“They’re Not Owning Up”: Paul McCartney’s Playful Gripe Over Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and Marvin Gaye Covering the Beatles

It’s quite a joy that Paul McCartney is still doing interviews nowadays, mainly because he has such a good sense of humor. Back in 2019, Paul McCartney made an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The two talked about The Beatles and music in general. During the conversation, Colbert asked McCartney if he had a favorite cover of one of The Beatles’ songs. He also jokingly noted that there was a “right” answer.

For reference, The Beatles’ discography is currently considered the most-covered of any band or artist of all time. There are thousands of covers on that list, and McCartney didn’t give a direct answer. He did, however, playful poke fun at a handful of musicians who covered “Yesterday”, the famed 1965 single from Help!

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“So I said to one of our guys, ‘Well, get me the top 10,’” McCartney said with a laugh. “Just what you think are the best 10. So he did, and it was like Sinatra, Elvis, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye. I think I like Marvin’s [cover of ‘Yesterday’] best.”

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They say it’s your birthday @paulmccartney! Sending you well wishes today, tomorrow and Yesterday. 🎉 Colbert

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McCartney went on to say that Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, and Frank Sinatra all changed the lyrics to “Yesterday” in their recorded covers.

“In the middle [of ‘Yesterday’], I go ‘I said something wrong,’” McCartney quoted the lyrics of the song. “All of them said ‘I must have said something wrong.’ They’re not owning up!”

Colbert joked that it was akin to someone apologizing with “I’m sorry if anyone was offended”, to which McCartney agreed.

What Are Some of the Best Beatles Covers to Date?

Outside of the names McCartney dropped in the above interview, there have been a few more stellar covers of “Yesterday”. Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson delivered a country-leaning version of the song in 1987, and Ray Charles put a bluesy spin on it in 1968.

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Another iconic cover of a Beatles song would be Joe Cocker’s impassioned version of “With A Little Help From My Friends” from 1968. Wilson Pickett’s version of “Hey Jude” and Stevie Wonder’s rendition of “We Can Work It Out” are a couple more contenders. According to Stephen Colbert in the above interview with Paul McCartney, the Stevie Wonder cover was the very best cover of a Beatles song ever. That’s up for debate, but that particular cover is definitely up there!

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