6/18/2012
In honor of Paul McCartney's 70th birthday on Monday (June 18), it seems appropriate to pause and consider some of his achievements: writing or co-writing more 32 No. 1 hits in the U.S.; sales of more than 100 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide; one song, "Yesterday," that's been covered by more than 2,200 other artists, the most of any song in recorded music history; a Guinness Book of World Records designation as "the most successful composer and recording artist of all time;" a personal wealth estimated at nearly $750 million; an honorary doctorate in music from Yale University; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; a Gershwin Award and Kennedy Center Honor; and membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a Beatle and a solo artist. Among those wishing McCartney a happy 70th is People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an organization McCartney has long supported; the group took out an ad featuring a photo of a cow, a chicken, a pig and a fish crossing Abbey Road, ala the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album cover, carrying signs saying "Happy birthday Paul," "Thank You," "For Loving Us," "Not Eating Us."
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