Fans of The Beatles were “blown away” to see footage of pop sensation Michael Jackson and legendary songwriter Paul McCartney working together.
McCartney and Jackson worked together on the song Say Say Say, the lead single for McCartney’s Pipes of Peace album. The pair also worked on Jackson’s Thriller track, The Girl is Mine. Footage of the pair working together has stunned fans of both artists, and a post to r/TheBeatles left many praising the collaboration. The clip comes from Thriller 40, a documentary released to celebrate forty years since the release of Thriller. McCartney and Jackson’s collaborative efforts still prove surprising, and an interviewee heard in the clip says it was part of finding a new sound following the release of Off the Wall.
A further snippet saw McCartney and Jackson riffing with one another on the final The Girl is Mine recording. Fans of both artists loved the footage, with one writing: “I’m blown away this exists; I’d not seen it. So cool.” Another added: “So cool that this footage exists.”
Another added: “Two titans. Who would have believed we’d have Paul with us longer than Michael?” Other users questioned the quality of the songs made from the collaboration. Though Say Say Say and The Girl is Mine proved successful, their overall quality and lasting impact was lessened by some.
One user wrote: “Say what you want about the final product, but they both look happy. And that makes me pretty happy. On that note, I hope Sir Paul is with us for much longer.” Another added: “I’m probably in the minority, but I’ve always hated the song too. Michael Jackson was in many ways the epitome of ’80s commercial pop, which is just nails on a chalkboard to me. I can see the surface-level appeal for Paul, but for me, his music goes way, way deeper than that.”
Michael Jackson recording ‘The Girl is Mine’ with Paul McCartney
byu/MiamiMan2022 inTheBeatles
A third disagreed, adding: “Are you saying that song is just a surface-level commercial song? ‘Cause it’s way deeper and smarter than that. The lyrics, bass line, arrangement, factory-like intro, counter melodies, etc are all wonderful. This song is very smart.”
Another even suggested an earlier release of The Girl is Mine is far superior to the final release. They wrote: “The demo version is vastly better than the official release. Not because it doesn’t have Paul on it, but because its orchestration is much richer.”
Some have considered the song the “worst” on Thriller. One user wrote: 2Sadly might be the worst song on the album.” Another disagreed, adding: “I don’t think so. Wanna Be Starting Something is the worst imo. At a Certain Point is kinda annoying.”
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