Paul McCartney's Most Surprising Collaboration: Inside 'FourFiveSeconds'

Some collaborations stand out as unexpected yet exactly what we didn’t know we needed. In 2015 Paul McCartney, Rihanna, and Kanye West joined on "FourFiveSeconds," a genre-crossing single that met indie rock with folk. The song was a refreshingly bare departure from Rihanna’s usual work—acoustic guitar, handclaps, and raw vocals with zero glossy pop sheen—and one of the most stripped performances the industry had seen from the modern artists involved.

Timing played a big part. West was deep in an experimental mode, pulling influence from rock, gospel, and pop between Yeezus and The Life of Pablo and integrating fashion into his musical identity. Rihanna was preparing Anti and open to riskier, more stripped-back material.

For McCartney, the living legend was ready to breathe new life into his career.

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