it soothing.”[367] In 2009, McCartney and Starr headlined a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall, raising three million dollars for the David Lynch Foundation to fund instruction in Transcendental Meditation for at-risk youth.

Football

McCartney has publicly professed support for Everton and has also shown favour for Liverpool.[369] In 2008, he ended speculation about his allegiance when he said: “Here’s the deal: my father was born in Everton, my family are officially Evertonians, so if it comes down to a derby match or an FA Cup final between the two, I would have to support Everton. But after a concert at Wembley Arena I got a bit of a friendship with Kenny Dalglish, who had been to the gig and I thought ‘You know what? I am just going to support them both because it’s all Liverpool.’”[

Relationships

Girlfriends

Dot Rhone

McCartney’s first serious girlfriend in Liverpool was Dot Rhone, whom he met at the Casbah club in 1959.[371] According to Spitz, Rhone felt that McCartney had a compulsion to control situations. He often chose clothes and makeup for her, encouraging her to grow her hair out like Brigitte Bardot’s, and at least once insisting she have it restyled, to disappointing effect.[372] When McCartney first went to Hamburg with the Beatles, he wrote to Rhone regularly, and she accompanied Cynthia Lennon to Hamburg when they played there again in 1962.[373] The couple had a two-and-a-half-year relationship, and were due to marry until Rhone’s miscarriage. According to Spitz, McCartney, now “free of obligation”, ended the engagement.

Jane Asher

McCartney first met British actress Jane Asher on 18 April 1963 when a photographer asked them to pose at a Beatles performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.[375] The two began a relationship, and in November of that year he took up residence with Asher at her parents’ home at 57 Wimpole Street, London.[376] They had lived there for more than two years before the couple moved to McCartney’s own home in St. John’s Wood in March 1966.[377] He wrote several songs while living at the Ashers’, including “Yesterday”, “And I Love Her”, “You Won’t See Me” and “I’m Looking Through You”, the latter three having been inspired by their romance.[378] They had a five-year relationship and planned to marry, but Asher broke off the engagement after she discovered he had become involved with Francie Schwartz,[379] an American screenwriter who moved to London at age 23 thinking she could sell a script to the Beatles. She met McCartney and he invited her to move into his London house, where events ensued that possibly broke up him and Asher.

Wives

Linda Eastman

Linda Eastman was a music fan who once commented, “all my teen years were spent with an ear to the radio.”[381] At times, she played hooky to see artists such as Fabian, Bobby Darin and Chuck Berry.[381] She became a popular photographer with several rock groups, including the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Grateful Dead, the Doors and the Beatles, whom she first met at Shea Stadium in 1966. She commented, “It was John who interested me at the start. He was my Beatle hero. But when I met him the fascination faded fast, and I found it was Paul I liked.”[382] The pair first met properly in 1967 at a Georgie Fame concert at The Bag O’Nails club, during her UK a*signment to photograph rock musicians in London. As Paul remembers, “The night Linda and I met, I spotted her across a crowded club, and although I would normally have been nervous chatting her up, I realised I had to … Pushiness worked for me that night!”[383] Linda said this about their meeting: “I was quite shameless really. I was with somebody else [that night] … and I saw Paul at the other side of the room. He looked so beautiful that I made up my mind I would have to pick him up.”[382] The pair married in March 1969. About their relationship, Paul said, “We had a lot of fun together … just the nature of how we aren’t, our favourite thing really is to just hang, to have fun. And Linda’s very big on just following the moment.”[384] He added, “We were crazy. We had a big argument the night before we got married, and it was nearly called off … [it’s] miraculous that we made it. But we did.”[385]

After the break-up of the Beatles, the two collaborated musically and formed Wings in 1971.[386] They faced derision from some fans and critics, who questioned her inclusion. She was nervous about performing with Paul, who explained, “she conquered those nerves, got on with it and was really gutsy.”[387] Paul defended her musical ability: “I taught Linda the basics of the keyboard … She took a couple of lessons and learned some bluesy things … she did very well and made it look easier than it was … The critics would say, ‘She’s not really playing’ or ‘Look at her—she’s playing with one finger.’ But what they didn’t know is that sometimes she was playing a thing called a Minimoog, which could only be played with one finger. It was monophonic.”[387] He went on to say, “We thought we were in it for the fun … it was just something we wanted to do, so if we got it wrong—big deal. We didn’t have to justify ourselves.”[387] Former Wings guitarist McCullough said of collaborating with Linda, “trying to get things together with a learner in the group didn’t work as far as I was concerned.”[388]

They had four children—Linda’s daughter Heather (legally adopted by Paul), Mary, Stella and James—and remained married until Linda’s death from breast cancer at age 56 in 1998.[389] After Linda died, Paul said, “I got a counsellor because I knew that I would need some help. He was great, particularly in helping me get rid of my guilt [about wishing I’d been] perfect all the time … a real bugger. But then I thought, hang on a minute. We’re just human. That was the beautiful thing about our marriage. We were just a boyfriend and girlfriend having babies.”

Heather Mills

In 2002, McCartney married Heather Mills, a former model and anti-landmine campaigner.[391] In 2003, the couple had a child, Beatrice Milly, named in honour of Mills’s late mother and one of McCartney’s aunts.[174] They separated in April 2006 and divorced acrimoniously in March 2008.[392] In 2004, he commented on media animosity toward his partners: “[the British public] didn’t like me giving up on Jane Asher … I married [Linda], a New York divorcee with a child, and at the time they didn’t like that”.

