Beck took part in Paul McCartney’s McCartney III Imagined album that saw unique takes on songs from Sir Paul’s McCartney III solo album. Now, Beck’s version of “Find My Way” has a music video, and it is bizarre in the best way possible.
Embedded below, the video shows Beck dancing and moving through various settings, but his face is a deep-fake version of McCartney circa the early “Fab Four” days of The Beatles. Per McCartney’s website, “The ‘Find My Way (feat. Beck)’ video was co-produced by Hyperreal Digital, which specializes in the creation of hyper-realistic digital avatars.”
Hyperreal’s CEO Remington Scott said in a statement, “The technology to de-age talent and have them perform in creative environments like this is now fully-realized, even with one of the most recognized faces in the world.”
Paul McCartney – His 50 Best Post-Beatles Songs, Ranked
50. âHome Tonightâ – Paul McCartney – single release (2019)
ShareRecorded during the âEgypt Stationâ sessions but left off the album (and the expanded version of the album), it was finally released as a Record Store Day single. Produced by Greg Kurstin, who produced and co-wrote Adeleâs âHello,â he has also worked with Pink, Sia, Halsey, Kelly Clarkson and the Foo Fighters. In the â70s, or in a world with more sensible pop charts, this would have been a massive hit.
49. âCalico Skiesâ – Paul McCartney – âFlaming Pieâ (1997)
ShareA gorgeous solo acoustic piece by Paul and produced by George Martin, the song starts out as a tender love song: âIt was written that I would love you/From the moment I opened my eyes/And the morning when I first saw you/Gave me life under calico skies.â But then it takes a turn and sounds like a protest song: âLong live all of us crazy soldiers/Who were born under calico skies/May we never be called to handle/All the weapons of war we despise.â
48. âTemporary Secretaryâ Paul McCartney – ‘McCartney II’ (1980)
ShareA odd little bit of electro pop, which sounds like Paul was listening to a bit of Devo or Kraftwerk. It was a little ahead of its time; in fact, McCartney never performed it live until 35 years after the release of âMcCartney IIâ: on May 23, 2015 at the O2 Arena in London. He kept it in the set for a about a year.
47. âFuh Youâ – Paul McCartney – âEgypt Stationâ (2018)
ShareA collaboration with Ryan Tedder, a songwriter/producer who scored huge hits with Adele, Beyonce and Maroon 5, among others. And this is indeed a catchy pop jam. Of course, the overly cheeky title and chorus probably kept it from being a hit.
46. âI Lost My Little Girlâ – Paul McCartney – âUnplugged (The Official Bootleg)â (1991)
ShareThe first song Paul ever wrote. Paul performed this very Buddy Holly-ish song once -- on his âMTV Unpluggedâ episode. He poked fun at his lyrics, and yeah, he still had some developing to do, but hey, he was only 14. âWell, her clothes were not expensive/Her hair didn't always curl/I don't know why I love her/But I love my little girl.â
45. âItâs So Easyâ – Paul McCartney – ‘Rave On Buddy Holly’ (2011)
ShareBuddy Holly was a huge influence on Paul McCartney, who would later purchase the manâs publishing catalog. McCartney and his band are clearly having a great time bashing out this garage rock gem.
44. âHeal The Painâ – George Michael featuring Paul McCartney – âTwenty Fiveâ (2006)
ShareA song that George Michael wrote and recorded for his 1990 album âListen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1â as a tribute to McCartney and the Beatles. McCartney clearly took the compliment well, re-recording the song sixteen years later with Michael.
43. âFlying To My Homeâ – Paul McCartney – B-side to âMy Brave Faceâ (1989)
ShareThe B-side to the first single from âFlowers In The Dirt,â it was a good sign for fans. After a few years of comparatively weak albums, the fact that âFlyingâ didnât make the cut for Paulâs new release showed that, for the first time in a while, he had an overabundance of great songs to choose from.
42. âSay Say Say (with Michael Jackson)â – Paul McCartney – ‘Pipes Of Peace’ (1983)
ShareFun fact: âSay Say Sayâ was recorded about a year before McCartney and Jacksonâs âThat Girl Is Mineâ duet, but was released about a year after âThriller.â And while the megastars seemed to have fun hamming it up on âThat Girl Is Mine,â âSay Say Sayâ is clearly the better song. It also had a video that kept McCartney in front of MTV audiences, along with the channelâs biggest star at the time.
41. âWith A Little Luckâ – Wings – ‘London Town’ (1978)
ShareCall it soft-rock, or even yacht-rock, it was dominating radio in the late â70s and Paulâs âWith A Little Luckâ fit right in on those playlists. One of Paulâs sweetest jams, itâs another of his #1 hits. It also has one of popâs best false endings: you think the song is wrapping up at about 3:44, but at the four minute mark, Paul brings in a funky bass line leading to a great final section of the song.
40. âNineteen Hundred and Eighty Fiveâ – Wings – âBand On The Runâ (1973)
ShareMcCartney said that heâs often written one line and started a song around it. As he said in âPaul McCartney: In His Own Words,â âWith 'Eleanor Rigby' I had 'picks up the rice in the church where the wedding has been.' That was the one big line that started me off on it. With this one it was 'No one ever left alive in nineteen hundred and eighty-five. That's all I had of that song for months. No one ever left alive in nineteen hundred and eighty... six?' It wouldn't have worked!"
39. âHelen Wheelsâ – Wings – âBand On The Runâ (1973)
ShareAlong with âDrive My Car,â itâs one of Paulâs best driving songs, inspired by the trips that Paul and Linda used to take in their landrover in Scotland.
38. âSilly Love Songsâ – Wings – âWings At The Speed Of Soundâ (1976)
ShareWritten, in part, as a rebuttal to John Lennon who said that his ex-partner just wrote âsilly love songs,â it nevertheless was a #1 hit in the U.S. and featured a funky Paul bassline that allowed the song to co-exist next to disco hits on pop radio.
37. âBluebirdâ – Wings – âBand On The Runâ (1973)
SharePaulâs second best âbirdâ song (the best, obviously, would be the Beatlesâ âBlackbirdâ), it is still one of the highlights of Paulâs best post-Beatles album, âBand On The Run,â and if offered three and half minutes to chill after the albumâs opening tracks, âBand On The Runâ and âJet.â
36. âWonderful Christmastimeâ – Paul McCartney – single (1979)
ShareA goofy tweet about this song has led to a funny little âPaul Is Deadâ type rumor about the lyrics. The tweet theorized that itâs about witchcraft: âThe moon is right/The spirits up/We're here tonight/And that's enough.â And then someone walks in and they act like everythingâs all normal: âWeâre simply having a wonderful Christmastime!â Regardless of what you read into the lyrics, itâs a holiday classic and one of Paulâs best solo jams.
35. âVanilla Skyâ – Paul McCartney – âVanilla Skyâ soundtrack (2001)
ShareThe title track to one of Cameron Croweâs weirder movies; Paul only saw a bit of the film and it clearly inspired him to get a bit psychedelic -- a bit Beatlesque, dare we say -- for this two and half minute ditty.
34. âLonely Roadâ – Paul McCartney – âDriving Rainâ (2001)
ShareâDriving Rainâ marked a relaunch of sorts for McCartney; it was his first album of originals following the death of Linda, and you can hear his angst and sorrow in this song: âI tried to get over you/I tried to find something new/But all I could ever do/Was fill my time/With thoughts of you.â The album also saw him working with drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and guitarist/bassist Rusty Anderson, who would become the core of his touring band for the album (which has been his band for every subsequent tour).
