It was on this date, December 10th, 1983 that Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart with their collaboration, “Say, Say, Say.” The song held on to that position for the following six weeks and in 2013, Billboard even named it the 41st biggest hit of all time on the charts.
Produced by famed Beatles producer George Martin, “Say, Say, Say” was the first single from McCartney’s album, Pipes of Peace, and gave him his 29th No. 1 charting song (solo and with The Beatles). It also gave Jackson his 10th carrer No. 1 (solo and with The Jackson’s).
“Say, Say, Say” was the second of two collaborations between McCartney and Jackson. The first being, “The Girls is Mine,” appeared on Jackson’s megahit 1982 album, Thriller. While the song was produced in the studio by George Martin, according to Paul McCartney biographer Ray Coleman, Jackson is responsbile for writing the majority of lyrics on the song. The King of Pop even stayed at the home of McCartney and his wife, Linda, while they worked on the recording of the song.
Additionally, Coleman quotes Martin as saying of Jackson, “He actually does radiate an aura when he comes into the studio, there’s no question about it. He’s not a musician in the sense that Paul is … but he does know what he wants in music and he has very firm ideas.”
Jackson later said the experience of working with McCartney boosted his confidence and felt as though to two were collaborating as equals.
The video for the song was directed Bob Giraldi, who also directed Jackson’s “Beat It” video. The duo plays the part of two flim-flam salesman, peddling a miracle potion to townpeople in a traveling medicine show. McCartney’s wife makes an appearance in the video, as does Jackson’s younger sister La Toya.
Fun Fact: The B-side of the “Say, Say, Say” single is a song called “Ode to a Koala Bear.” You be the judge.