Nancy Shevell

McCartney married New Yorker Nancy Shevell in a civil ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall, London, on 9 October 2011. The wedding was a modest event attended by a group of about 30 relatives and friends.[193] The couple had been together since November 2007.[394] Shevell is vice president of a family-owned transportation conglomerate which owns New England Motor Freight.[395] She is a former member of the board of the New York area’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[396] Shevell is about 18 years younger than McCartney.[397] They had known each other for about 20 years prior to marrying, having met because both had homes in the Hamptons.

Beatles

John Lennon

Though McCartney had a strained relationship with Lennon, they briefly became close again in early 1974, and played music together on one occasion.[398] In later years, the two grew apart.[399] McCartney often phoned Lennon, but was apprehensive about the reception he would receive. During one call, Lennon told him, “You’re all pizza and fairytales!”[400] In an effort to avoid talking only about business, they often spoke of cats, babies, or baking bread.[401]

On 24 April 1976, McCartney and Lennon were watching an episode of Saturday Night Live at Lennon’s home in the Dakota when Lorne Michaels made a $3,000 cash offer for the Beatles to reunite. While they seriously considered going to the SNL studio a few blocks away, they decided it was too late. This was their last time together.[402] VH1 fictionalised this event in the 2000 television film Two of Us.[403] McCartney’s last telephone call to Lennon, days before Lennon and Ono released Double Fantasy, was friendly: “[It is] a consoling factor for me, because I do feel it was sad that we never actually sat down and straightened our differences out. But fortunately for me, the last phone conversation I ever had with him was really great, and we didn’t have any kind of blow-up”, he said.

Reaction to Lennon’s murder

On 9 December 1980, McCartney followed the news that Lennon had been murdered the previous night; Lennon’s death created a media frenzy around the surviving members of the band.[406] McCartney was leaving an Oxford Street recording studio that evening when he was surrounded by reporters who asked him for his reaction; he responded: “It’s a drag”. The press quickly criticised him for what appeared to be a superficial response.[407] He later explained, “When John was killed somebody stuck a microphone at me and said: ‘What do you think about it?’ I said, ‘It’s a dra-a-ag’ and meant it with every inch of melancholy I could muster. When you put that in print it says, ‘McCartney in London today when asked for a comment on his dead friend said, “It’s a drag”.’ It seemed a very flippant comment to make.”[407] He described his first exchange with Ono after the murder, and his last conversation with Lennon:

I talked to Yoko the day after he was killed, and the first thing she said was, “John was really fond of you.” The last telephone conversation I had with him we were still the best of mates. He was always a very warm guy, John. His bluff was all on the surface. He used to take his glasses down, those granny glasses, and say, “it’s only me.” They were like a wall you know? A shield. Those are the moments I treasure.

In 1983, McCartney said: “I would not have been as typically human and standoffish as I was if I knew John was going to die. I would have made more of an effort to try and get behind his ‘mask’ and have a better relationship with him.”[407] He said that he went home that night, watched the news on television with his children and cried most of the evening. In 1997, he said that Lennon’s death made the remaining ex-Beatles nervous that they might also be murdered.[408] He told Mojo magazine in 2002 that Lennon was his greatest hero.[409] In 1981, McCartney sang backup on Harrison’s tribute to Lennon, “All Those Years Ago”, which featured Starr on drums.[410] McCartney released “Here Today” in 1982, a song Everett described as “a haunting tribute” to McCartney’s friendship with Lennon

George Harrison

Discussing his relationship with McCartney, Harrison said: “Paul would always help along when you’d done his ten songs—then when he got ’round to doing one of my songs, he would help. It was silly. It was very selfish, actually … There were a lot of tracks, though, where I played bass … because what Paul would do—if he’d written a song, he’d learn all the parts for Paul and then come in the studio and say (sometimes he was very difficult): ‘Do this’. He’d never give you the opportunity to come out with something.”[412]

After Harrison’s death in November 2001, McCartney said he was “a lovely guy and a very brave man who had a wonderful sense of humour”. He went on to say: “We grew up together and we just had so many beautiful times together – that’s what I am going to remember. I’ll always love him, he’s my baby brother.”[413] On the first anniversary of his death, McCartney played Harrison’s “Something” on a ukulele at the Concert for George; he would perform this rendition of the song on many subsequent solo tours.[414] He also performed “For You Blue” and “All Things Must Pass”, and played the piano on Eric Clapton’s rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

Ringo Starr

During a recording session for The Beatles in 1968, the two got into an argument over McCartney’s critique of Starr’s drum part for “Back in the U.S.S.R.”, which contributed to Starr temporarily leaving the band.[416] Starr later commented on working with McCartney: “Paul is the greatest bass player in the world. But he is also very determined … [to] get his own way … [thus] musical disagreements inevitably arose from time to time.”[417]

