Paul McCartney answers the retirement question
5 June 2026, 10:41
Does Paul McCartney have any plans to hang up his touring boots?
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Paul McCartney turns 84 this year, which is a full two decades past the age he once wondered "will you still need me, will you still feed me?".
But he's still going incredibly strong. Not only has he just released his 20th solo album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, but he also regularly travels across the globe playing massive arena shows.
- Paul McCartney explains why he has a "radical" no photos with fans policy
- Paul McCartney's infamous angry 'Long and Winding Road' letter after tinkering is a must-read
- Listen to the Gold Radio 60s Live Playlist on Global Player, the home of Gold
Sir Paul has played over 75 dates in the last few years on his Got Back tour, with concerts in North and South America, Europe, and the UK.
Asked if he can ever imagine retiring, McCartney told NME: "I don't know. I never know, y'know?
"I remember when I was 50 years old, my manager at the time said, 'Well, are you thinking of retiring?'. I went, 'Uh, I don't think so'."
Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane LA Listening Party (Days We Left Behind)
He added: "But he obviously thought, 50… which, I get it, because we thought 30 was really old [when] we were 20.
"So 30 was like that'd be unseemly, but it came, and it went, and people were still playing, and audiences like the music."
McCartney returns to the UK next week for an intimate celebration of his new album at the London Roundhouse.
