Fame isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. The Beatles, despite their meteoric rise to global superstardom, had their own struggles with the labels thrust upon them. Among these, Paul McCartney had a particular bone to pick with one nickname that never sat well with him.
In the whirlwind of “Beatlemania”, fans and media alike quickly branded McCartney as “the cute Beatle”. While it may have seemed like a harmless compliment, McCartney himself wasn’t a fan. “I’ve always detested that nickname,” he admits, reflecting on how it reduced his identity to just his appearance.
Yet, even with this distaste for his moniker, McCartney never let it overshadow the thrill of living the dream. “This was something we had always wanted,” he wrote, reminiscing about the excitement that surrounded The Beatles’ success.
A Nickname That Won’t Go Away
Paul McCartney has long been annoyed by the nickname “The Cute Beatle.” In 1989, he told The Daily News, “I’m not comfortable with being ‘The Cute Beatle’. I’ve never really thought I was ‘cute,’ though I guess some people think so.” He compared it to enduring celebrity labels like Greta Garbo.
Even with his success as a solo artist and with Wings, McCartney is still most associated with The Beatles. He has worked to honor the band’s legacy, including projects like Anthology” and the Get Back documentary. Yet, the nickname persists.
As recently as 2016 and in 2022, the term “cute” still appeared in reviews and birthday articles. Despite his frustration, McCartney’s contributions to music remain far greater than any single label.
“I Get it — You Don’t Want to Be Cute Anymore”
The un-Cute Beatle has expressed his dislike for the nickname over and over again. On The Howard Stern Show in 2020, he remarked, “I hated that,” referring to how the press labeled each Beatle. While George was the “quiet” one and John the “witty” one, McCartney resented being known simply as “the cute one.” “I’d go, ‘No, I’m not! Don’t call me that. I hate that!’”
Despite his youthful appearance, McCartney and The Beatles sought to show their maturity through their music. By 1965, they began shifting from their earlier, more innocent sound to something edgier. McCartney recalls Bob Dylan’s reaction when he played tracks from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: “I get it — you don’t want to be cute anymore.”
McCartney felt that The Beatles began maturing with the release of Rubber Soul in 1965. “We’d had our cute period and now was time to expand,” he said. This marked a pivotal shift in their music and image, moving beyond the label that had stuck.