Sir Paul McCartney likes to use his title to have a little fun at fans' expense - by insisting they call him 'Sir Paul' and bow before him.

The former Beatles star was knighted for his services to music in 1997 and he admits some people have no idea how to address him when they meet him for the first time.

He explains, "With someone like me, people (are like), 'Sir Paul MCCartney, what do I call you?' I'm like, 'Paul?' (And they say), 'Oh yeah, oh Ok', and now we're off; we're talking like ordinary people."

But he does occasionally like to make people nervous, adding, "(I say), 'No, it's Sir Paul!' It's for people who haven't got a sense of humour. 'You know you're supposed to bow slightly. That is the rule'."

However, even those closest to MCCartney admit they struggle to contain their emotions every now and again when they realise they are in the presence of a living music legend.

In new documentary Paul MCCartney: Something New, the rocker's longtime drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. reveals, "There are still some days where I get surprised. He's my brother, he's my friend, we've been hanging out for so long now, but there's still some days when you're like, 'Man, you're Paul MCCartney!' It freaks you out."