33. This Oneâ Paul McCartney – âFlowers In The Dirtâ (1989)
ShareâFlowers In The Dirtâ was something of a âcomebackâ album for Paul McCartney, following a string of mostly weak â80s albums (he might have also have felt a bit of a kick in the rear watching George Harrisonâs massive success with his 1989 âCloud Nineâ album). Many of the highlights of âFlowersâ were songs that McCartney co-wrote with Elvis Costello, but âThis Oneâ showed that Paul could still write amazing songs on his own.
32. âTwenty Flight Rockâ – Paul McCartney – âCHOBA B CCCPâ (1988, 1991 in the US)
ShareâChoba B CCCPâ is Russian for âBack in the USSR,â and this 1988 album was recorded for Paulâs Russian fans. It saw him returning to the songs that the Beatles covered when they were playing bars. âTwenty Flight Rockâ is an Eddie Cochran jam from 1956 movie âThe Girl Canât Help Itâ; itâs also the song that Paul played to John Lennon when the two first met. It led to Lennon inviting him to join the Quarrymen who later changed their name to -- of course -- the Beatles.
31. âNo More Lonely Nightsâ – Paul McCartney – âGive My Regards To Broad Streetâ (1984)
Share1984âs âGive My Regards To Broad Streetâ -- the album and the film -- did not mark a high point of Paulâs career. But this song -- featuring a stellar guitar solo from Pink Floydâs David Gilmour -- salvaged the project.
30. âAll Things Must Pass (live)â – Paul McCartney – ‘The Concert For George’ (2003)
ShareThereâs a good argument to be made that George Harrisonâs âAll Things Must Passâ was the greatest song ever rejected by the Beatles (you can hear his original demo on âBeatles Anthology 3â). The song, about the transient nature of love and life (âSunrise doesn't last all morning/A cloudburst doesn't last all day/Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning/It's not always going to be this greyâ) was widely interpreted to be about the fracturing of the relationships between George, John, Paul and George. So hearing Paul perform a solo version, a few months after Georgeâs passing is profoundly moving.
29. âEbony and Ivory (with Stevie Wonder) – Paul McCartney – âTug Of Warâ (1982)
ShareSlammed by some as being a bit too overly simplistic (with lyrics like âWe all know that people are the same wherever you go/There is good and bad in everyone/And we learn to live, we learn to give each other/What we need to survive together aliveâ), it was nonetheless one of his biggest hits, topping the U.S. pop charts and stayed there for seven weeks. And even though itâs music and lyrics are pretty inoffensive, it still got banned in apartheid-era South Africa.
28. âListen To What The Man Saidâ – Wings – âVenus And Marsâ (1975)
ShareSometimes, you just need some sax. McCartney wasnât happy with the song until they had the idea to get a sax player on the track. Someone in the studio noted that jazz musician Tom Scott lived a half hour away. They gave him a call, he showed up, and the song went on to top the U.S. pop charts. ââLove is fine for all we know/For all we know, our love will growâ/That's what the man said.â But who is the man? We still donât know. Paul has said, âI like the idea that I leave it to the people to decide who, in their minds, is the man.â
27. âAnother Dayâ Paul McCartney – single (1971)
ShareA song that Paul wrote while he was in the Beatles, and recorded at the beginning of the âRamâ sessions, âAnother Dayâ ended up not making the album, but being released as an independent single. It was his first solo single release and went on to be a #5 hit. Over the years, people have been a bit critical of Lindaâs singing, but her and Paulâs voices meld perfectly on this song.
26.âUncle Albert/Admiral Halseyâ Paul and LInda McCartney – âRamâ (1971)
SharePaulâs first U.S. number one hit after the Beatles was more than a little reminiscent of the second side of âAbbey Roadâ; like that suite, it seems to combine small fragments of songs that seem totally separate from each other. But, as Paul was at the peak of his powers, it somehow works.
25. âMy Valentineâ – Paul McCartney – âKisses On The Bottomâ (2012)
ShareâKisses On The Bottomâ saw Paul visiting the pre-rock and roll songbook -- backed by jazz star Diana Krall and her band -- with songs like âIâm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letterâ and âAc-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.â But he wrote two songs in the style of that era, and this song (featuring Eric Clapton on acoustic guitar) holds up to those standards.