McCartney and Starr collaborated on several post-Beatles projects, starting in 1973 when McCartney contributed instrumentation and backing vocals for “Six O’Clock”, a song McCartney wrote for Starr’s album Ringo.[418] McCartney played a kazoo solo on “You’re Sixteen” from the same album.[419] Starr appeared (as a fictional version of himself) in McCartney’s 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street, and played drums on most tracks of the soundtrack album, which includes re-recordings of several McCartney-penned Beatles songs. Starr played drums and sang backing vocals on “Beautiful Night” from McCartney’s 1997 album Flaming Pie. The pair collaborated again in 1998, on Starr’s Vertical Man, which featured McCartney’s backing vocals on three songs, and instrumentation on one.[420] In 2009, the pair performed “With a Little Help from My Friends” at a benefit concert for the David Lynch Foundation.[421] They collaborated on Starr’s album Y Not in 2010. McCartney played bass on “Peace Dream”, and sang a duet with Starr on “Walk with You”.[422] On 7 July 2010, Starr was performing at Radio City Music Hall in New York with his All-Starr Band in a concert celebrating his seventieth birthday. After the encores, McCartney made a surprise appearance, performing the Beatles’ song “Birthday” with Starr’s band.[423] On 26 January 2014, McCartney and Starr performed “Queenie Eye” from McCartney’s new album New at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[424] McCartney inducted Starr into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2015, and played bass on his 2017 album Give More Love. On 16 December 2018, Starr and Ronnie Wood joined McCartney onstage to perform “Get Back” at his concert at London’s O2 Arena. Starr also made an appearance on the final day of McCartney’s Freshen Up tour in July 2019, performing “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter”.

Legacy

Achievements

McCartney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of the Beatles and again as a solo artist in 1999. In 1979, the Guinness Book of World Records recognised McCartney as the “most honored composer and performer in music”, with 60 gold discs (43 with the Beatles, 17 with Wings) and, as a member of the Beatles, sales of over 100 million singles and 100 million albums, and as the “most successful song writer”, he wrote jointly or solo 43 songs which sold one million or more records between 1962 and 1978.[426] In 2009, Guinness World Records again recognised McCartney as the “most successful songwriter” having written or co-written 188 charted records in the United Kingdom, of which 91 reached the top 10 and 33 made it to number one.

McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: twenty with the Beatles; seven solo or with Wings; one as a co-writer of “A World Without Love”, a number-one single for Peter and Gordon; one as a co-writer on Elton John’s cover of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”; one as a co-writer on Stars on 45’s “Medley”; one as a co-writer with Michael Jackson on “Say Say Say”; and one as writer on “Ebony and Ivory” performed with Stevie Wonder.[428] As of 2009, he has 15.5 million RIAA certified units in the United States as a solo artist plus another 10 million with Wings.[429]

Credited with more number ones in the UK than any other artist, McCartney has participated in twenty-four chart topping singles: seventeen with the Beatles, one solo, and one each with Wings, Stevie Wonder, Ferry Aid, Band Aid, Band Aid 20 and “The Christians et al.”[430][nb 44] He is the only artist to reach the UK number one as a soloist (“Pipes of Peace”), duo (“Ebony and Ivory” with Wonder), trio (“Mull of Kintyre”, Wings), quartet (“She Loves You”, the Beatles), quintet (“Get Back”, the Beatles with Billy Preston) and as part of a musical ensemble for charity (Ferry Aid).[432]

“Yesterday” is one of the most covered songs in history with more than 2,200 recorded versions, and according to the BBC, “the track is the only one by a UK writer to have been aired more than seven million times on American TV and radio and is third in the all-time list … [and] is the most played song by a British writer [last] century in the US”.[433] His 1968 Beatles composition “Hey Jude” achieved the highest sales in the UK that year and topped the US charts for nine weeks, which is longer than any other Beatles single. It was also the longest single released by the band and, at seven minutes eleven seconds, was at that time the longest number one.[434] “Hey Jude” is the best-selling Beatles single, achieving sales of over five million copies soon after its release.[435][nb 45]

In July 2005, McCartney’s performance of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” with U2 at Live 8 became the fastest-released single in history. Available within forty-five minutes of its recording, hours later it had achieved number one on the UK Official Download Chart.

Awards and honours

• 1971: Academy Award winner (as a member of the Beatles)
• 18-time Grammy Award winner:
  • Nine as a member of the Beatles
  • Six as a solo artist
  • Two as a member of Wings
  • One as part of a joint collaboration
• Two-time inductee – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
  • Class of 1988 as a member of the Beatles
  • Class of 1999 as a solo artist
• 1965: Member of the Order of the British Empire
• 1988: Honorary Doctor of the University degree from University of Sussex
• 1997: Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music
• 2000: Fellowship into the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors
• 2008: BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music
• 2008: Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University
• 2010: Gershwin Prize for his contributions to popular music
• 2010: Kennedy Center Honors
• 2012: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• 2012: Légion d’Honneur for his services to music
• 2012: MusiCares Person of the Year
• 2015: 4148 McCartney, asteroid named after him by the (International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center)
• 2017: Appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to music

French folk song
Key: Bb

-3* -3* -3* 4 -5 4
With the moon’s pale shim-mer
-3* -5 5 5 -5 -3*
Lit-tle friend Pier-rot
-3* -3* -3* 4 -5 4
Shines thy can-dle’s glim-mer
-3* -5 5 5-5 -3*
On the fall-en snow
4 4 4 4 3 3-1*
Lend a pen I pray thee
4 -3* -3 3 -2
But a word to write
-3* -3* -3* 4 -5 4
One fare-well to say thee
-3* -5 5 5-5 -3*
Ere I go to-night

See my lantern flicker. Now the light is out
Now the snow falls thicker. Round and round about
Guests go helter skelter. Lo the night is old
Ope and give me shelter. Ere I die of cold

French folk song
Key: Bb

4 4 4 -4 5 -4
7 7 7 -8 8 -8
With the moon’s pale shim-mer

4 -4 5 5 -4 4
7 -8 8 8 -8 7
Lit-tle friend Pier-rot

4 4 4 -4 5 -4
7 7 7 -8 8 -8
Shines thy can-dle’s glim-mer

4 5 -4 -45 4
7 8 -8 -88 7
On the fall-en snow

-4 -4 -4 -4 -3” -3”2
-8 -8 -8 -8 -6 -6 5
Lend a pen I pray thee

-4 4 -3 -3” 3
-8 7 -7 -6 6
But a word to write

4 4 4 -4 5 -4
7 7 7 -8 8 -8
One fare-well to say thee

4 5 -4 -45 4
7 8 -8 -88 7
Ere I go to-night

See my lantern flicker. Now the light is out
Now the snow falls thicker. Round and round about
Guests go helter skelter. Lo the night is old
Ope and give me shelter. Ere I die of cold

Blurred Lines (w/o Rap)
Words & Music by Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams
Performed by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. & Pharrell
Key of G Major Range G3 to D6
Tabbed for a key of G Richter tuned diatonic.

Tab notations:
none = blow – = draw ’ = half step bend
ob = overblow

-5 5ob 6 -5 5ob 6 -5 5ob 6
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

8 -8 8 8 8 -8 7 7 8
If you can’t hear what I’m try-na say,

8 -8 8 8 8 -8 7 8
if you can’t read from the same page,

6 6 5ob 6 5ob 6
may-be I’m go-ing deaf,

6 6 5ob 6 5ob 6
may-be I’m go-ing blind,

6 6 5ob 6 5ob 6 6 -5 4ob -5 4ob 4 4ob 4 -3’ 4
may-be I’m out of my mind.________________________

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 5 5 4 7 5 4 3
O–kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 -4 5 -4 5 -4 4 3
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-4 -4’ -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-4 -4’ -4 -4’ -4 -4
You don’t need no pa-pers.

-4’ -4 -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
That man is not your mak-er.

5 5 4ob 5 6 -6 7 7 7 6 -5 4ob__
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl._______

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5 6 5ob 6 6
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
6 6 5 6 6
(I) hate these blurred lines.

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5
I know you want it.
6 6 5ob 6 6
But you’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Go a-head, get at me.

8 9 8 -8 7 -6
What do they make dreams for

8 9 8 -8 7 -8
when you got them jeans on?

8 9 8 -8 7 -6
What do we need steam for?

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6_-5_-4
You’re the hot-test bitch in this place._

-4 -4 -4 5 -5
I feel so luck-y.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5
You wan-na hug me.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5
What rhymes with “hug me”?

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 5 5 4 7 5 4 3
O–kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 -4 5 -4 5 -4 4 3
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-4 -4’ -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-4 -4’ -4 -4’ -4 -4
You don’t need no pa-pers.

-4’ -4 -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
That man is not your mak-er.

5 5 4ob 5 6 -6 7 7 7 6 -5 4ob__
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl._______

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5 6 5ob 6 6
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
6 6 5 6 6
(I) hate these blurred lines.

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5
I know you want it.
6 6 5ob 6 6
But you’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Go a-head, get at me.

7 6ob 7 7 7 -8 8
Shake the vibe, get down, get up.

6 6 6 6 -7 6 6 -7
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt.

6 6 6 6 6 -7
What you do-ing like word?

-7 -6 6 -6 -7 -6-7 -6 6 -6 6 -5 4ob 4 4ob -5 6
Hey,_________________________________________

8 -8 8 -8 8
Ba-by, can you breathe?

7 8 -8 7 7 -6 6
I got this from Ja-mai-ca.

-8 8 -8 8 -8 8_9
It al-ways works for me,

-8 8 -8 7 7 -6 6
Da-ko-ta to Da-ka-ta.

5 -5 5 -5 5
No more pre-tend-ing,

5 -5 5 -5 5
‘cause now you’re win-ning.

5 -5 5 -5 5
Here’s our be-gin-ning.

4 4 4 4ob -5 6 7 7_6_-5_4ob
I al-ways want-ed a good girl._____

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5 6 5ob 6 6
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
6 6 5 6 6
(I) hate these blurred lines.

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5
I know you want it.
6 6 5ob 6 6
But you’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Go a-head, get at me.

4 4 4 4 4 4
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

4 4 4 4 4 4
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

-5 5ob 6 -5 5ob 6 -5 5ob 6
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Repeat and fade

Blurred Lines (ORCHESTRA Chromatic)
Words & Music by Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams
Performed by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. & Pharrell
Key of G Major Range G3 to D6
Tabbed for an ORCHESTRA tuned Chromatic.

Tab notations:
none = blow – = draw * = button in

5 5 5 5 5 5
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up

7 7* -7 7 7* -7 7 7* -7
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

-10 -9 -10 -10 -10 -9 9 9 -10
If you can’t hear what I’m try-na say,

-10 -9 -10 -10 -10 -9 9 -10
if you can’t read from the same page,

-7 -7 7* -7 7* -7
may-be I’m go-ing deaf,

-7 -7 7* -7 7* -7
may-be I’m go-ing blind,

-7 -7 7* -7 7* -7 -7 -6*-5* 6 -5*5 -5* 5-4 5
may-be I’m out of my mind.___________________

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -6 -6 5 9 -6 5 -3
O– kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -5 -6 -5 -6 -5 5 -3
But you’re an an– i –mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-5 5* 5* -5 5* -5 -5
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
You don’t need no pa-pers.

