"Say Say Say" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Paul McCartney featuring Michael Jackson | ||||
from the album Pipes of Peace | ||||
B-side | "Ode to a Koala Bear" | |||
Released | 3 October 1983 | |||
Recorded | April–May 1981 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:55 5:40 (remix by John "Jellybean" Benitez) | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
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Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Say Say Say" on YouTube |
"Say Say Say" is a song by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, released in October 1983 as the lead single from McCartney's 1983 album Pipes of Peace. Produced by George Martin, it was recorded during production of McCartney's 1982 Tug of War album, about a year before the release of "The Girl Is Mine", the pair's first duet from Jackson's album Thriller (1982).
After its release in October 1983, "Say Say Say" became Jackson's seventh top-ten hit inside a year. It was a number-one hit in the United States (his sixth number-one single there), Canada, Norway, Sweden and several other countries, reached number two in the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten in Australia, Austria, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland and over 20 other nations. In 2013, Billboard magazine listed the song as the 41st biggest hit of all time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4] It has also been voted the ninth-best collaboration of all time in a Rolling Stone readers poll.[5]
The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in December 1983, representing sales of 1,000,000 copies. The single was promoted with an influential music video directed by Bob Giraldi. The short film centres around two con artists called "Mac and Jack" (played by McCartney and Jackson).
Background, recording and composition
McCartney biographer Ray Coleman asserted that the majority of the song's lyrics were written by Jackson and given to McCartney the next day.[6] Recording began at AIR Studios in London in May 1981. At the time, McCartney was recording Tug of War, his second solo album after the breakup of his group Wings.[7][8]
Jackson stayed at the home of McCartney and his wife Linda during the recording sessions, and became friends with both.[9] While at the dining table one evening, Paul McCartney brought out a booklet that displayed all the songs to which he owned the publishing rights. "This is the way to make big money," the musician informed Jackson. "Every time someone records one of these songs, I get paid. Every time someone plays these songs on the radio, or in live performances, I get paid." McCartney's words influenced Jackson's later purchase of ATV Music Publishing in 1985.[9]
McCartney played several instruments on "Say Say Say", including percussion, synthesizer and guitar (though it is not mentioned in the credits for the track).[10] The harmonica was played by Chris Smith, the rhythm guitar was played by David Williams, Nathan Watts played bass and drums were played by Ricky Lawson. The song was engineered by former Beatles sound engineer, Geoff Emerick.[11] The production of "Say Say Say" was completed in February 1983, after it had been refined and overdubbed at Cherokee Studios in California.
George Martin, who had worked with the Beatles, produced the song. He said of his experience with Jackson: "He actually does radiate an aura when he comes into the studio, there's no question about it. He's not a musician in the sense that Paul is ... but he does know what he wants in music and he has very firm ideas."[6][7]
Jackson also spoke of the experience in his autobiography, Moonwalk. The younger singer revealed that the collaboration boosted his confidence, as Quincy Jones—producer of Thriller—was not present to correct his mistakes. Jackson added that he and McCartney worked as equals, stating, "Paul never had to carry me in that studio."[12]
According to Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music Publishing, "Say Say Say" was performed in common time, with a dance beat of 116 beats per minute.[13] It is in the key of B♭ minor and sung in a vocal range from F3 to B♭4.[13] The lyrics to "Say Say Say" reflect an attempt to "win back" a girl's affection; Deseret News considered the song to be a "pleading kind of love song".[13][14]
Release and reception
