Washington (CNN) -- It has been, perhaps, a long and winding road, but on Wednesday, Sir Paul McCartney will be honored by the president of the United States for his work on and off the stage.

McCartney will be awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and then, along with a little help from some of his friends, such as Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Elvis Costello and several others, he will rock the East Room of the White House.

"This is not our usual crowd, so we're going to be nervous," McCartney said at a news conference on Tuesday. He added that they "intend to try and just have fun."

McCartney said he is a big fan of President Obama and performing at the White House will be a special moment.

"I've had some great awards, I've been really lucky on that score, and there have been some very special things that have happened to me, but you know for an English kid growing up in Liverpool, the White House, that's pretty special," said McCartney.

On Tuesday, McCartney toured the Library of Congress, rehearsed for Wednesday's concert and held a news conference with reporters. They asked the former Beatle about everything from performance royalties and the role of songwriters today to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

McCartney noted that he is not a politician but that the oil spill is a disgrace.

"I think the fact that something like that can happen and the people who are to blame don't have the ability to instantly cap it and clean it up is something that's going to be addressed," he said.