5* -5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
That man is not your mak-er.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -7 8 9 9 9 -7-6*-5*
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl.______

5 5 5 -5 -6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6 -7 7* -7 -7
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-7 -7 7 -7 -7
(I) hate these blurred lines.

5 5 5 -6 6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6
I know you want it.
-7 -7 7* -7 -7
But you’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Go a-head, get at me.

-10 -11 -10 -9 9 8 -10 -11 -10 -9 9 -9
What do they make dreams for when you got them jeans on?

-10 -11 -10 -9 9 8
What do we need steam for?

-7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7-6*-5
You’re the hot-test bitch in this place._

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
I feel so luck-y.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
You wan-na hug me.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
What rhymes with “hug me”?

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -6 -6 5 9 -6 5 -3
O – kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -5 -6 -5 -6 -5 5 -3
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by it’s in your na-ture.

-5 5* 5* -5 5* -5 -5
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
You don’t need no pa-pers.

5* -5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
That man is not your mak-er.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -7 8 9 9 9 -7-6*-5
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl.____

5 5 5 -5 6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 6 -7 7* -7 -7
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-7 -7 7 -7 -7
I hate these blurred lines.

5 5 5 -5 6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6
I know you want it.
-7 -7 7* -7 -7
But you’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Go a-head get at me.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
One thing I ask you: let me be the one you back that a*s in-to,

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
yo, from Mal-i-bu to Car-i-bou.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
Yeah, had a bitch but she ain’t bad as you.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
So hit me up when you’re pass-ing through.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
I’ll give you some-thing bit e-nough to tear your a*s in two.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
Swag on, e-ven when you dress cas–u–al.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
I mean it’s not al-most un-bear-a-ble. Then-a,

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
hon-ey, you’re not there when I come a-cross that bitch;

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
you pass me by. Noth-ing like your last guy; he too square for you.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
He don’t smack that a*s and pull your hair like that. So I

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
jail watch, hand wave for you to sa-lute, but you did-n’t pick.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
Not man-y wom-en can re-fuse this pimp-in’. I’m a

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
nice guy, but you get it if you get with me.

9 -8 9 9 9 -9 -10
Shake the vibe, get down, get up.

-7 -7 -7 -7 -8* -7 -7 -8*
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt.

-7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -8*
What you do-ing like word?

-8* 8-7 8-8* 8-8* 8 -7 8 -7-6*-5*5-5*-6* -7
Hey,______________________________________

-10 -9 -10 -9 -10
Ba-by, can you breathe?

9 -10 -9 9 9 8 -7
I got this from Ja-mai-ca.

-9 -10 -9 -10 -9 -10-11
It al–ways works for me,___

-9 -10 -9 9 9 8 -7
Da- ko -ta to Da-ka-ta.

-6 6 -6 6 -6
No more pre-tend-ing,

-6 6 -6 6 -6
‘cause now you’re win-ning.

-6 6 -6 6 -6
Here’s our be-gin-ning.

5 5 5 -6 -6* -7 9 9 -7-6*-5*
I al-ways want-ed a good girl._____

5 5 5 -5 -6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6 -7 7* -7 -7
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Can’t let it get past me.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
You’re far from plas-tic.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-7 -7 7 -7 -7
I hate these blurred lines.

5 5 5 -5 -6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6
I know you want it.
-7 -7 7* -7 -7
But you’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Go a-head, get at me.

5 5 5 5 5 5
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

5 5 5 5 5 5
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

7 7* -7 7 7* -7 7 7* -7
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Begin fade
7 7* -7 7 7* -7 7 7* -7
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Complete fade

Blurred Lines (ORCHESTRA Chromatic w/o Rap)
Words & Music by Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams
Performed by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. & Pharrell
Key of G Major Range G3 to D6
Tabbed for an ORCHESTRA tuned Chromatic.

Tab notations:
none = blow – = draw * = button in

7 7* -7 7 7* -7 7 7* -7
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

-10 -9 -10 -10 -10 -9 9 9 -10
If you can’t hear what I’m try-na say,

-10 -9 -10 -10 -10 -9 9 -10
if you can’t read from the same page,

-7 -7 7* -7 7* -7
may-be I’m go-ing deaf,

-7 -7 7* -7 7* -7
may-be I’m go-ing blind,

-7 -7 7* -7 7* -7 -7 -6*-5* 6 -5*5 -5* 5-4 5
may-be I’m out of my mind.___________________

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -6 -6 5 9 -6 5 -3
O– kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -5 -6 -5 -6 -5 5 -3
But you’re an an– i –mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-5 5* 5* -5 5* -5 -5
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
You don’t need no pa-pers.

5* -5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
That man is not your mak-er.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -7 8 9 9 9 -7-6*-5*
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl.______

5 5 5 -5 -6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6 -7 7* -7 -7
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-7 -7 7 -7 -7
(I) hate these blurred lines.

5 5 5 -6 6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6
I know you want it.
-7 -7 7* -7 -7
But you’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Go a-head, get at me.

-10 -11 -10 -9 9 8 -10 -11 -10 -9 9 -9
What do they make dreams for when you got them jeans on?

