Say Say Say

October 3, 1983 saw the release of "Say Say Say," the lead single from Paul McCartney's album Pipes of Peace. The track was actually cut earlier, during sessions for McCartney's 1982 LP Tug of War, at studios in London and Los Angeles. That means the song predates Jackson's Thriller, even though their first duet "The Girl Is Mine" came out first. George Martin produced the whole thing, and both McCartney and Jackson share writing credits.

The single exploded. It spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the biggest commercial success of any McCartney-Jackson collaboration. It also topped charts in Canada, Norway, and Sweden, and hit number two in the UK. The RIAA certified it gold in December 1983, for a million copies sold. Billboard later ranked it the 44th biggest Hot 100 hit of all time; Rolling Stone readers voted it the ninth best collaboration ever.

Bob Giraldi directed the music video, a five-minute mini-movie where McCartney and Jackson play con artists Mac and Jack. Art Carney, La Toya Jackson, and Linda McCartney all appear. The video's playful heist narrative helped drive the song's massive radio and MTV presence. In 2023, Norwegian DJ Kygo released a tropical house remix, introducing the track to a new generation. [edit]