Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney - Say Say Say [HQ]

"Say Say Say" is a song by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. The track was written by the duo, and produced by George Martin for McCartney's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace (1983). The song was the pair's second duet to be released, following "The Girl Is Mine" for Jackson's Thriller (1982), however, it had been recorded one year before, at the same time as McCartney's Tug of War (1982) album. The single became Jackson's seventh top ten hit in a year upon its release in October 1983. "Say Say Say" was a number one hit in the US and peaked at number two in the UK. Number one in Canada, Finland, Italy, Norway and Sweden, the single also peaked within the top ten in Australia, Austria and New Zealand.

Certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, the song was promoted with a music video directed by Bob Giraldi. The video, filmed in Santa Ynez Valley, California, featured cameo appearances by Linda McCartney, and La Toya Jackson. The short film centered around two con artists, "Mac and Jack", and introduced dialogue and storylines to music videos. Upon its release, the video was considered too violent by the National Coalition on Television Violence. "Say Say Say" was covered by the Dutch music group Hi-Tack in early 2006. They took the song to number four on the UK singles chart.

Music video
Directed by Bob Giraldi, who also directed "Beat It", the music video for "Say Say Say" featured cameo appearances by Linda McCartney, La Toya Jackson and Mr. T. It was filmed in Santa Ynez Valley, California, and McCartney had to fly out to Jackson; the latter's schedule was busy. As "Mac and Jack", the duo play a pair of conmen selling a "miracle potion". The salesman (McCartney) offers Jackson the potion, claiming it's "guaranteed to give you the strength of a raging bull". Jackson drinks the potion and challenges a large man, also in on the scam, to arm wrestle. Upon Jackson winning, the crowd surges forward, hoping to buy the magical potion. With the money earned from the scam, Mac and Jack donate it all to an orphanage. In their hotel, Jackson enters the bathroom while McCartney is shaving. McCartney playfully dabs shaving foam on Jackson's cheek, despite the fact that Jackson does not need a shave. McCartney and Jackson then star as vaudeville performers singing and dancing at a bar. Jackson's love interest, with whom he flirts, was played by his sister La Toya. Before taking to the stage, the duo appear in blackface makeup. The video ends with Paul, Linda and Michael driving off into the sunset. La Toya, handed a bunch of flowers by McCartney, is left at the roadside. The video cost the singers $500,000 to make.
Giraldi said of the duo, "Michael didn't outdance Paul, and Paul didn't outsing Michael". He added that making the video was hard work, "The egos could fill a room". The video introduced both dialogue and storyline, an element extended upon in Thriller. Upon its release, the National Coalition of Television Violence classified the music video as too violent to be aired. They also classified Thriller and more than half of the 200 videos surveyed from MTV as being overtly violent. The Manchester Evening News later described the video as an "anarchic caper" that "plays out like an Emir Kusturica feature". PopMatters stated that the music videos of "Say Say Say" and "Goodnight Tonight" turned "a pair of otherwise forgettable songs into something worth watching" Steven Greenlee of The Boston Globe reflected that the video was both "horrifying and compelling", while noting the ridiculousness of a potion aiding Jackson in beating somebody at arm wrestling. He added, "It's even harder to believe that the two of them didn't get the pulp beaten out of them in that bar for dressing like a pair of Chess King employees". The video was later included on the McCartney DVD, The McCartney Years

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