Say Say Say    b/w    Ode To A Koala Bear
12" also includes - Say Say Say (Intrumental)

Paul McCartney
 
Say Say Say - Front Cover Say Say Say - Rear Cover
Say Say Say - Front Cover Say Say Say - Rear Cover
Say Say Say - Rear of 12
Say Say Say - Rear of 12"
Label Parlophone
Catalogue No. R 6062
12 R 6062
Country of Origin England
Release Date 3rd October 1983 (7" and 12")
U.K. Chart Detail :
Entry Date :9th October 1983
Highest Position :2
Weeks in Chart :15 Weeks
Detail : Paul's thirty-second single.
Credited to "Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson".

This track was actually co-written and basic recording took place over two years earlier, in June 1981 at Paul's private studios in Scotland.
Paul was recording tracks destined for both the "Tug Of War" and "Pipes Of Peace" albums and was joined there by Michael Jackson.
The recording wasn't completed until 1982, with final overdubbing including Jackson in February 1983.

The excellent video comprising Paul hamming it up as a travelling elixir seller, with Michael as his stooge,
was recorded two years later in Los Alamos, California from October 4th to 7th.
The video costs half-a-million dollars to make, and even included Heather in a brief cameo during the foster home scene.
The pool sequence is filmed in the town's Union Hotel.
The first showing of the video was scheduled for "Top Of The Pops", but Paul pulled the clip as he was unhappy with the soundtrack.
By the time Paul IS happy with it, the single is slipping down the chart, and the program NEVER (at that time) plays fallers.
Therefore it's first airing occurs on Channel 4's "The Tube" on October 28th, and it does the trick, by shooting the record up from no.14 to number 3 of that week.

The 12" version is longer at 5:40, and is remixed by D.J. producer, John "Jellybean" Benitez.
The same remixer also adds a 7 minute instrumental remix to the 12".

The single was released in a picture sleeve (albeit with the most ridiculous sleeve drawing ever inflicted on a major recording artist),
with the 12" having an identical cover.
On the runout groove is, what looks like to me, a harp with "TOPIA", and with the harp looking like a "U" ... I guess it is someone's symbol for "Utopia".

Incidentally, my copy of the 7" has no label at all on the B-side ... it is totally black.

Chart Rundown
9th October 1983 - The single entered the chart at number 25
16th October 1983 - In it's second week Say Say Say climbed fifteen places up to number 10
23rd October 1983 - Third week and the single dropped three places down to number 13
30th October 1983 - Fourth week and the single dropped again one place to number 14
6th November 1983 - Fifth week and after the TV showings the single zoomed up eleven places up to number 3
13th November 1983 - Sixth week and the single climbs again to it's peak of 2
20th November 1983 - Seventh week and the single is still kept off the top spot by Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, staying at 2
27th November 1983 - Eighth week and the single drops down one place to number 3.
4th December 1983 - Nineth week and the single drops nine places to number 12
11th December 1983 - Tenth week and the single drops six places to number 18
18th December 1983 - Eleventh week and the single drops seven places to number 25
25th December 1983 - Twelfth week and with no official new chart (Christmas !) the single is a non-mover at number 25
1st January 1984 - Thirteenth week and the single drops another four places to number 29
8th January 1984 - Fourteenth week and the single drops four places again to number 33 (while he actually takes the no.1 spot with Pipes Of Peace)
15th January 1984 - Fifteenth and final week on the chart as the single drops seventeen places down to number 50

                                          Chart progression:   25 - 10 - 13 - 14 - 3 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 12 - 18 - 25 - 25 - 29 - 33 - 50 .... out

This single was deleted 31st October 1987.

Paul's Single Releases

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