-10 -11 -10 -9 9 8
What do we need steam for?

-7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7-6*-5
You’re the hot-test bitch in this place._

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
I feel so luck-y.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
You wan-na hug me.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
What rhymes with “hug me”?

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -6 -6 5 9 -6 5 -3
O – kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -5* -6 -5 -6 -5 -6 -5 5 -3
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by it’s in your na-ture.

-5 5* 5* -5 5* -5 -5
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
You don’t need no pa-pers.

5* -5 5* -5 5* -5 -5
That man is not your mak-er.

-6 -6 -5* -6 -7 8 9 9 9 -7-6*-5
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl.____

5 5 5 -5 6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 6 -7 7* -7 -7
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-7 -7 7 -7 -7
I hate these blurred lines.

5 5 5 -5 6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6
I know you want it.
-7 -7 7* -7 -7
But you’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Go a-head get at me.

9 -8 9 9 9 -9 -10
Shake the vibe, get down, get up.

-7 -7 -7 -7 -8* -7 -7 -8*
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt.

-7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -8*
What you do-ing like word?

-8* 8-7 8-8* 8-8* 8 -7 8 -7-6*-5*5-5*-6* -7
Hey,______________________________________

-10 -9 -10 -9 -10
Ba-by, can you breathe?

9 -10 -9 9 9 8 -7
I got this from Ja-mai-ca.

-9 -10 -9 -10 -9 -10-11
It al–ways works for me,___

-9 -10 -9 9 9 8 -7
Da- ko -ta to Da-ka-ta.

-6 6 -6 6 -6
No more pre-tend-ing,

-6 6 -6 6 -6
‘cause now you’re win-ning.

-6 6 -6 6 -6
Here’s our be-gin-ning.

5 5 5 -6 -6* -7 9 9 -7-6*-5*
I al-ways want-ed a good girl._____

5 5 5 -5 -6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6 -7 7* -7 -7
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Can’t let it get past me.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6
You’re far from plas-tic.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-7 -7 7 -7 -7
I hate these blurred lines.

5 5 5 -5 -6 1 1 1 -1 -2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

5 5 5 -5 -6
I know you want it.
-7 -7 7* -7 -7
But you’re a good girl.

-5 -5 -5 -6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6 6
Go a-head, get at me.

5 5 5 5 5 5
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

5 5 5 5 5 5
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

7 7* -7 7 7* -7 7 7* -7
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Begin fade
7 7* -7 7 7* -7 7 7* -7
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Complete fad

Blurred Lines (16h Chromatic)
Words & Music by Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams
Performed by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. & Pharrell
Key of G Major Range G3 to D6
Tabbed for a 16 hole Key of C Solo tuned chromatic.

Tab notations:
none = blow – = draw * = button in
. = on lower register (first 4 holes on a 16h chromatic)

3 3 3 3 3 3
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up

5 5* -5 5 5* -5 5 5* -5
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

-8 -7 -8 -8 -8 -7 7 7 -8
If you can’t hear what I’m try-na say,

-8 -7 -8 -8 -8 -7 7 -8
if you can’t read from the same page,

-5 -5 5* -5 5* -5
may-be I’m go-ing deaf,

-5 -5 5* -5 5* -5
may-be I’m go-ing blind,

-5 -5 5* -5 5* -5 -5 -4*-3* -4* -3*3 -3* 3-2 3
may-be I’m out of my mind._______________________

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -4 -4 3 7 -4 3 -1
O– kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -3 -4 -3 -4 -3 3 -1
But you’re an an– i –mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-3 3* 3* -3 3* -3 -3
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
You don’t need no pa-pers.

3* -3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
That man is not your mak-er.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -5 6 7 7 7 -5-4*-3*
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl._____

3 3 3 -3 -4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4 -5 5* -5 -5
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-5 -5 5 -5 -5
(I) hate these blurred lines.

3 3 3 -4 4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4
I know you want it.
-5 -5 5* -5 -5
But you’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Go a-head, get at me.

-8 -9 -8 -7 7 6 -8 -9 -8 -7 7 -7
What do they make dreams for when you got them jeans on?

-8 -9 -8 -7 7 6
What do we need steam for?

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5-4*-3
You’re the hot-test bitch in this place._

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
I feel so luck-y.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
You wan-na hug me.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
What rhymes with “hug me”?

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -4 -4 3 7 -4 3 -1
O – kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -3 -4 -3 -4 -3 3 -1
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by it’s in your na-ture.

-3 3* 3* -3 3* -3 -3
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
You don’t need no pa-pers.

3* -3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
That man is not your mak-er.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -5 6 7 7 7 -5-4*-3
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl.____

3 3 3 -3 4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 .4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 4 -5 5* -5 -5
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-5 -5 5 -5 -5
I hate these blurred lines.

3 3 3 -3 4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4
I know you want it.
-5 -5 5* -5 -5
But you’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Go a-head get at me.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
One thing I ask you: let me be the one you back that a*s in-to,

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
yo, from Mal-i-bu to Car-i-bou.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
Yeah, had a bitch but she ain’t bad as you.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
So hit me up when you’re pass-ing through.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
I’ll give you some-thing bit e-nough to tear your a*s in two.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
Swag on, e-ven when you dress cas–u–al.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
I mean it’s not al-most un-bear-a-ble. Then-a,

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
hon-ey, you’re not there when I come a-cross that bitch;

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
you pass me by. Noth-ing like your last guy; he too square for you.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
He don’t smack that a*s and pull your hair like that. So I

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
jail watch, hand wave for you to sa-lute, but you did-n’t pick.

