Released: June 5, 1989

Songwriter: Paul McCartney

Producer: Stephen Lipson Trevor Horn Paul McCartney

[Verse 1]
How many people stand in a line?
How many people never get a chance to shine?
If you can tell me, I'll gladly listen
How many people have died?

[Chorus]
One too many right now for me
I want to be happy, I want to be free
One too many right now for me
I want to see ordinary people living peacefully

[Verse 2]
How many people go for a ride?
How many people never make it through to the other side?
If you can tell me, I'll gladly listen
How many people have cried?

[Chorus]
One too many right now for me
I want to be happy, I want to be free
One too many right now for me
I want to see ordinary people living peacefully

[Verse 3]
How many people will it take?
How many people for goodness sake?
How many people?
How many people?
One too many

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, born June 18, 1942, is the single most successful music artist of all time. He found worldwide fame as the bass player and vocalist for The Beatles, and has continued to enjoy commercial success long after the band’s breakup.

His post-Beatles projects—the most lucrative of which was the band Wings, alongside then-wife Linda Eastman—have been met with mixed critical reception but he still retains a substantial public following, regularly conducting worldwide arena tours well into his later years.

His album sales with The Beatles, Wings and solo endeavours combined come to over 100 million, and his net worth was estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion circa 2018. He was knighted in 1997 and is known for his activism.