Paul McCartney didn’t recognize his own guitar in FourFiveSeconds because Kanye West ‘sped it up’

Paul McCartney didn’t recognize his own guitar in FourFiveSeconds because Kanye West ‘sped it up’

18-time Grammy winner Paul McCartney admitted he didn’t recognize his own guitar when he first heard his 2015 collaboration FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna and Kanye West.

‘I didn’t even know I was making a song,’ the legendary 78-year-old said on Thursday’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

‘It just went on for a couple of days, and it was only two months later when I got a track sent to me. I didn’t think I’d done anything, but suddenly I got sent FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna.  

‘I didn’t even know I was making a song!’ 18-time Grammy winner Paul McCartney (L) admitted he didn’t recognize his own guitar when he first heard his 2015 collaboration FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna (M) and Kanye West (R)

The legendary 78-year-old said on Thursday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 'I didn't think I'd done anything, but suddenly I got sent FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna'

The legendary 78-year-old said on Thursday’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: ‘I didn’t think I’d done anything, but suddenly I got sent FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna’

‘I like that one. And I had to say, “Am I on this record?” He said, “That’s you doing that guitar.” So they’d sped it up so it wasn’t recognizable.’

15 days after release, Paul performed the folk soul song at the Grammy Awards alongside the 32-year-old Bajan belter and the 43-year-old rapper-designer.

Thursday marked McCartney’s fifth time on the NBC talk show, and he appeared on it to promote his 26th studio album McCartney III, which drops Friday.

The former Beatle played every instrument on McCartney III, which is technically the third in a trilogy following his 1970 album McCartney and his 1980 album McCartney II.  

Paul continued: 'I like that one. And I had to say, "Am I on this record?" He said, "That's you doing that guitar." So they'd sped it up so it wasn't recognizable'

Paul continued: ‘I like that one. And I had to say, “Am I on this record?” He said, “That’s you doing that guitar.” So they’d sped it up so it wasn’t recognizable’

Play faster! 15 days after release, McCartney performed the folk soul song at the Grammy Awards alongside the 32-year-old Bajan belter and the 43-year-old rapper-designer (pictured in 2015)

Play faster! 15 days after release, McCartney performed the folk soul song at the Grammy Awards alongside the 32-year-old Bajan belter and the 43-year-old rapper-designer (pictured in 2015)

Drops Friday! Thursday marked the former Beatle's fifth time on the NBC talk show, and he appeared on it to promote his 26th studio album McCartney III

Drops Friday! Thursday marked the former Beatle’s fifth time on the NBC talk show, and he appeared on it to promote his 26th studio album McCartney III

‘I wasn’t trained in anything. Nothing. I really wasn’t,’ Paul said of being a self-taught musician.

‘They tried to train us in stuff, but no, I didn’t get trained in anything. But there’s still time, I might learn. I might take lessons. Who would I take lessons from?’

McCartney recorded his 18th solo record during lockdown when he ‘had some time’ on his hands and the spontaneous nature of it ‘made it better, made it more fun.’

Paul played every instrument on McCartney III, which is technically the third in a trilogy following his 1970 album McCartney and his 1980 album McCartney II

Paul played every instrument on McCartney III, which is technically the third in a trilogy following his 1970 album McCartney and his 1980 album McCartney II

McCartney said of being a self-taught musician: 'I wasn't trained in anything. Nothing. I really wasn't. They tried to train us in stuff, but no, I didn't get trained in anything. But there's still time, I might learn. I might take lessons. Who would I take lessons from?'

 McCartney said of being a self-taught musician: ‘I wasn’t trained in anything. Nothing. I really wasn’t. They tried to train us in stuff, but no, I didn’t get trained in anything. But there’s still time, I might learn. I might take lessons. Who would I take lessons from?’

Making music in quarantine: The Liverpool-born Brit recorded his 18th solo record during lockdown when he 'had some time' on his hands

The spontaneous nature of it 'made it better, made it more fun'

Making music in quarantine: The Liverpool-born Brit recorded his 18th solo record during lockdown when he ‘had some time’ on his hands and the spontaneous nature of it ‘made it better, made it more fun’

The Liverpool-born Brit’s Flaming Pie scored a nomination for the best boxed or special limited edition package trophy at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, which air January 31 on CBS.

On the personal front, Paul celebrated his ninth wedding anniversary in October with third wife Nancy Shevell who, at 61, is 17 years younger than him.

McCartney has four daughters – Heather, 57; Mary, 51; Stella, 49; and Beatrice, 17; – from his previous marriages to Linda Eastman and Heather Mills.

Who will win? Paul's Flaming Pie scored a nomination for the best boxed or special limited edition package trophy at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, which air January 31 on CBS

Who will win? Paul’s Flaming Pie scored a nomination for the best boxed or special limited edition package trophy at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, which air January 31 on CBS