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
Not man-y wom-en can re-fuse this pimp-in’. I’m a

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
nice guy, but you get it if you get with me.

7 -6 7 7 7 -7 -8
Shake the vibe, get down, get up.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6* -5 -5 -6*
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6*
What you do-ing like word?

-6* 6-5 6-6* 6-6* 65 6 -5-4*-3*3 -3*-4* -5
Hey,______________________________________

-8 -7 -8 -7 -8
Ba-by, can you breathe?

7 -8 -7 7 7 6 -5
I got this from Ja-mai-ca.

-7 -8 -7 -8 -7 -8-9
It al-ways works for me,_

-7 -8 -7 7 7 6 -5
Da-ko-ta to Da-ka-ta.

-4 4 -4 4 -4
No more pre-tend-ing,

-4 4 -4 4 -4
‘cause now you’re win-ning.

-4 4 -4 4 -4
Here’s our be-gin-ning.

3 3 3 -4 -4* -5 7 7 -5-4*-3*
I al-ways want-ed a good girl._____

3 3 3 -3 -4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4 -5 5* -5 -5
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Can’t let it get past me.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
You’re far from plas-tic.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-5 -5 5 -5 -5
I hate these blurred lines.

3 3 3 -3 -4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4
I know you want it.
-5 -5 5* -5 -5
But you’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Go a-head, get at me.

3 3 3 3 3 3
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

3 3 3 3 3 3
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

5 5* -5 5 5* -5 5 5* -5
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Begin fade
5 5* -5 5 5* -5 5 5* -5
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Complete fade

Blurred Lines (16h Chromatic w/o Rap)
Words & Music by Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams
Performed by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. & Pharrell
Key of G Major Range G3 to D6
Tabbed for a 16 hole Key of C Solo tuned chromatic.

Tab notations:
none = blow – = draw * = button in
. = on lower register (first 4 holes on a 16h chromatic)

5 5* -5 5 5* -5 5 5* -5
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

-8 -7 -8 -8 -8 -7 7 7 -8
If you can’t hear what I’m try-na say,

-8 -7 -8 -8 -8 -7 7 -8
if you can’t read from the same page,

-5 -5 5* -5 5* -5
may-be I’m go-ing deaf,

-5 -5 5* -5 5* -5
may-be I’m go-ing blind,

-5 -5 5* -5 5* -5 -5 -4*-3* -4* -3*3 -3* 3-2 3
may-be I’m out of my mind._______________________

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -4 -4 3 7 -4 3 -1
O– kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -3 -4 -3 -4 -3 3 -1
But you’re an an– i –mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-3 3* 3* -3 3* -3 -3
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
You don’t need no pa-pers.

3* -3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
That man is not your mak-er.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -5 6 7 7 7 -5-4*-3*
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl._____

3 3 3 -3 -4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4 -5 5* -5 -5
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-5 -5 5 -5 -5
(I) hate these blurred lines.

3 3 3 -4 4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4
I know you want it.
-5 -5 5* -5 -5
But you’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Go a-head, get at me.

-8 -9 -8 -7 7 6 -8 -9 -8 -7 7 -7
What do they make dreams for when you got them jeans on?

-8 -9 -8 -7 7 6
What do we need steam for?

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5-4*-3
You’re the hot-test bitch in this place._

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
I feel so luck-y.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
You wan-na hug me.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
What rhymes with “hug me”?

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -4 -4 3 7 -4 3 -1
O – kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -3* -4 -3 -4 -3 -4 -3 3 -1
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by it’s in your na-ture.

-3 3* 3* -3 3* -3 -3
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
You don’t need no pa-pers.

3* -3 3* -3 3* -3 -3
That man is not your mak-er.

-4 -4 -3* -4 -5 6 7 7 7 -5-4*-3
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl.____

3 3 3 -3 4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 .4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 4 -5 5* -5 -5
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-5 -5 5 -5 -5
I hate these blurred lines.

3 3 3 -3 4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4
I know you want it.
-5 -5 5* -5 -5
But you’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Go a-head get at me.

7 -6 7 7 7 -7 -8
Shake the vibe, get down, get up.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -6* -5 -5 -6*
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt.

-5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6*
What you do-ing like word?

-6* 6-5 6-6* 6-6* 65 6 -5-4*-3*3 -3*-4* -5
Hey,______________________________________

-8 -7 -8 -7 -8
Ba-by, can you breathe?

7 -8 -7 7 7 6 -5
I got this from Ja-mai-ca.

-7 -8 -7 -8 -7 -8-9
It al-ways works for me,_

-7 -8 -7 7 7 6 -5
Da-ko-ta to Da-ka-ta.

-4 4 -4 4 -4
No more pre-tend-ing,

-4 4 -4 4 -4
‘cause now you’re win-ning.

-4 4 -4 4 -4
Here’s our be-gin-ning.

3 3 3 -4 -4* -5 7 7 -5-4*-3*
I al-ways want-ed a good girl._____

3 3 3 -3 -4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4 -5 5* -5 -5
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Can’t let it get past me.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4
You’re far from plas-tic.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
-5 -5 5 -5 -5
I hate these blurred lines.

