Say, let’s go back to 1983
If I told you that the duet Say, Say, Say was Michael Jackson’s highest ranked Billboard single of his 50 charted songs would you believe me? Well, you should because it is the truth. staying at Number One for six weeks in December 1983.
Michael and Paul were equal contributors in the studio, working together on various versions of the song until they came to the finished product, although the song was written by Paul.
The irony with the song and the other collaborations they did together, like “The Girl Is Mine” is that over dinner at Paul and Linda’s house, Paul pulled out his music catalog and showed Michael where the money in the music business comes from. Paul said, “every time one of these songs are played on the radio, I get paid, every time an artist covers and records one of my songs, I get paid”.
That was all Michael needed to hear and before you know it, he out bid Paul on the Beatles catalog and became the owner of Paul’s own music! We’re pretty sure that did some damage to their friendship because there were no more collaborations again after that.
Let’s fast forward 40 years to 2023
Now Paul McCartney has a new hit . . . on the Billboard DANCE charts. Although technically, it’s not really “new”. At least not his part.
A producer named Kygo remade the 1983 jam “Say, Say, Say” using original lyrics from Paul and Michael Jackson. And it just debuted on TWO Billboard charts: Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.
It’s Paul’s first time on either chart . . . but he’s had dance hits in the past. One of them was the ORIGINAL “Say Say Say”, which made the Dance Club Songs chart in the ’80s.
He also made the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in 2015, thanks to “FourFiveSeconds” with Kanye West and Rihanna.
Check out the newly mixed and danced up version of Say, Say, Say
