Paul McCartney, at 83, still has stories nobody has heard before. During a recent appearance on BBC Radio's Tracks of My Years with host Vernon Kay, the former Beatle dropped a revelation that surprised even longtime fans: Prince recorded a cover of the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road," and McCartney wants to release it.
According to a report by Billboard, McCartney described how he first learned about the recording. He said he was with someone he believed was a photographer for Prince, sometime after the musician's death in 2016. The man asked if McCartney had heard Prince's version of the ballad. McCartney's response, as he told it: "Well, no. That's one of my songs. I don't think he ever did it." The man then sent him the recording.
McCartney said he plans to reach out to Prince's estate about the track. "I'm going to ask them [Prince's estate]. I could make it into something really good," he said. "It's kind of rocky. He plays some really good guitar on it."
The cover was recorded during a rehearsal and has never been officially released. McCartney did not provide details about when or where the recording was made. Prince died on April 21, 2016, at age 57, of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
McCartney used the BBC Radio appearance to trace the arc of his musical influences, walking through ten songs that shaped his life from his Liverpool childhood through the Beatles' rise to global fame. He connected the dots to his new solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Among the artists he discussed were Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Elvis, the Kinks, Bob Dylan, the Human League, and the Beach Boys.
He spoke warmly about Prince, selecting "Kiss" as his favorite track from the late singer's catalog and praising its stripped-down construction. "He's a wizard," McCartney said, adding that he wished he had gotten to know Prince better.
McCartney also turned his attention to the current generation of pop stars. He said he has met several of today's biggest artists and comes away impressed. "I've met a few of these girls and admired what they're doing. I think they're good singers," he said. He singled out Taylor Swift specifically: "Taylor's very good. She's clever."
He compared Swift's massive global following to the kind of fan base the Beatles built in their prime. When asked whether he had any advice for Swift, now 36, McCartney was direct. "I don't think she needs any advice, tell you the truth," he said.
McCartney described himself alternately as the "older brother" and "grandad" to that generation of artists. He mentioned attending a party hosted by his wife and daughter, clothing designer Stella McCartney, where several of those artists were present.
No timeline has been given for any potential release of the Prince recording.
