Paul McCartney gives impassioned speech with 'Lady Madonna' performance
Paul McCartney joined an all-star cast as part of Lady Gaga’s One World: Together At Home’ benefit live stream last night (April 18), playing a Beatles classic and giving a speech.
Before playing ‘Lady Madonna’ solo at the piano, McCartney made an impassioned speech in which he called on world leaders to provide necessary health care resources so we don’t have a repeat of the coronavirus crisis.
During the performance McCartney showed photos of doctors and nurses on the frontline.
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“I’m very honoured to be part of this programme tonight that celebrates the true heroes: our health care workers all around the world,” McCartney said before the performance.
“As this COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis, we all have to come together to fight it on a global scale,” he added. “Let’s tell our leaders we need them to strengthen the health care systems all around the world so that a crisis like this never happens again.”
“My mother Mary was a nurse and midwife just after and during the second World War, so I have a lot of time for the doctors, the nurses and all the medical staff that keep us healthy,” McCartney concluded. “We love you, thank you.”
Global Citizen’s special coronavirus fundraiser event has raised almost $128million (£102million) at the time of writing.
Dozens of artists joined the cause last night including The Rolling Stones, Lizzo, Stevie Wonder, The Killers and Taylor Swift while Beyoncé also joined the stream to make an emotional speech about the effects of the virus.
Paul McCartney recently praised the “very special” Billie Eilish, though he said he wouldn’t swap recording in Abbey Road to take Eilish’s approach of making music in her bedroom.
