Music icon Paul McCartney says he still sees the power of music bringing people together — even in the middle of America’s bitter political divide.
According to Fox News, during a recent appearance on the “The Rest Is Entertainment” podcast, the former The Beatles star reflected on the way audiences react when he performs the band’s classic hit “Hey Jude” at concerts.
McCartney, 83, said one recent performance in Los Angeles stood out because of how quickly political tensions inside the crowd seemed to disappear once the music started.
“Particularly these days, you do something like ‘Hey Jude’ and you see this whole audience singing together,” McCartney said.
“I mean, in Trump’s America, and the Republicans and Democrats all at each other’s throats — when we do that song, they’re not. They’re all loving it, and it’s like, ‘Wow, this is pretty amazing.’”
The legendary songwriter said those moments remind him that music can create a rare sense of unity.
“You know, suddenly this room has forgotten all of that, and it’s not, you know, going to argue with each other, they’re just going to sing together,” he added. “So those kinds of things, I think, are valuable.”
McCartney’s comments come as several high-profile musicians continue weighing in on politics and divisions across the country.
Rock star Bruce Springsteen recently made headlines after addressing political violence during a concert stop in Texas.
Speaking to fans at the Moody Center in Austin during a performance with the E Street Band, Springsteen offered prayers following a shooting tied to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner earlier this month.
“We begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas, we pray for their safe return,” Springsteen told the crowd.
“We also send out a prayer of thanks that our president, nor anyone in the administration, nor anyone attending, was injured at last night’s incident at the [White House] press correspondents’ dinner.”
Springsteen also denounced political violence and urged Americans to reject extremism.
“We can disagree. We can be critical of those in power, and we can peacefully fight for our beliefs,” he said. “But there is no place in any way, shape, or form for political violence of any kind in our beloved United States.”
The singer has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump and his administration during recent performances on his “Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.”
The tour followed the release of Springsteen’s protest song “Streets of Minneapolis,” which focuses on the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota.
At a concert in Newark, New Jersey, Springsteen encouraged fans to embrace “choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, resistance over complacency, truth over lies, unity over division and peace over war.”
For McCartney, though, the focus remained on music’s ability to briefly cut through the country’s political noise and remind audiences of what they still share in common.
