Nuno Bettencourt Recalls Brief Paul McCartney Songwriting Session

Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt revealed he once shared a brief songwriting session with Paul McCartney. During his video chat with Rick Beato, Bettencourt recalled McCartney helping him along with a new tune during the 2015 Grammy rehearsals when Bettencourt was backing the former-Beatle, Rihanna, and Kanye West for their performance of their hit single, “FourFive Seconds.”

Ultimate-Guitar.com quoted Bettencourt remembering, “I just hear his voice, 'What's that you're playing? Ooh, I like that; it sounds expensive!' (Laughs) I'm sweating now, he's talking to me, and I'm sweating. He goes, 'What do you got for the chorus?' Because I said it was just a little verse. 'What do you got for the chorus?' — and I'm (thinking) like, 'Don't tell me I'm writing a f***ing song right now with Paul McCartney, please don't tell me that's happening.'”

He added, “And I (thought), 'Y'know what? F*** this,' and I go, 'What would you do for the chorus?' And he just starts singing (in) Paul McCartney falsetto. And I'm (thinking), 'Oh my god, this is incredible, I'm writing (with Paul McCartney)' — and then Kanye (West) comes over and interrupts us.”

For Paul McCartney, who is the most successful songwriter of the 20th century, songwriting is usually an extremely personal and often therapeutic process: “One thing with me, I don't really want to have anyone hear me writing a song. And I don't like the idea, 'cause I'm going to make mistakes. I'm gonna put words in I hate and then I'm gonna realize I hate them, I'm gonna change it. It's good to go away somewhere that, pretty much, people aren't gonna hear you. It's good if it's got a little bit of an acoustic, so little cupboards and cellars, bathrooms and little areas like that are good. Yeah, I like to just go and hide, hide away.”