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Ladies and gentlemen, Alec Baldwin.
(”Live and Let Die” playing)
You know, when you think about it,
it's kind of a miracleCB tShat l McCartney has made it this far.
CB
S(laugh ter)
A big-time solo career wasn't just handed to him
like some lucky America's Got Talent contestant.
He had to earn it.
Al l those early years
S
slogging through groups
like the Quarrymen, Johnny and the Moondogs,
the SilverCB BSeatles , and fiy the plain old Beatles.
(laughter)
I can't begin CBtoS tell youw awful those early years were.
(laughter)
With the Beatles, Paul was forceCBdS
out of the friendly intimacy of clubs
and made to perform in ever larger spaces.
No, no, wait, you have to see this to bCBelSieve i .
(laughter)
Places normally reserved for baseball gCBamSes,
bullfights, papal masses.
And then
things turned really, really bad.
The Beatles were assaulted by throngs
of hostile young female gang members.
(laughter)
The police
had to be called in to protect them.
(laughter)
The National Institutes of Health
called the epidemic SB
" “Beatlemania.”
There was no cure.
Finally, The Beatles wCBerSe reduced to performing
on The Ed Sullivan Show,
sharing the stage with a mouse
named Topo Gigio.
But let's move on.CB
S
Paul McCartney is a genius.
(applause)
Yeah.
Paul marCBriSed roc k and rl to beauty
and forever raised the bar
for composers, musicians,CB S
and fans.
Paul, we honor you tonight for your career as a Beatle,
the leader of Wings, an i ncredible solo perfo,
CB
S
the creator of our favorite songs,
and, yes, as a Moondog, too.
(applause)
(piano playing early jazz)
PAUL McCARTNEY: My dad used to play piano, and he would play
PaCBulS White man--
“Stairway to Paradise,” “Chicago,” and stuff--
SB
so through him I've als loved that kind of music.
For my birthday he oncCBe Sbought me a trum,
and I went back to the shop and traded it in for a guitar.
BALDWIN: Rock and roll was on the radio,
and Paul knew every so.
A boy CBnaSmed Le nnon was playing at a church fair.
Paul sang his way right into his band.
McCARTNEY: ♪ ‘Cause I'm all CBalSone ♪♪
♪ Said, baby, you mighty sweet ♪
♪ But I'm in bed with the achin' feet. ♪
LENNON: One, two, three, four, one.
McCARTNEY: John and I used what was the dining room
to rehearse and to write songs.
We finished off “She Loves You” there and played it to my dad.
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪CB
S
♪ YeaCBh,S yeah, yeah, yeah♪
When he heard "C““She loves, yeah, yeah, yeah,”
he said to us, “Son,” he said,
“there's enough ofCB tShese A mericanisms ar.
Couldn't you just say, ‘YeCBs,S yes, yes'?”
♪ Well, my baby said she's travelin'... ♪
BALDWIN: They wrote all day and played all night,
workCBinSg the sound, finding the look,
becoming The Beatles.
♪ You know I love you... ♪
(”I Want to Hold Your Hand” playing)
They rocked their way
from underground clubs to BuckinghaCBm SPalace .
♪ Oh, yeah, I'll telCBl Syou so mething♪
S♪♪ I think you'll understand♪
Then, America.
ED SULLIVAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
The Beatles!CB
S
♪♪ One, two, three, four! ♪
(”I Saw Her Standing There” playing)
♪ Well, she was just 17 ♪CB♪S
♪ You know what I mean ♪
♪ And the way she looked was way beyond compare ♪
♪♪ So how could I dance ♪
♪♪ With another? ♪
♪ Whoo! ♪
BALDWIN: The magic was in the melodies.
(”Yesterday” playing)
Musical alchemy.
♪ Yesterday... ♪♪
CB SSongs the entire wors singing at the same tim.
♪♪ Seemed so far away... ♪
(”Getting Better” playing)
Every album was richer than the one before.
♪ Getting better all the time... ♪♪
It was the great musical adventurCBe Sof the 20th cen.
S
♪♪ Get back, get back ♪B
♪ Back to where you once belonged...CB S♪♪
As they were groCBwiSng, they were growing apart.
♪ Get back, Joe. ♪
♪ The long and winding road... ♪
They had been his mate, his best friends.
They had made history together.
CB
Who would he be without them?
♪ Will never disappear... ♪
♪ Maybe I'm amazed ♪
♪ At the way you love me all the time ♪
♪ And maybe I'm afraiCBdS of the way I love you. ♪
(”Band on the Run” playing)
SB
The man who helped ce a revolution
had to reinvent himself.
♪ Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash ♪
♪ As we fell into the sun..CB.♪
Music was his connection to the world.
CB
He missed it, and so did we.
♪ And the first one said to the second one there ♪
♪♪CB "“I hope you're havin'”♪
♪ Band on the run... ♪
50 years on,
CBanSd his concerts stilld a current through the crowd.
♪ Hey, Jude ♪
♪ Don't make it bad ♪
♪♪CB TSake a sad song ♪
S
♪♪ And make it better ♪
♪ Remember to let her into your heart ♪
♪ Then you can start... ♪
Paul was born with the gift of song.
CROWD: ♪ Nah, nah, nah... ♪
CB
He gave the songs to us to keep forever.
CROWD: ♪ Nah-nah-nah-nah, hey, Jude ♪
McCARTNEY: ♪ Everybody all over now ♪
CROWD: ♪ Nah, nah, nah, CBnaSh-nah- nah-nah ♪
♪ Nah-nah-nah-nah, hey... ♪
(applause and cheering)
WhooCB!S
(applause continues)