Your cart is currently empty!
On the Charts 44 Years Ago, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder Topped the Charts With “The Worst Duet in History”
Globally famous as a member of the Beatles, Paul McCartney was also one half of what many consider the greatest songwriting partnership in music history. Along with bandmate John Lennon, McCartney penned the majority of the Beatles’ most timeless hits, including “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “A Day in the Life”. Alas, even giants stumble. On this day (April 25) in 1982, Paul McCartney hit No. 1 in the United Kingdom with the Stevie Wonder duet “Ebony and Ivory”. Despite its commercial success, “Ebony and Ivory” frequently pops up on lists compiling the worst duets of all time.
Videos by American Songwriter
How This Polarizing Paul McCartney-Stevie Wonder Duet Came to Be
Written solely by Paul McCartney, the song is breathlessly simple in its messaging, employing the black-and-white keys on a piano as a metaphor for global racial harmony. Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony / Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord why don’t we?
“On a piano, you have black notes and you have white notes,” McCartney later explained. “It’s no good just having all the black notes because you need the white notes. It’s no good having just all the white notes. You need the two together because then you get a harmony. Two together is perfect on a keyboard, and so my song says, ‘Why don’t we do it like that?’”
Envisioning the song as a duet with a Black male singer, the former Beatle landed on Stevie Wonder, who liked what he heard.
“I felt it was positive for everybody,” the 25-time Grammy winner told Dick Clark on The National Music Survey. “I won’t say it demanded of people to reflect upon it, but it politely asks the people to reflect upon life in using the terms of music … this melting pot of many different people.”
Released as the lead single from McCartney’s fifth studio album Tug of War, “Ebony and Ivory” topped the UK singles chart on April 25, 1982. A month later, it kicked off a seven-week run in the same position on the Hot 100.
[RELATED: 5 Iconic Paul McCartney Duets]
The Mixed Reaction
“Ebony and Ivory” marked the longest chart run of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles career and the longest of Stevie Wonder’s career, period. It also made the “Part-Time Lover” crooner the first solo artist to score a No. 1 hit in the U.S. across three consecutive decades.
And yet, the song’s earnest idealism sat wrong with some listeners, who viewed it as an oversimplification of a nuanced societal issue. In a 2007 poll, BBC Music 6 listeners crowned “Ebony and Ivory” as the worst musical duet ever.
Additionally, Blender magazine named it the 10th-worst song of all time.
Regardless of anyone’s personal stance, “Ebony and Ivory” certainly has a place in music history.
Featured image by Bettman/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.