Following the release of Thriller and most of its singles, "Say Say Say" was released on 3 October 1983 by Parlophone in the UK and Columbia Records in the US.[15][16][17] It remained atop Billboard's Hot 100 for six weeks and became Jackson's seventh top ten hit of 1983, breaking a record that until then was held jointly by The Beatles and Elvis Presley. As of 2023, it remains McCartney's final number one single on the Hot 100, either in a group or solo. Also in the US, "Say Say Say" reached number two on the R&B chart (behind "Time Will Reveal" by DeBarge) and number three on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.[18] Billboard also stated that the recording earned "top spot as Jackson's best-performing Hot 100 chart single" after leading the US charts for six weeks.[19]
Although the song had peaked at number ten in the UK, it began to fall steadily; McCartney subsequently held an early weekday live television interview, where he discussed the song's music video. This, along with screenings of the video on Top of the Pops (which normally played only singles that were rising in the charts), The Tube and Noel Edmonds' The Late, Late Breakfast Show, helped propel the song to number two on the UK Singles Chart.[20][21] "Say Say Say" reached number one in Norway and Sweden, and the single also reached the top ten in Austria, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.[20][22] With wholesale shipments of at least one million units, the single was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[23]
"Say Say Say" received mixed reviews from music critics. The lyrics were named the worst of 1983 by The Buffalo News's Anthony Violanti,[24] while the Lexington Herald-Leader stated in a review of Pipes of Peace that, aside from "Say as Say Say" and "The Man", "McCartney waste[d] the rest of the album on bathos and whimsy".[25] The Los Angeles Times' Paul Grein also reviewed the McCartney album and opined that the singer had redeemed himself with the success of the "spunky" song "but plunged back into wimpdom with 'No More Lonely Nights'".[26] Journalist Whitney Pastorek compared the song to McCartney's 1982 duet with Stevie Wonder, "Ebony and Ivory". She asserted that "Say Say Say" was a better song, and had a better "though slightly more nonsensical" music video, adding that the song had no "heavy-handed social content".[27] Penn State's The Daily Collegian described the track as a good song, despite its ad nauseam broadcasts.[28]
In a Rolling Stone review, the track was described as an "amiable though vapid dance groove". The reviewer, Parke Puterbaugh, added that it was an "instantly hit-bound froth-funk that tends, after all, toward banality".[29] Music critic Nelson George stated that "Say Say Say" would not have "deserved the airplay it received without McCartney and Jackson".[30] Salon.com later described the song as a "sappy duet" and said that McCartney had become a "wimpy old fart" to the music public.[31] Billboard listed "Say Say Say" as Michael Jackson's all-time biggest Hot 100 single.[32] In a 2007 article, a writer for the magazine Vibe listed "Say Say Say" as the 22nd greatest duet of all time. The writer commented that the song was "a true falsetto fantasy" and that it was "still thrilling to hear the sweet-voiced duo trade harmonies on the chorus".[33] In 2005, Dutch musicians Hi Tack sampled "Say Say Say" on their debut single, "Say Say Say (Waiting 4 U)". The song featured Jackson's vocals from the original recording, plus McCartney's "Baby".[34]
2015 version
On 6 October 2015, McCartney released a new version of the song in which feature more vocal roles by Jackson over McCartney, contrary to the common false statement of the two reversed roles. It was remixed by Steve Orchard and Mark "Spike" Stent. On the new version, which is over three minutes longer than the original and an attempted recreation of the 1983 12" single-only extended instrumental mix by John "Jellybean" Benitez, the opening of the first is sung by Jackson instead of McCartney. Orchard said of the remix: "Paul remembered that there were two unused lead vocal performances by Michael and himself. We rearranged the vocal sequence and inverted the original performance so that Michael opened the first verse instead of Paul, to give the song a different take to the original version."[35] More specifically, Jackson sings the parts that McCartney had in the original, and vice versa, for much of the song.[36] The track appears on the 2015 re-issue of Pipes of Peace.[37] A radio edit of the new remix was released for streaming on 30 October 2015,[38] while an instrumental version of it is available for download at paulmccartney.com.[39] The radio edit was also later included on the compilation Pure McCartney.