24. âFine Lineâ – Paul McCartney – âChaos And Creation In The Backyardâ (2005)
ShareThe highlight of Paulâs âChaos and Creation In The Backyardâ album, produced by Radiohead collaborator, Nigel Godrich. Legend has it that after one day in the studio with his touring band, Godrich decided that Paul would have to record the whole album solo, without his mates, to deprive him of being surrounded by his usual gang. Unlike his self-titled solo albums, here he is accompanied by a string section.
23. âBrown Eyed Handsome Manâ – Paul McCartney – âRun Devil Runâ (1999)
SharePaul and the Beatles always loved covering their early rock and roll idols, and Paul went back to this on âRun Devil Run,â his first album following Lindaâs passing. The album had a lot of iconic pre-Beatles rock and roll covers, including âBluejean Bop,â and âAll Shook Up,â but this zydeco-infused accordion-heavy take on Chuck Berryâs classic was the highlight of the set.
22. âThat Day Is Done (demo)â – Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello – âFlowers In The Dirtâ outtakes (1989, released in 2017)
ShareLike some of his peers -- notably, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones -- the late â80s saw Paul get his mojo back. He was no longer chasing trends, and instead getting back to basics after a few albums that Brits might refer to as ânaff.â Paul did this with the help of Elvis Costello, a little more than a decade into his own career. Elvis helped Paul reckon with his past as a Beatle, and reminded him what it was like to have a solid co-writer. The version of âThat Day Is Doneâ on âFlowers In The Dirtâ is solid, but the demo -- featuring just Paul and Elvis singing over a piano -- is even better. Itâs available on the expanded âFlowers In The Dirtâ box set.
21. âFour Five Secondsâ Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney – single (2015)
ShareMore than fifty years after Beatlemania, Paul was still writing hits for teenagers, and he didnât really change his style too much. âFour Five Secondsâ was mostly Kanye West and Rihanna singing over Paulâs acoustic guitar playing; the three were co-writers on the song. And when the song dropped, it apparently turned some younger listeners on to Paul, with some tweeting that Kanye gave âsome guyâ Paul McCartney âhis big break.â Paul surely got a laugh from that, and he still performs the song live.
20. âNewâ – Paul McCartney – âNewâ (2013)
ShareâNew,â the album, paired Paul with a bunch of hot producers; on this song, he worked with Mark Ronson, who was well known for producing Amy Winehouse and Adele. (Fun fact: his stepfather is Mick Jones of Foreigner!) âNewâ was a pop song with an optimistic feel that recalled his early days in the Fab Four.
19. âCut Me Some Slackâ – Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear – âSound City: Reel To Reelâ (2013)
ShareCollaborating on this one-off song with the surviving members of Nirvana, Paul got in touch with his Little Richard/Jerry Lee Lewis screaming voice. Leading the band and playing a weird âcigar-box guitar,â this is one of the heaviest songs Paul has ever done. More than a novelty, it won the quartet the Best Rock Song Grammy in 2014.
18. âYou Want Her Too (with Elvis Costello)â – Paul McCartney – Flowers In The Dirt (1989)
ShareA cooler take on McCartneyâs duet with Michael Jackson, âThat Girl Is Mine.â Elvis takes the mic during the song and you can hear him pushing Paul to get a bit edgier here. Itâs easy to hear Costelloâs effect on the album when you listen to this song.
17. âNothing Too Much Just Out Of Sightâ – The Fireman – âElectric Argumentsâ (2008)
ShareWhen Paul wants to create music a bit ediger or weirder than what he does on his solo albums, he reactivates his âFiremanâ project: itâs a partnership between Paul and Youth, aka Martin Glover, a member of industrial punk band Killing Joke, who has produced the Verve and Bananarama, among others. Their early work was more trancey, but on their third album, âElectric Arguments,â they got a bit more rocking. âNothing Too Much Just Out Of Sightâ is, in fact, one of McCartneyâs most rocking songs, and one of the few Fireman jams to make it to a McCartney setlist.