3 3 3 -3 -4 .3 .3 .3 -.3 -.4
I know you want it. I know you want it.

3 3 3 -3 -4
I know you want it.
-5 -5 5* -5 -5
But you’re a good girl.

-3 -3 -3 -4 4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-3 -3 -3 -3 -4 4
Go a-head, get at me.

3 3 3 3 3 3
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

3 3 3 3 3 3
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

5 5* -5 5 5* -5 5 5* -5
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

Begin fade
5 5* -5 5 5* -5 5 5* -5
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Complete fade

Blurred Lines
Words & Music by Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams
Performed by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. & Pharrell
Key of G Major Range G3 to D6
Tabbed for a key of G Richter tuned diatonic.

Tab notations:
none = blow – = draw ’ = half step bend
ob = overblow

4 4 4 4 4 4
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

-5 5ob 6 -5 5ob 6 -5 5ob 6
Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey.

8 -8 8 8 8 -8 7 7 8
If you can’t hear what I’m try-na say,

8 -8 8 8 8 -8 7 8
if you can’t read from the same page,

6 6 5ob 6 5ob 6
may-be I’m go-ing deaf,

6 6 5ob 6 5ob 6
may-be I’m go-ing blind,

6 6 5ob 6 5ob 6 6 -5 4ob -5 4ob 4 4ob 4 -3’ 4
may-be I’m out of my mind.________________________

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 5 5 4 7 5 4 3
O–kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 -4 5 -4 5 -4 4 3
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-4 -4’ -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-4 -4’ -4 -4’ -4 -4
You don’t need no pa-pers.

-4’ -4 -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
That man is not your mak-er.

5 5 4ob 5 6 -6 7 7 7 6 -5 4ob__
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl._______

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5 6 5ob 6 6
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
6 6 5 6 6
(I) hate these blurred lines.

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5
I know you want it.
6 6 5ob 6 6
But you’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Go a-head, get at me.

8 9 8 -8 7 -6
What do they make dreams for

8 9 8 -8 7 -8
when you got them jeans on?

8 9 8 -8 7 -6
What do we need steam for?

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6_-5_-4
You’re the hot-test bitch in this place._

-4 -4 -4 5 -5
I feel so luck-y.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5
You wan-na hug me.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5
What rhymes with “hug me”?

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 5 5 4 7 5 4 3
O–kay, now, he was close, tried to do-mes-ti-cate you.

5 5 4ob 5 4ob 5 -4 5 -4 5 -4 4 3
But you’re an an – i – mal; ba-by, it’s in your na-ture.

-4 -4’ -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
Just let me lib-er-ate you.

-4 -4’ -4 -4’ -4 -4
You don’t need no pa-pers.

-4’ -4 -4’-4 -4’ -4 -4
That man is not your mak-er.

5 5 4ob 5 6 -6 7 7 7 6 -5 4ob__
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl._______

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5 6 5ob 6 6
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
6 6 5 6 6
(I) hate these blurred lines.

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5
I know you want it.
6 6 5ob 6 6
But you’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Go a-head, get at me.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
One thing I ask you: let me be the one you back that a*s in-to,

-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2
yo, from Mal-i-bu to Car-i-bou.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Yeah, had a bitch but she ain’t bad as you.

-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2
So hit me up when you’re pass-ing through.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
I’ll give you some-thing big e-nough to tear your a*s in two.

-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2
Swag on, e-ven when you dress cas– u –al.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 -2 -2
I mean it’s not al-most un-bear-a-ble. Then-a,

-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 3 3 3 3 3 3
hon-ey, you’re not there when I come a-cross that bitch;

3 3 3 3
you pass me by.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Noth-ing like your last guy; he too square for you.

-2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 3 3
He don’t smack that a*s and pull your hair like that. So I

3 3 -2 -2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
jail watch, hand wave for you to sa-lute, but you did-n’t pick.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 -2 -2 3 3 3 3
Not man-y wom-en can re-fuse this pimp-in’. I’m a

-2 3 3 3 3 3 3 -2 -2 -2 -2
nice guy, but you get it if you get with me.

7 6ob 7 7 7 -8 8
Shake the vibe, get down, get up.

6 6 6 6 -7 6 6 -7
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt.

6 6 6 6 6 -7
What you do-ing like word?

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Hey,_________________________________________

8 -8 8 -8 8
Ba-by, can you breathe?

7 8 -8 7 7 -6 6
I got this from Ja-mai-ca.

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It al-ways works for me,

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Da-ko-ta to Da-ka-ta.

5 -5 5 -5 5
No more pre-tend-ing,

5 -5 5 -5 5
‘cause now you’re win-ning.

5 -5 5 -5 5
Here’s our be-gin-ning.

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I al-ways want-ed a good girl._____

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I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5 6 5ob 6 6
I know you want it. You’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Can’t let it get past me. You’re far from plas-tic.

-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Talk a-bout get-ting blast-ed.
6 6 5 6 6
(I) hate these blurred lines.

4 4 4 -4 5 1 1 1 -1 2
I know you want it. I know you want it.

4 4 4 -4 5
I know you want it.
6 6 5ob 6 6
But you’re a good girl.

-4 -4 -4 5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
The way you grab me, must wan-na get nas-ty.

-4 -4 -4 -4 5 -5
Go a-head, get at me.

4 4 4 4 4 4
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

4 4 4 4 4 4
Ev-‘ry-bod-y get up.

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Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. Repeat and fade