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Paul McCartney Celebrates 75th Birthday And Dad’s Day With Classic Photo Of Himself And His Father

By Lorenzo Tanos
Published on: 21:55 PST, Jun 17, 2017

Today, Sir Paul McCartney is celebrating his 75th birthday, and if you’re doing the math, that makes it 11 years since he reached the age he wrote and sang about in the Beatles’ song “When I’m Sixty-four.” And while fans around the world are looking back on his six decades in the music industry (and counting), it also bears mentioning that today is Father’s Day, and Sir Paul is celebrating that day as well, with a photo of himself with his late father, Jim McCartney.

Probably no one said it better than The Wrap, which observed earlier this week that Paul McCartney, despite the fact that today is his 75th birthday, is still capable of three-hour shows, even in his older age. The man often referred to as “Macca” is still well-known for his musical achievements, which included his songwriting partnership with John Lennon as part of the Beatles, his hits with his 1970s band Wings, his 1980s duets with Michael Jackson, and even his more recent collaboration with Kanye West.

The Wrap’s Paul McCartney birthday retrospective generally looked at the legend in a positive light, focusing on how he’s much more than someone often referred to as the “cute Beatle,” and the most pop-oriented member of the iconic 1960s band. His underrated work as a bass player was brought to attention, including his memorable, tone-setting bass line on the Beatles’ “Come Together,” and how, as a bassist, he “set new rules for the role the bass could play” in rock music.

While it may take ages to enumerate each and every musical milestone Paul McCartney achieved now that he’s 75, his birthday is also proving to be special as it coincides with Father’s Day. And in the spirit of the occasion, McCartney took to Twitter to post an old, undated photo of himself and his father James “Jim” McCartney – it isn’t stated what year the photo was taken, but judging by Sir Paul’s appearance, it may have been snapped sometime in the late ’60s or early ’70s.

As the Huffington Post wrote in the run-up to Paul McCartney’s 68th birthday in 2010, his father Jim died in 1976 at the age of 73. And it was Jim’s 64th birthday in 1966 that inspired Paul to write “When I’m Sixty-four” for the Beatles’ then-upcoming album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. While Paul’s mother Mary, who died in 1956, didn’t live to see her son become one of the world’s most recognizable and accomplished musicians, Jim was able to see Paul rise to stardom, as both men enjoyed a tight bond through the years.

That was something the younger McCartney never forgot, as he referenced a phrase his father often used to “resolve family disputes” in his 1989 solo recording, “Put it There.”

“Give me your hand, I’d like to shake it. Put it there, If it weighs a ton, That’s what a father says to his young son.”

Paul McCartney in the early 1960s performing with the Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. [Image by Keystone/Getty Images]

Meanwhile, things have been eventful in recent days for the rock ‘n’ roll legend. With Paul McCartney’s birthday taking place today, it would also appear that the music icon has the perfect birthday gift, in the form of a Companion of Honour award for his services to music. As Rolling Stone noted, this elevation of Sir Paul’s knighthood took place a little more than 20 years to the date when he was first knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. This also puts him in some elite company, as only a few other musicians have received the award.

“I’m very happy about this huge honor and with the news coming on my birthday weekend and Father’s Day it makes it colossal!” said McCartney in a statement.

Despite that new and timely accolade, it would seem that Paul McCartney would like nothing more but to celebrate his birthday and Father’s Day simultaneously with a simple tribute to his dad. In the hour or so since it was tweeted, the photo of the two McCartney men has been shared over 300 times and liked over 1,200 times.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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