Songoftheday 3/29/13 - All alone I sit home by the phone waiting for you, baby...

Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson - "Say Say Say"
from the album Pipes Of Peace (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (six weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 18

Today's Song of the Day is the superstar pairing of two of the indisputably biggest names in pop music, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, who each had by the early 80s carved out a nice successful solo career beyond their original groups. Paul had returned to #1 in 1982 with another big "duet" with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony & Ivory", while Michael was smack in the middle of the biggest album of all time, Thriller.

While recording the album that contained Paul's previous chart-topper, he and Jackson recorded "Say Say Say" which would eventually land on McCartney's next album, Pipes Of Peace. Written by the pair, and produced by Beatles' collaborator George Martin, and was the most-hyped hit of the year, complete with a high-concept video directed by Bob Giraldi (who also did Michael's "Beat It")...

Of course in wacky fashion Michael's love in the film is played by his sister LaToya. Ew.

"Say Say Say" became one of the biggest singles for each of the singers, reaching the top of the pop, #2 on the R&B chart,, and #3 on adult-contemporary radio.  It also became a top-10 single in the UK and Australia, and #1 in Canada. So far, it's been Paul's last time at #1 in America....

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


In 2005, Dutch dance act Hi-Tack went to #4 on the British pop chart with their interpolation of the track on "Say Say Say (Waiting 4 U)"...

Four years later, American rapper B.o.B also sampled the song for "Say What You Want"..

Up tomorrow: the first heavy metal group of the 80s to get a #1 album has help from codgy Brits.