Paul McCartney Almost Completely Quit Music After The Beatles Split

Paul McCartney is one of the last two surviving members of the Beatles, the other being Ringo Starr. The Beatles disbanded in 1970 and Paul revealed that it was due to many factors such as, the group members evolving into businessmen, Lennon’s drug addiction and his relationship with Yoko Uno, resentment between the group members, and managerial issues.

After the Beatles split, most of its members went on to have successful solo careers, however, Paul was skeptical about continuing with the music industry. “There’s a couple of times in life when you are forced into taking a risk. After The Beatles, this was my situation: ‘Do I keep going with music, or not?’” he wrote in his newsletter.

Paul was unsure about continuing his musical career

Despite his uncertainty, Paul went on to have a successful solo music career that has kept him at the top post-Beatles. However, at first, he was unsure if he would make it fresh out of the group. “Well, I want to keep going. So, ‘How am I going to do it? Am I going to have a band, or am I just going to busk outside train stations? How’s it going to work?’” he recalled asking himself, in his newsletter.

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The 80-year-old admitted to not being a risk taker so he was extra careful about his decision as an individual. “Didn’t know what to do with myself, and trying something new was really risky. The risk paid off,” the singer added.

Paul went on to have a rewarding solo career after the Beatles

Paul focused on his solo career in 1980, after which he created the group, Wings. He topped the charts with his album, McCartney and compared to other members of the Beatles, Paul arguably has the most successful solo career. Throughout his music career, he has sold over 90 million album copies so far and his best-selling one is Band On The Run with over 18 million sales in total.

His last two albums— McCartney II and McCartney III, released in 2020 and 2021 recorded wide success reinforcing his relevance in the music space still. In February 2023, Paul announced an upcoming collaboration with Rolling Stones members, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as he made a bass track for the band’s upcoming album.