To coincide with the release of the recording, McCartney released a new music video on his Facebook page on 6 October 2015. Directed and choreographed by Ryan Heffington,[40] it featured a group of young dancers, filmed in black and white in Los Angeles neighbourhoods, with moves that are reminiscent of Michael Jackson's.[41][42]
Personnel
"Say Say Say"
- Paul McCartney – vocals
- Michael Jackson – vocals
- Chris Hammer Smith – harmonica
- David Williams – rhythm guitar
- Nathan Watts – bass
- Bill Wolfer[43] – keyboards
- Linda McCartney, Eric Stewart – backing vocals
- Ricky Lawson – drums
- Jerry Hey, Ernie Watts, Gary E. Grant, Gary Herbig – horns
"Ode to a Koala Bear"
- Paul McCartney – vocals, bass, piano, electric guitar
- Chris Laurence – bass
- Paul Robinson – drums
- Linda McCartney, Eric Stewart – backing vocals
Music video
Production, plot, and reception
The music video (or "short film") for "Say Say Say" was filmed in October 1983 and was directed by Bob Giraldi, who had previously directed Michael Jackson's music video for "Beat It".[44] Cameo appearances in the video are made by McCartney's then wife Linda, as well as Jackson's older sister La Toya.[45][46]
Rolling Stone quoted Bob Giraldi who recounted McCartney's nervousness about the project:[47]
"Paul was terribly insecure about appearing next to Michael, in terms of dance" ... "And who wouldn't, if you're going to go onstage and be choreographed next to Michael Jackson?" "In all my years of working in film and commercials, I've worked with some of the worst divas and superstars of all time," said Giraldi. "Paul and Michael were not that."
According to La Toya Jackson, during filming of the video, the McCartneys were staying at a property named Sycamore Valley Ranch, five miles from the town of Los Olivos, California, in the Santa Ynez Valley.[48] Jackson visited them and expressed interest in someday buying the property. In 1988, he would do so, renaming it Neverland Ranch.[49] The saloon portion was filmed at the 1880 Union Hotel in Los Alamos.[50][51] McCartney flew in specifically for the filming.[52][53] The video cost $500,000 to produce.[20]
In the short film, the duo play "Mac and Jack", a pair of medicine show con men who sell a "miracle potion". The salesman (McCartney) offers Jackson the potion, and claims that it is "guaranteed to give you the strength of a raging bull". Jackson drinks the potion and challenges a large man to arm-wrestle. Unbeknownst to a watching crowd, the man—along with Linda—is also in on the scam. After Jackson wins the rigged contest, the crowd of people surge forward and buy the potion. Mac and Jack then donate all of the money earned from the scam to an orphanage.[53] After this scene, McCartney and Jackson star as vaudeville performers who sing and dance at a bar.[54] On stage, the duo appear in clown makeup at one point and quickly go through a number of costume changes.[55] Jackson flirts with a young woman portrayed by his real-life sister La Toya.[56] When law-enforcement officers appear at the back of the venue, Mac quickly starts a small fire onstage and Linda hollers "FIRE!", emptying the venue and allowing the group to escape via backstage (yet somehow finding time to change into tuxedos first). The video ends with Paul, Linda, and Michael as they drive off into the sunset. La Toya, who was handed a bunch of flowers by McCartney, is left at the roadside.[54]
The video also features appearances by director Giraldi as a pool shark who is conned by McCartney, Sonny Barnes (whose cameo was wrongly attributed to Mr. T) as the carriage driver, and Art Carney as an audience member for the vaudeville show.[57]
Giraldi said of Jackson and McCartney, "Michael didn't outdance Paul, and Paul didn't outsing Michael". He added that production of the video was hard work because "the egos could fill a room".[58] The video introduced both dialogue and storyline, an element extended upon in Michael Jackson's Thriller.[59] In a 1984 study of music videos conducted by the National Coalition on Television Violence, the Jacksons were rated "very violent", citing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", "Thriller" and "Say Say Say" as well as Jermaine Jackson's "Dynamite" and the Jacksons' "Torture".[60] In a list compiled by Billboard at the end of 1984, the music video was named the fourth best of the year, and the rest of the top four were also short films by Jackson.[61]
The Manchester Evening News later described the "Say Say Say" video as an "anarchic caper" that "plays out like an Emir Kusturica feature".[62] PopMatters stated that the music videos of "Say Say Say" and "Goodnight Tonight" turned "a pair of otherwise forgettable songs into something worth watching".[63] Steven Greenlee of The Boston Globe reflected that the video was both "horrifying and compelling", and stated the ridiculousness of a potion which could aid 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."[64] The "Say Say Say" video was later included on the DVDs The McCartney Years and Michael Jackson's Vision.[65]
