Is Paul McCartney a Swiftie, too? Evidently. This weekend, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tied the knot in grand style at Madison Square Garden, which was closed to the public to ensure the security and privacy of their numerous—and prestigious—guests. The musical entertainment had to live up to the wedding of one of today’s biggest pop stars, and thanks to Paul McCartney, it undoubtedly did. While no performance images from inside the New York arena where the wedding has held have leaked yet, a source told People that the legendary bassist of the Fab Four performed “I Want to Hold Your Hand” during the ceremony on Friday, July 3. “After the ceremony, Taylor’s mom Andrea invited everyone into the reception room where the stage was set up,” the source explained, adding that singer Stevie Nicks also performed some of her biggest hits. As for McCartney, he didn’t hesitate: he simply chose the song that launched Beatlemania and shattered sales records when it was released in 1963.
At the time, the song became the band’s best-selling single, with 12 million copies sold. Thirty years after its release, in 1995, it was recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock ’n’ Roll.” According to the Guardian, the Beatles performed this hit for the last time in 1964 at the Paramount Theatre in New York and have “never played it live since.”
Mutual admiration
Paul McCartney’s presence on Taylor Swift’s wedding guest list comes as no surprise, since the two celebrities share a mutual admiration, despite their 48-year age gap (Paul McCartney is 84 and the bride is 36). In an interview with the BBC last May, the musician was asked what advice he might give to the singer of “The Fate of Ophelia,” given his experience of musical superstardom: “You do see the parallel, you know the fame and the amount of fame, the worldwide fame that Taylor Swift has and that we [the Beatles] had, but I don’t think she needs any advice, to tell you the truth.”
In 2020, he even posed with the pop star on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. He also attended her record-breaking Eras Tour, and Swift is friends with his daughter, designer Stella McCartney.
Paul McCartney released his new solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, last May. As soon as it came out, Taylor Swift was quick to share a message on her social media expressing her admiration: “Never not inspired by this eternally exceptional artist.”