Say Say Say

"Say Say Say"
Against a blue background, "Say Say Say" is printed in pink and takes up the left and bottom of the image. To the right, there is an artwork depiction of two men holding each others' hands in the air.
Single by Paul McCartney featuring Michael Jackson
from the album Pipes of Peace
B-side"Ode to a Koala Bear"
Released3 October 1983 (1983-10-03)
RecordedApril–May 1981
Genre
Length3:55
5:40 (remix by John "Jellybean" Benitez)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)George Martin
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"The Girl Is Mine"
(1982) 		"Say Say Say"
(1983) 		"Pipes of Peace"
(1983)
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
(1983) 		"Say Say Say"
(1983) 		"Thriller"
(1983)
Official audio
"Say Say Say" on YouTube

"Say Say Say" is a song by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, released in October 1983 as the lead single from McCartney's 1983 album Pipes of Peace. Produced by George Martin, it 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 (his sixth number-one single there), 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 chart.[4] It has also been voted the ninth-best collaboration of all time in a Rolling Stone readers poll.[5]

The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 1983, representing sales of 1,000,000 copies. The single was promoted with an influential music video directed by Bob Giraldi. The short film centres around two con artists called "Mac and Jack" (played by McCartney and Jackson).

  1. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (3 August 2020). "The Number Ones: Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson's "Say Say Say". Stereogum. Retrieved 28 July 2023. But it's a strong piece of breezy post-disco synth-funk, a worthy artifact of Jackson's peak moment.
  2. ^ "Top 20 80s Collaborations". Classic Pop. 27 May 2021.
  3. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (17 September 2014). "100 Best Singles of 1984: Pop's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 August 2023. ...their second duet, for Macca's 1983 Pipes of Peace, found common ground with an uptempo rock song.
  4. ^ "Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Readers Poll: Best Collaborations of All Time". Rolling Stone. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2018.