Themes
Two authors later reviewed the short film and documented two central themes. The first is a "Child/Man" theme; the role of both a boy and an adult, which writer James M. Curtis states Jackson plays throughout the music video for "Say Say Say".[54] Curtis writes that the bathroom scene involving the shaving foam is reminiscent of boys copying their fathers. He adds that the scene marks "the distinction between Michael's roles as a Child and as a Man". The writer also highlights the part where the singer supposedly becomes strengthened with a miracle potion, a further play on the "Child/Man" theme.[54] Furthermore, Curtis observes that Paul and Linda McCartney seem to act as if they are Jackson's parents in the short film.[54] The author also notes that in a scene where Jackson is handed a bouquet of flowers from a girl, it is a reversal of one from City Lights, a 1931 film starring Charlie Chaplin, whom the singer greatly adored.[54]
The second of the two main themes in the music video is of African American history and culture, as some of the vaudeville scenes in the short film acknowledge minstrel shows and blackface.[55] Author W. T. Lhamon writes that the video is set in the Great Depression, and that McCartney and Jackson "convey a compactly corrupt history of blackface" as they con their way to riches with the Mac and Jack show.[55] Lhamon was critical of the pair and of the video because he felt that the African American theme had not been made explicitly known. The author expressed his view that aspects of the short film were historically out-of-synch with interracial relations.[55] He stated, "Nearly everything in the video is backward. Mack's white hand continually helping black Jack on board, for instance, reverses the general process I have shown of blacks providing whites with their sustaining gestures."[55] Lhamon added, "In a just world, Jackson should be pulling McCartney onto the wagon, not the other way around."[55]
Track listing
- UK 7" single
- "Say Say Say" (with Michael Jackson) – 3:55
- "Ode to a Koala Bear" – 3:45
- US 12" single
- "Say Say Say" (John "Jellybean" Benitez Remix) (with Michael Jackson) – 5:40
- "Say Say Say" (John "Jellybean" Benitez Remix Instrumental) (with Michael Jackson) – 7:00
- "Ode to a Koala Bear" – 3:45
- 2015 transparent vinyl reissue
- "Say Say Say" (2015 Remix) (with Michael Jackson) – 7:00
- "Say Say Say" (John "Jellybean" Benitez Remix Instrumental) (with Michael Jackson) – 7:00
- Digital streaming [38]
- "Say Say Say" (2015 Remix / Radio Edit) (with Michael Jackson) – 3:41
- Digital download – via paulmccartney.com [39]
- "Say Say Say" (2015 Remix / Radio Edit Instrumental) (with Michael Jackson) – 3:41
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[94] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP)[95] | Gold | 500,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[96] | Silver | 250,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[97] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Kygo version
"Say Say Say" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Kygo, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson | ||||
Released | March 31, 2023 | |||
Length | 2:55 | |||
Label | Sony | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Kygo singles chronology | ||||
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Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
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Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
|
On March 31, 2023, Norwegian DJ Kygo released a remake of the song.[98]
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
CIS (TopHit)[99] | 14 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[100] | 33 |
France (SNEP)[101] | 78 |
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[102] | 17 |
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[103] | 38 |
Norway (VG-lista)[104] | 16 |
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[105] | 9 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[106] | 41 |
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[107] | 3 |
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[108] | 16 |
Monthly charts
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[109] | 12 |
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[110] | 4 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2023) | Position |
---|---|
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[111] | 49 |
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[112] | 80 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
France (SNEP)[113] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
See also
References
- 1 2 Breihan, Tom (3 August 2020). "The Number Ones: Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson's "Say Say Say". Stereogum. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
But it's a strong piece of breezy post-disco synth-funk, a worthy artifact of Jackson's peak moment.
