If you were alive in 1983, you couldn’t escape it. That catchy, synth-heavy harmonica riff was everywhere. "Say Say Say" wasn't just another pop song; it was a collision of two solar systems. On one side, you had Paul McCartney, the elder statesman of rock, looking to stay relevant in a shimmering new decade. On the other, Michael Jackson, a man who was currently in the process of becoming the biggest thing on the planet with Thriller.
Honestly, the pairing felt like a cheat code for the music industry.
The song itself is a masterpiece of early-80s production. It’s bouncy. It’s light. But if you look at the timeline, the story behind Say Say Say McCartney is actually a lot more complicated—and a little sadder—than the upbeat tempo suggests. It wasn't just a hit; it was the beginning of the end for one of the most fascinating friendships in music history.
A Friendship Built on a "Miracle Potion"
Most people assume the duo got together because of the massive success of "The Girl Is Mine." That’s actually wrong. They started working on "Say Say Say" way back in 1981, long before Jackson was wearing the one-and-only glove or moonwalking across the Motown 25 stage.
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Michael basically cold-called Paul.
According to McCartney’s book The Lyrics, Jackson reached out in 1980 wanting to collaborate. He flew to London, sat at a piano on the top floor of Paul’s office, and they just started riffing. McCartney remembers Michael being the driving force behind the lyrics, even using phrases Paul normally wouldn't, like "baptized in all my tears."
It was a real partnership. No ego.
They recorded the bulk of the track at Abbey Road Studios and Paul’s private studio in Scotland. George Martin, the legendary "Fifth Beatle," was at the helm. He later remarked that while Michael wasn't a technical musician like Paul, he "radiated an aura" the moment he stepped into the booth. The chemistry was so good they actually recorded three songs: "The Girl Is Mine," "The Man," and "Say Say Say."
The Secret Demo That Became the Record
Here is a detail most fans miss: the version you hear on the radio was almost entirely built by Michael.
After those initial sessions, Michael took a rough tape back to Los Angeles. He gathered musicians like bassist Nathan Watts and drummer Ricky Lawson to flesh out a "working demo." He wanted to impress Paul. When he sent the tape back to the UK, McCartney’s team was floored. It was so well-produced and "finished" that they basically just kept Michael’s demo, had Paul overdub his vocals, and added that iconic harmonica part played by Chris "Hammer" Smith.
It’s one of the few times McCartney, a notorious perfectionist, let someone else lead the production design on one of his tracks.
That $500,000 Music Video
You can’t talk about Say Say Say McCartney without talking about the video. It was a "short film" before that was even a standard term. Directed by Bob Giraldi—the same guy who did "Beat It"—it cost a staggering half-million dollars to produce. In 1983, that was an insane amount of money.
The plot is basically a Vaudeville comedy.
- Mac and Jack: Paul and Michael play a pair of traveling con artists.
- The Potion: They sell a fake "strength elixir" to a bunch of unsuspecting locals.
- The Cameos: Keep your eyes peeled for Linda McCartney and Michael’s sister, La Toya Jackson.
They filmed it in the Santa Ynez Valley in California. If that sounds familiar, it should. Michael fell so deeply in love with the area during the shoot that he eventually bought the ranch where they filmed parts of the video. He renamed it Neverland.
There's a funny bit of trivia about the video's release. Paul actually hated the initial edit. He was so unhappy with the soundtrack sync that he pulled it from Top of the Pops. By the time he approved a version, the song was actually dropping in the charts. Usually, that’s a death sentence for a single. But the video was so good that once it finally aired on Channel 4's The Tube, it catapulted the song from number 14 back up to number 3. It eventually spent six weeks at number one in the US.
The Business Advice That Backfired
This is where the story takes a dark turn.
During the recording of Pipes of Peace, Michael stayed at Paul and Linda’s house. They were close. One night at the dinner table, Paul decided to give the younger star some "big brother" advice. He showed Michael a thick binder containing all the music publishing he owned—Buddy Holly’s catalog, various standards, etc.
"This is how you make the real money," Paul basically told him.
He explained that every time those songs played on the radio, he got a check. Michael listened intently. He started joking, "I’m gonna buy your songs, Paul."
McCartney laughed. He thought it was a bit.
It wasn't.
In 1985, the ATV Music catalog—which included 251 Beatles songs—came up for sale. McCartney was trying to buy them back, but he was negotiating alongside Yoko Ono and didn't want to overpay. Michael Jackson didn't hesitate. He swept in with a $47.5 million bid and bought the rights to Paul’s own life’s work.
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The friendship never recovered. Paul later called it "dodgy" to buy the rug your friend is standing on. They rarely spoke again, and the rift lasted until Michael’s death in 2009.
Why the Song Still Works
Even with all that heavy history, the track itself remains a perfect piece of pop. It’s 116 beats per minute of pure energy. Unlike "Ebony and Ivory," which felt a bit preachy to some critics, "Say Say Say" is just a "pleading kind of love song," as the Deseret News once put it. It doesn't try to save the world; it just tries to make you dance.
In 2015, McCartney released a remixed version where the vocal roles are swapped. Michael starts the first verse instead of Paul. It’s a weirdly haunting experience, hearing the song through a different lens decades after the two men drifted apart.
Key Takeaways for Music Fans
If you're looking to really appreciate the depth of this collaboration, here is what you should do:
- Listen to the 2015 Remix: It’s on the Pipes of Peace Archive Collection. It gives a much better look at how Michael’s vocal delivery actually drove the rhythm of the track.
- Watch the Video for the "Neverland" Origins: Look at the landscape. You are literally seeing the moment Michael Jackson decided where he wanted to live for the rest of his life.
- Check the Credits: Notice how many instruments Paul plays. He’s on guitar, synthesizers, and percussion, proving that even while Michael was "producing" the vibe, Paul was still the musical engine.
- Study the Publishing Lesson: It remains the most famous "cautionary tale" in the music industry. Be careful who you give advice to—they might just take it literally.
Say Say Say McCartney represents the absolute peak of 80s pop synergy. It was the last time McCartney would hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and it remains Michael Jackson’s biggest-ever hit on that same chart. It’s a snapshot of a moment when the two biggest stars in the world were just two guys at a piano, bouncing ideas off each other before the "business" of music got in the way.