"Say Say Say" | |||||||||||||||||||
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Single by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson | |||||||||||||||||||
from the album Pipes of Peace | |||||||||||||||||||
B-side | "Ode to a Koala Bear" | ||||||||||||||||||
Released | 3 October 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||
Format | |||||||||||||||||||
Recorded |
AIR Studios, May 1981 Cherokee Studios, April 1982 |
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Genre | Post-disco | ||||||||||||||||||
Length | 3:55 5:40 (remix by John "Jellybean" Benitez) |
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Label |
Parlophone (UK) Columbia (US) |
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Writer(s) | |||||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | George Martin | ||||||||||||||||||
Paul McCartney singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||
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"Say Say Say" is a song written and performed by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, released in 1983. The track was produced by George Martin for McCartney's album, Pipes of Peace. The song was recorded during production of McCartney's 1982 Tug of War album, about a year before the release of "The Girl Is Mine", the pair's first duet from Jackson's album Thriller (1982).
After its release in October 1983, "Say Say Say" became Jackson's seventh top-ten hit inside a year. It was a number one hit in the United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and several other countries, reached number two in the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten in Australia, Austria, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and over 20 other nations. In 2013, Billboard magazine listed the song as the 41st biggest hit of all-time on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 1983, representing sales of one million copies. The single was promoted with a music video directed by Bob Giraldi. The video, filmed in Santa Ynez Valley, California, features cameo appearances by Linda McCartney, La Toya Jackson and Giraldi. The short film centers around two con artists called "Mac and Jack" (played by McCartney and Jackson), and is credited for the introduction of dialogue and storyline to music videos.
McCartney biographer Ray Coleman asserted that the majority of the song's lyrics were written by Jackson, and given to McCartney the next day. Recording began at AIR Studios in London in May 1981. At the time, McCartney was recording Tug of War, the former Beatle's first solo album after the breakup of his group Wings.