- ↑ "Top 20 80s Collaborations". Classic Pop. 27 May 2021.
- ↑ Rolling Stone Staff (17 September 2014). "100 Best Singles of 1984: Pop's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
...their second duet, for Macca's 1983 Pipes of Peace, found common ground with an uptempo rock song.
- ↑ "Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ↑ "Readers Poll: Best Collaborations of All Time". Rolling Stone. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- 1 2 Coleman, p. 129.
- 1 2 Halstead, p. 268.
- ↑ Andersen, p. 99.
- 1 2 Taraborrelli, p. 333.
- ↑ "Say Say Say / Ode to a Koala Bear (Album)".
- ↑ Liner notes of Pipes of Peace by Paul McCartney.
- ↑ Jackson, p. 188.
- 1 2 3 "Say Say Say – Paul McCartney Digital Sheet Music (Digital Download)". MusicNotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co. Inc.
- ↑ "McCartney, Jackson together again". Deseret News. 18 November 1993. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ↑ Grant, p. 68.
- ↑ Harry, p. 171.
- ↑ Hill, p. 381.
- 1 2 3 4 George, p. 39.
- ↑ "'Say Say Say' Ranks As Michael Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hit". Billboard. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- 1 2 3 Barrow, p. 92.
- ↑ Heryanto, p. 92.
- 1 2 "Austrian Singles Chart Archives". austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
- ↑ "RIAA database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2009. (To search the database for "Say Say Say", type "Paul McCartney" or "Michael Jackson" into the Artist field and "Say Say Say" into the Title field.)
- ↑ Violanti, Anthony (18 August 1996). "Schlock: An Unusually Confused and Nasal Dylan". The Buffalo News. Retrieved on 19 March 2009.
- ↑ "Paul McCartney's New Album Is Just 'Embarrassing Fluff'". Lexington Herald-Leader. (15 January 1983). Retrieved on 19 March 2009.
- ↑ Grein, Paul (3 January 1988). "Hits That Hurt In Some Cases, That Top 10 Smash Can Smash an Artist's Image". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 19 March 2009.
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- ↑ Garcia, Gilbert (27 January 2003). "The ballad of Paul and Yoko". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ↑ "'Say Say Say' ranks as Michael Jackson's biggest Billboard hit". Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Caramanica, Jon (February 2007). "The 50 greatest duets of all time". Vibe. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ↑ "Upfront". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 1. Nielsen Business Media. 7 January 2006. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ↑ "Sir Paul McCartney Switches Vocals with Michael Jackson in Remixed Duet". 6 October 2015.
- ↑ "Must Hear: New 'Say Say Say' – Michael Jackson World Network". 2 October 2015.
- ↑ "Song of the week: Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, together again". USA Today.
- 1 2 "Say Say Say (Radio Edit / 2015 Remix)". 16 October 2015.
- 1 2 "Downloads".
- ↑ "Paul McCartney Revives Michael Jackson in Video for 'Say Say Say' Remix". Newsweek. 6 October 2015.
- ↑ "Paul McCartney Debuts 'Say, Say, Say' Remix Video Featuring New Michael Jackson Vocals: Watch". Billboard.
- ↑ "Watch the new 'Say Say Say [2015 Remix]' video". 6 October 2015.
- ↑ "Bill Wolfer | Credits". AllMusic.
- ↑ Allard, François; Lecocq, Richard (4 October 2018). Michael Jackson: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Octopus. ISBN 9781788401234. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ↑ Grant, p. 270.
