Flash back, if you will, to May 1983. Paul McCartney is on a soundstage at EMI Elstree Studios, about 45 minutes outside London, filming an elaborate production number for Give My Regards to Broad Street, a semiautobiography featuring 11 of his songs, including several Beatles classics. Elsewhere on the lot, Barbra Streisand is looping Yentl, and Steven Spielberg and crew, just back from Sri Lanka, are shooting interiors on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Between set-ups, McCartney sits down with a young LIFE magazine reporter (yours truly) to talk about his work. Legendary Beatles producer George Martin, who’s also on set, has just let slip that McCartney has a new album on the way (which turns out to be “Pipes of Peace”), featuring Michael Jackson, with whom McCartney had just collaborated on “The Girl Is Mine.” So here’s McCartney telling the story, complete with imitations of Jackson and a Joe Franklin-like talent-show host. (I’m including a transcript, since there’s a lot of background noise from the smoke machine they were using to fog up the set.)
“['The Girl is Mine'] was Michael’s — reciprocated for the thing that we did together. He originally rung me up and said,’Would you like to write songs together, Paul?’ I said, ‘Whois this?’ ‘Michael.’ And I didn’t believe it was him, first ofall. So we were talking and stuff, and he wanted to come and writesomething with me, because he’s just getting into writing. He just said he’d like to do some writing; came over, we wrote two, and then in return for that, I went over toLA and worked with him and Quincy [Jones], which was great to do. They did allthe work. I just wandered in as a vocalist, then they mixed it, they released it, theypromoted it — it was great, like a busman’s holiday. Mike’s great;lovely guy. Nice fellow to work with; very easy to get on with. And ‘a major talent! Major talent!’”
More Paul McCartney-Michael Jackson from EW:
Paul McCartney denies he’s upset Michael Jackson did not bequeath Beatles songs to him
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REALY, REALLY, REALLY something you want to bring up if you want to reflect Michel in a positive light..
http://www.spinner.com/2009/01/06/jackson-leaving-beatles-songs-to-mccartney-in-will/
Michael Jackson reportedly plans to end his longstanding feud with Paul McCartney by leaving him the Beatles’ back catalog in his will. Jacko and Macca have been estranged since a falling out back in 1985, after Jackson beat out McCartney and Yoko Ono — widow of John Lennon — in a bidding war for the rights to 200 of Fab Four’s legendary songs.
Sir Paul, 66, has long felt betrayed by Jackson, now 50, on principle. In 2006 McCartney said, “You know what doesn’t feel very good, is going on tour and paying to sing all my songs. Every time I sing ‘Hey Jude,’ I’ve got to pay someone.”
I SEE NO SIGN THAT MICHEL CARRIED THU
http://www.glorypromo.com
OMG I remember when that song came out. Now I feel old lol.
Considering his share in Sony/ATV is probably the only thing keeping his kids out of poverty, it’s a good thing he didn’t leave the share to Sir Paul (not that it would’ve survived a legal challenge, anyway).
It’s a shame that MJ had no scruples about outbidding his friend for the ownership of the Beatles’ songs. Before his death, it was probably the only thing making MJ any money.
No scrupples? Obviously you don’t know much about the business history of Paul McCartney. He is NOTORIOUS for being a hard-driving businessman, even being sued by the other Beatles numerous times. So he cries like a big baby when someone turns around and does it to him? And don’t forget, Yoko was involved in that as well. Michael didn’t outbid him by a few million dollars… he DOUBLED their bid, because he had the foresight to know how important those rights would be and that they would become more and more valuable. I love how everyone is like, “Oh, he screwed The Beatles.” Let’s remember, Paul advised Michael to buy the rights of OTHER PEOPLE’S songs. So it’s ok for Paul to do it but not ok for Michael? McCartney is a great artist, but its not hard to find people that believe he got what was coming to him. Unfortunately, two of them are now dead… their names are George Harrison (whose Beatles songs AREN’T included among those that MJ owns), and John Lennon.
If you really knew the story or history Paul NEVER put in a bid.
You also need to check the history on the lawsuits of the Beatles and who turned out right in the end.
We recently released a Michael Jackson tribute cover of “The Way You Make Me Feel” on YouTube. It is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F166o1QO6Y8. We will miss you, Michael, forever the King of Pop.
“Shut your Face!” Michael Jackson is not the King of Pop. HE-NO-KING-OF-ANYTHING. He’s disgusting (everything) and only worthy of a greatest hits. He was bound to get something catchy from all of his efforts. And, so that it be made clear, you did not know him. You-never knew him. Ever. Michael Martin. You ought to be ashamed.
Actually, McCartney sued the other Beatles to get out of their partnership with Allen Klein, and while they hated him for it at the time, they later came to realize that he was right for doing so. So what Paul really did was protect the group’s business interests by extricating himself and the others from a horrible business relationship. So no, it’s not fair to say that McCartney “got what was coming to him.” Nor did Jackson do anything wrong by buying Sony/ATV. He simply made a shrewd business decision. And McCartney himself doesn’t even care about this issue anymore. He said so himself in an interview last week. So he’s not trying to screw the kids over by buying back the catalog.
MJ could never will his share to any outsider. Sony has the first right of refusal on the rights to his share. The “willing” of his share was pure tabloid crap.
MJ’s rights will never go on the selling block. Sony has the first right of refusal on any sale, and there is no way they are going to bring on another partner. They will never end up on the selling block under any circumstances.
Paul McCartney is a genius and he was upset as anyone would that MJ bought out the rights to the songs before he was about to (he had let that information slip to Jackson who bought them before he did) but he has let the past be the past and if MJ is gone now – I think it’s only right – given they are his songs – that he has the opportunity to buy them back. Anyone who has a problem with that has a problem in general. McCartney has been nothing but respectful of MJ – let him get his rights to his songs back – it’s only fair and anyone else would do the same, don’t kid yourself. It’s not about the money it’s about the songs and they are his.
Michael Jackson was not the king of pop. There will never be a king of anything. It’s stupid. That he produced enough garbage doesn’t make him so. King of Pop? What!