Say, Say, Say by jomel77

jomel77 - Say, Say, Say

jomel77

Jul 08, 2024 02:05am

Excellent opener, Cherri! That was fun. Hugs Joe 😎 "Say Say Say" is a song by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paul McCartney</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michael Jackson</a>, released in October 1983 as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_single" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lead single</a> from McCartney's 1983 album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipes_of_Peace" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pipes of Peace</a>. Produced by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Martin" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Martin</a>, it was recorded during production of McCartney's 1982 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tug_of_War_(Paul_McCartney_album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tug of War</a> album, about a year before the release of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_Is_Mine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Girl Is Mine</a>", the pair's first duet from Jackson's album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thriller</a> (1982).After its release in October 1983, "Say Say Say" became Jackson's seventh top-ten hit in 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, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Billboard</a> magazine listed the song as the 41st biggest hit of all time on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Billboard Hot 100</a> chart.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-Billboard-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[4]</a> It has also been voted the ninth-best collaboration of all time in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rolling Stone</a> readers poll.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[5]</a>The single was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_recording_sales_certification" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">certified</a> gold by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_Industry_Association_of_America" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Recording Industry Association of America</a> in December 1983, representing sales of 1,000,000 copies. The single was promoted with an influential <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">music video</a> directed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Giraldi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Giraldi</a>. The short film centres around two con artists called "Mac and Jack" (played by McCartney and Jackson).McCartney's biographer, Ray Coleman, asserted that the majority of the song's lyrics were written by Jackson and given to McCartney the next day.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-coleman_129-6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[6]</a> Recording began at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIR_Studios" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AIR Studios</a> in London in May 1981. At the time, McCartney was recording <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tug_of_War_(Paul_McCartney_album)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tug of War</a>, his second solo album after the breakup of his group <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_(band)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wings</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-halstead_268-7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[7]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[8]</a>Jackson stayed at the home of McCartney and his wife <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_McCartney" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Linda</a> during the recording sessions, and they became friends.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-tara_333-9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[9]</a> While at the dining table one evening, Paul McCartney brought out a booklet that displayed all the songs to which he owned the publishing rights. "This is the way to make big money," the musician informed Jackson. "Every time someone records one of these songs, I get paid. I get paid every time someone plays these songs on the radio or in live performances." McCartney's words influenced Jackson's later purchase of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony/ATV_Music_Publishing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ATV Music Publishing</a> in 1985.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-tara_333-9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[9]</a>McCartney played several instruments on "Say Say Say," including percussion, synthesizer, and guitar (though it is not mentioned in the credits for the track).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-10" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[10]</a> The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonica" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">harmonica</a> was played by Chris Smith, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_guitar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rhythm guitar</a> was played by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Williams_(guitarist)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Williams</a>, Nathan Watts played bass, and the drums were played by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Lawson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ricky Lawson</a>. The song was engineered by former Beatles sound engineer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Emerick" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Geoff Emerick</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-11" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[11]</a> The production of "Say Say Say" was completed in February 1983, after it had been refined and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overdubbing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">overdubbed</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Studios" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cherokee Studios</a> in California.As keyboard player Bill Wolfer recalled in a 2014 interview, he and Jackson worked on a rough sketch of the song based on the original acoustic demo with McCartney. Jackson intended to present the latter his vision for the song. This soon evolved into a 24-track studio recording with a rhythm section, horns, and harmonica laid down, which Michael presented to McCartney instead, and this was kept in the final version.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-12" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[12]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Martin" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Martin</a>, who had worked with the Beatles, produced the song. He said of his experience with 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."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-coleman_129-6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[6]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-halstead_268-7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[7]</a>Jackson also spoke of the experience in his autobiography, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonwalk_(book)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moonwalk</a>. The younger singer revealed that the collaboration boosted his confidence, as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quincy Jones</a>—producer of Thriller—was not present to correct his mistakes. Jackson added that he and McCartney worked as equals, stating, "Paul never had to carry me in that studio."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Say_Say#cite_note-13" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[13]</a>