- ↑ "Linda McCartney Dies Of Cancer". MTV. 20 April 1998. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ "Michael Jackson's 20 Greatest Videos: The Stories Behind the Vision". New Statesman. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ↑ McCartney: Songwriter ISBN 0-491-03325-7 p. 131
- ↑ La Toya Jackson; Jeffré Phillips (29 May 2012). Starting Over. Simon and Schuster. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-4516-2059-7. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ "The Historic Saloons of Central California".
- ↑ Pridgen, Andrew (11 June 2023). "A trip to a Calif. town with Paul McCartney changed Michael Jackson's life forever". SFGATE.
- ↑ Reba, Bonnie Churchill (1 March 1984). "You" (Payment required to access full article.). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- 1 2 Campbell, p. 69.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Curtis, p. 323.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lhamon, p. 219.
- ↑ Morris, Davina (24 August 2008). "Happy birthday MJ". The Voice. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ Paul McCartney (2007). The McCartney Years (DVD). Rhino Entertainment.
- ↑ Garcia, Guy (18 November 1983). "People: Nov. 14, 1983". Time. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ Sklar, Ron (23 November 1990). "Thriller video". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ Bishop, Pete (25 January 1985). "Group on TV Violence Looks at Music Videos and Is Not Amused". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012.
- ↑ Campbell, p. 105.
- ↑ Gilliver, Stephen (20 November 2007). "DVD review: Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (Warner)". The Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ Lawson, Terry (20 November 2007). "Old rockers go on a DVD roll". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ Greenlee, Steven. "Back when MTV had videos". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
- ↑ Paul McCartney, The McCartney Years, DVD.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 17, 1983" (PDF).
- ↑ "RPM Top 50 AC - December 3, 1983" (PDF).
- ↑ Nanda Lwin (1999). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
- 1 2 Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Michael Jackson". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 113. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Michael Jackson".
- ↑ "Dutch Charts". www.dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "New Zealand Charts". charts.nz. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "VG Lista". www.norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ "Swedish Charts". www.swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "Swiss Charts". www.hitparade.ch. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 118.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
- ↑ "Michael Jackson".
- ↑ "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
- ↑ "Top 50 Singles of 1983". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. 25 December 1983.
- ↑ "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 23 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
- ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 1984 – Volume 41, No. 17, January 05 1985". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1984". Retrieved 26 December 2018.
- ↑ "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. 22 December 1984. p. TA-19.
- ↑ "Billboard's Top Songs of the '80s". MRC. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ↑ "Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Paul Mccartney – Say, Say, Say". Music Canada.
- ↑ "French single certifications – Paul McCARTNEY & Michael JACKSON – Say Say Say" (in French). InfoDisc. Select PAUL MCCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON and click OK.
- ↑ "British single certifications – PAUL McCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON – Say, Say, Say". British Phonographic Industry.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Paul Mc Cartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ "Kygo slipper remiks av Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney-klassiker". 27 March 2023.
- ↑ Kygo feat. Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson — Say Say Say. TopHit. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ↑ "Kygo feat. Paul McCartney · Michael Jackson – Say Say S·A·Y" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Top Singles (Week 26, 2023)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of April 12, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ↑ "Kygo feat. Paul McCartney · Michael Jackson – Say Say S·A·Y". VG-lista. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Russia Airplay Chart for 2023-06-23." TopHit. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Kygo feat. Paul McCartney · Michael Jackson – Say Say S·A·Y". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2023-10-27." TopHit. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ↑ "Kygo Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Top Radio Hits Russia Monthly Chart June 2023". TopHit. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ↑ "Top Radio Hits Ukraine Monthly Chart November 2023". TopHit. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Top Radio Hits Russia Chart 2023". TopHit. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ↑ "Top Radio Hits Ukraine Chart 2023". TopHit. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ "French single certifications – Kygo feat. Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
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