16. âVeronicaâ – Elvis Costello (co-written by Paul McCartney) – âSpikeâ (1989)
ShareOne of the songs from the McCartney/Costello union that ended up on Elvisâs album; Paul plays bass here. In fact, itâs his iconic Hofner bass guitar, which he hadnât played in years. Elvis insisted Paul use it during their sessions, and heâs played it on all of his tours since then.
15. âSomething (live)â – Paul McCarntey and Eric Clapton – âThe Concert For Georgeâ (2003)
ShareOK, we said that this album would be about Paulâs post-Beatles songs. But while âSomethingâ was a Beatles song, it was written and sung by George Harrison. This version sees Paul starting the song solo, just singing and playing ukulele -- an instrument that Harrison loved. After a verse, the band -- including Georgeâs friend/rival Eric Clapton and Ringo on drums -- joins in. McCartney often does the solo uke version live but having so many of Georgeâs friends on this version just gave it even more gravitas.
14. âHere Today (live)â – Paul McCartney – âBack In The U.S.â (2002)
ShareThe original version of this was from 1982âs âTug Of War,â and was a letter to John Lennon, whoâd been murdered two years earlier. But this solo acoustic version, recorded two decades later, has even more weight coming just a few months after George Harrisonâs death as Paul -- and all of us -- realized that only half of the Beatles still walked the earth.
13. âDance Tonightâ – Paul McCartney – âMemory Almost Fullâ (2007)
ShareMuch of âMemory Almost Fullâ was done solo, a la âMcCartney,â âMcCartney IIâ and, later, âMcCartney III.â This one features Paul playing mandolin and singing, as well as guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion and drums. This one, inspired by watching his young daughter Beatrice dancing, is one of his best songs of this millennium.
12. âTry Not To Cryâ – Paul McCartney – âRun Devil Runâ (1999)
ShareAfter Lindaâs tragic death in 1998, Paul decided to get back to basics on âRun Devil Run,â an album of pre-Beatles rock and roll covers. But he also wrote two new songs: this one saw Paul coming to terms with life after Linda. He couldâve written a ballad, but this song is a rocker that shows defiance in the face of misery. Itâs one of Paulâs most underrated gems.
11. âLet Me Roll Itâ – Wings – âBand On The Runâ (1973)
ShareâYou gave me something, I understand/You gave me loving in the palm of my hand.â Sometimes simple lyrics get the idea across: âLet me roll it/Let me roll it to youâ became an almost too obvious stoner anthem.
10. âJuniorâs Farmâ – Paul McCartney & Wings – single (1973)
ShareAfter âGive Ireland Back To The Irishâ in â71, McCartney mostly avoided politics in his music, but he did obliquely reference Watergate in this song, singing, âAt the Houses of Parliament/Everybody's talking about the President/We all chip in for a bag of cement.â Was Paul insinuating that theyâd âtake careâ of him, mob-style, by fitting him for a pair of âconcrete shoes?â Paul still hasnât said. Whatever it was about, itâs one of Paulâs most rocking solo jams.
9. âTake It Awayâ – Paul McCartney – âTug Of Warâ (1982)
ShareIn the â80s, classic artists needed to get on MTV to find a new audience, and this single did the job for Paul; it was ubiquitous on the Music Television channel in its early days. The song was about a band trying to get signed, something Paul probably hadnât thought about much for about twenty years at that point. The song and the video reunited Paul with Ringo Starr and George Martin.
