Pipes Of Peace    b/w    So Bad

Paul McCartney
 
Pipes Of Peace - Front Cover
Pipes Of Peace - Front Cover
Label Parlophone
Catalogue No. R 6064
Country of Origin England
Release Date 5th December 1983
U.K. Chart Detail :
Entry Date :11th December 1983
Highest Position :1 ... from 8th January 1984 for 2 weeks
Weeks in Chart :12 Weeks
Detail : Paul's thirty-third single.
Credited to "Paul McCartney"
Band included, Andy Mackay, Steve Gadd, Eric Stewart and Ringo Starr.

Recorded in September 1982 during the "Tug Of War" sessions, "Pipes of Peace" is obviously a counterpoint to it.
With an obvious attempt to cash-in on the public's love of a "deep and meaningful" song to be the Christmas number 1, this is released just in time for the Christmas market.

To go with it a heart-rending video is shot at Chobham Common in Surrey, which depicts the famous Christmas day truce between English and German troops in 1914.
It is produced by Hugh Symonds and includes over 100 extras.
For realism, Paul even had his hair cut short just for the shoot.
It does the trick and Paul has his third number one.

The single was released in a picture sleeve, with the rear being exactly the same as the front, except for some very small print about the B-side etc.
The photograph is taken by Linda.
And once again "Utopia" (with the harp) appears in the run-out groove.

Chart Rundown
11th December 1983 - With Say Say Say at number 18, Pipes Of Peace enters at a lowly 54
18th December 1983 - Second week and the single leapfrogs Say Say Say, up thirty-two places to number 22
25th December 1983 - Third week and with no official new chart (Christmas !) the single is a non-mover at number 22
1st January 1984 - Fourth week and the single climbs another thirteen places and enters the top ten at number 9
8th January 1984 - Fifth week and Paul tops the chart, up eight places to number 1
15th January 1984 - Sixth week and second week at number 1
22nd January 1984 - Seventh week and knocked off the top spot by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, down to number 2
29th January 1984 - Eighth week and a drop of five places, down to number 7
5th February 1984 - Ninth week and a drop of eleven places down to number 18
12th February 1984 - Tenth week and a big drop of twenty-four places down to number 42 (John Lennon is at 41)
19th February 1984 - Eleventh week and down nine places out of the top 50 at number 51
26th February 1984 - Twelfth and final week in the chart down eighteen places to number 69

                                          Chart progression:   54 - 22 - 22 - 9 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 7 - 18 - 42 - 51 - 69 .... out

 

Paul's Single Releases

©2000 JPGR's Beatles Pages. All Rights Reserved.