McCartney Gets "Standing" Ovation

Paul McCartney showcased the most ambitious musical endeavor of his career on Tuesday. "Standing Stone," a 75-minute-long symphony which took the former Beatle four years to complete, was commissioned to honor the 100th Anniversary of the EMI Group.

Having never learned to read or write music, McCartney wrote the symphony by playing on a keyboard that was linked to a computer program. The symphony was held at London's Royal Albert Hall with the accompaniment of the London Symphony Orchestra and was conducted by Lawrence Foster. McCartney was called back to the stage several times by an applauding crowd. All proceeds from ticket sales were forwarded to Music Sound Foundation, a charity that assists and encourages young people to get involved in the arts. The symphony moves ahead now to New York, where it will be staged at the legendary Carnegie Hall in November.

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Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

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