8. âMy Brave Faceâ – Paul McCartney – âFlowers In The Dirtâ (1989)
ShareThe opening track and first single from âFlowers In The Dirt,â this song announced that Paul was back and it was a bit edgier than what heâd done on his past few releases; it was one of the best songs of McCartneyâs songwriting partnership with Elvis Costello. The lyrics, about a newly-single guy, would take on new and haunting meaning a few years later, after LIndaâs tragic passing.
7. âThat Would Be Somethingâ – Paul McCartney – âMcCartneyâ (1970)
ShareâMcCartneyâ opens with a 44 second tune called âThe Lovely Linda,â but the real opening track is âThat Would Be Something,â which really set the stage for what was very much a solo album. Itâs just Paul singing, playing acoustic guitar and bass, along with a tom tom drum and a cymbal. He also adds vocal percussion. It was surprising to hear the guy who led the Beatles through productions like âLet It Beâ and âThe Long And Winding Roadâ from the âLet It Beâ album, doing such a lo-fi recording with such simple lyrics. But âThat Would Be Somethingâ was more delta blues than arena rock and still holds up as one of Paulâs coolest songs.
6. âComing Upâ – Paul McCartney – ‘McCartney II’ (1980)
SharePaulâs second solo album, âMcCartney II,â came after Wings ran its course. Like 1970âs âMcCartney,â it saw Paul playing all the instruments and doing nearly all of the vocals. But it was, of course, a different musical climate; âComing Upâ was Paulâs nod to disco. The song, apparently, was a favorite of John Lennonâs as well. Paul told âBillboardâ that heâd heard that âComing Upâ inspired his old songwriting partner to get back into recording after a hiatus.
5. âEvery Nightâ – Paul McCartney – ‘McCartney’ (1970)
ShareBy 1970, the rockers of the â60s were approaching middle age, but few of them were able to express any happiness about it in their music. Praising your wife in song, after all, just didnât seem cool. McCartney, the only Beatle capable of doing a full solo album with no assistance (he played guitar, bass, keyboards and drums on the album) didnât have to worry about looking uncool to bandmates as he wrote an ode to his solid relationship with LInda.
4. âJetâ – Wings – ‘Band On The Run’ (1973)
ShareWhat is âJetâ about? McCartney has said that itâs about a puppy that they had at the time, although that doesnât explain the âsuffragetteâ line. In âPaul McCartney: In His Own Words,â he said, âI make up so much stuff. It means something to me when I do it, and it means something to the record buyer, but if I'm asked to analyze it I can't really explain what it is. 'Suffragette' was crazy enough to work.â
3. âBand On The Runâ – Wings – ‘Band On The Run’ (1973)
SharePaul was an icon in the â60s with the Beatles, but as a solo artist, he also fit in perfectly on radio playlists in the â70s. The title track to Wingsâ best album was a multi-part epic (a la Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer) that had elements of funk-rock *and* country-rock. He somehow fit all of this into a song that was barely longer than five minutes.
2. âMaybe Iâm Amazed (live)â – Wings – ‘Wings Over America’ (1976)
ShareThe original version came from Paulâs solo debut, âMcCartney,â and was inspired by Linda. Paul wrote the song as the Beatles were disintegrating, and as lovely as that intimate solo debut was, âMaybe Iâm Amazedâ benefitted from the full-band treatment. Indeed, it was the live version that became a top 10 hit, and it was one of the best stadium ballads of the â70s. Itâs still a high point of Paulâs solo shows today.
1. “Live And Let Die” – Paul McCartney and Wings – ‘Live And Let Die (soundtrack)’ (1973)
ShareItâs the best James Bond theme song ever, and also Paulâs best post-Beatles moment. The song, which reunited Paul with Beatles producer George Martin, combines Paulâs lovely balladry with some laser-and-pyro-friendly arena rock. He also succinctly summarizes 007âs job thusly: âWhen you got a job to do/You got to do it well/You got to give the other fellow HEEEEEELLLLLL!!!â The song got a more sinister update nearly two decades later when Guns Nâ Roses covered it for 1991âs Use Your Illusion I.