Say Say Say

Track list

Side 1

1. Say Say Say

   Written by Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson

   5:40 • Studio version • A1 • 12" Remix

   Paul McCartney : Arrangement, Backing vocals, Electric guitar (?), Electric piano (?), Percussion (?), Synthesizers (?), Vocals Linda McCartney : Backing vocals Michael Jackson : Backing vocals, Vocals Eric Stewart : Backing vocals George Martin : Arrangement, Producer Geoff Emerick : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jon Jacobs : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Jerry Hey : Horns Nathan Watts : Bass Bill Wolfer : Keyboards, Synthesizers David Williams : Electric guitar Chris Smith : Harmonica Ricky Lawson : Drums Ernie Watts : Horns Gary E. Grant : Horns Gary Herbig : Horns John Benitez : Remixing

   Session Recording: May 1981 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK ; Odyssey Studios, London, UK

   Session Recording: April 1982 • Studio Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, USA ; Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, USA

   Session Mixing: Feb 15, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

Side 2

1. Say Say Say

   Written by Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson

   7:00 • Studio version • A2 • Instrumental version

   Paul McCartney : Arrangement, Electric guitar (?), Electric piano (?), Percussion (?), Synthesizers (?) George Martin : Arrangement, Producer Geoff Emerick : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Jon Jacobs : Mixing engineer assistant, Recording engineer assistant Jerry Hey : Horns Nathan Watts : Bass Bill Wolfer : Keyboards, Synthesizers David Williams : Electric guitar Chris Smith : Harmonica Ricky Lawson : Drums Ernie Watts : Horns Gary E. Grant : Horns Gary Herbig : Horns John Benitez : Remixing

   Session Recording: May 1981 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK ; Odyssey Studios, London, UK

   Session Recording: April 1982 • Studio Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, USA ; Sigma Sound Studios, New York City, USA

   Session Mixing: Feb 15, 1983 • Studio AIR Studios, London, UK

   Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon

2. Ode To A Koala Bear

   Written by Paul McCartney

   3:45 • Studio version

About this 12″:

Paul goes mod with ‘Say Say Say’, bringing in John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez to remix the song in vocal and instrumental versions (plenty of backing voices on the latter, though), clocking in at a combined 12 mins. 40 secs. ‘Ode To A Koala Bear (not on album) is the kind of good-humoured love song I thought people had forgotten how to write: lovely.

From Club Sandwich N°36, 1985

From The Beatles Monthly Book, N°91, November 1983:

The four-minute-long version of the song on the 7” is what you have been hearing on the radio; but to feel the full effect of a fine production by George Martin and remix by ‘Jellybean’ Benitez you should get a copy of the 12”. For a start, “Say Say Say” is nearly two minutes longer there; there’s the bonus of a seven-minute instrumental version on the
flipside, giving you the chance to play at being a Beatle for a day; and most important of all, the song leaps out of the speakers at you, with a depth of sound totally missing on the 7” take. […] The 12” also has extra instrumental breaks between the verses and the middle eight, and generally sounds much more like a fully-fledged disco dance classic than the rather more gentle 7”.