WATCH: Johnny Depp jams with Paul McCartney in former Beatle's new music video

Paul McCartney's new music video has been released, featuring another guest spot by Oscar nominated actor Johnny Depp.

By Dave Lancaster |

10:42 08 July 2014

Former Beatle Paul McCartney's new music video has been released and it features a special guest: Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp.

Depp, who is an accomplished guitarist in his own right, jams with the Hey Jude hitmaker during the black and white music video for Early Days. The video transports the story of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's crucial early bonding into a 30s era blues-drenched America rather than Liverpool.

It isn't the first time that Depp has played in a McCartney music video having starred alongside his former flame Kate Moss in Queenie Eye. He also performed guitar duties (filling in for Eric Clapton) on My Valentine.

Music video director Vincent Haycock stated that the video is a "poetic homage to the legendary beginnings of Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s relationship.

"This video is about them, and every band, and every kid who has suffered the ups and downs of starting a band, whether or not they became successful."

Haycock went on: "Paul's scene was incredibly fun to create. It was just him, some blues players and Johnny Depp jamming on set all day. Patti Smith also turned up on set and hung out, which made the crew very happy. It was one of my favourite days of filming ever."

Meanwhile, McCartney spoke to Rolling Stone about the decision to cast Depp: "Vince came up with this great idea: Instead of having young lookalikes of me and John walking the streets of Liverpool, guitars slung over our backs, and literally acting out the song, what if it was any two aspiring musicians? I thought that was such a cool idea."

"I happened to ring Johnny Depp," McCartney says. "I said, 'Come along and we'll sit around and jam with these blues guys.' He said, 'Yeah, OK, count me in, man.' I knew it was an offer he couldn't refuse.

"It's getting to be a running gag. He's like the Alfred Hitchcock of my videos. And he's good! He used to be a musician before he was an actor, you know. One of his old bandmates actually organized getting me that cigar-box guitar that I played with Dave Grohl on 'Cut Me Some Slack,' that we ended up getting a Grammy for. So I knew he could play."

Watch Paul McCartney's new music video for Early Days below: