Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 14

This week in 1983, a new song went to Number One, becoming the last Number One of the year. On December 10, 1983, "Say Say Say" (above), by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson reached Number One, and spent the last four weeks of the year there. There were three 1983 songs that spent four weeks at Number one within 1983, but only one of them limited to that year alone—but more about that later.

“Say Say Say” was the first single from McCartney's fourth solo studio album, Pipes of Peace, and was released in October 1983. The album was Top Twenty in all the countries I mention in these posts, except for New Zealand, where it only reached 38.

The song was the seventh Top 10 hit for Jackson in one year's time, a feat that only Elvis Presley and—ironically perhaps—The Beatles had achieved at that point. It was also the third Number One song that year with Michael Jackson. To date, this song was McCartney’s last Number One single in the USA.

The music video was directed by Bob Giraldi, who had directed Jackson’s “Beat It” video (that song was in Part 4 of this series). During the filming of the video, the McCartneys stayed at Sycamore Valley Ranch, and Jackson visited them there. He told them he’d like to buy it some day, and in 1988 he did, renaming it “Neverland Ranch”.

I wasn’t particularly fond of this song or its video, but I didn’t hate them, either. Mainly, I was kind of indifferent to them. Nothing about that has changed for me in the 40 years since—not the first time that’s been the case, of course. Still, it’s a pleasant enough song, I suppose, and there were certainly other 1983 songs that I had an actually negative reaction to, so that’s—something?

"Say Say Say" reached Number 4 in Australia, Number One in Canada (Platinum), 10 in New Zealand, 2 in the UK (Silver), and Number One on the USA’s “Billboard Hot 100”, as well as Number One on Cash Box; it was certified Platinum in the USA.

That’s the end of this year’s look at the Number One songs of 1983, a year that was very important for me. As I said way back in Part One of this series:

The thing about 1983 isn’t (merely) that it was 40 years ago, it’s that it was my first full year living in Chicago, and it’s when I established what my life would be up until 1995 when I met Nigel and moved to New Zealand. 1983 was a very significant year for me.

1983, then, was a starting point of sorts, and the songs I’ve talked about in this series were all part of my life’s soundtrack that year—some perhaps more welcome that others, and some certainly more significant that others. It’s logical, then, that I’ll continue the story next year with a new series about the Number One songs of 1984. The significance of the songs of that year were, for me, every bit as mixed as the songs of 1983—and that’s part of what I find makes it so interesting.

In a sense, though, the series about 1984 Number Ones has already begun: “Say Say Say” was Number One for the first two weeks of 1984, too (for a total of six weeks at Number One). In fact, the first Number One song of 1983, "Maneater", by Daryl Hall and John Oates, first hit Number One on December 18, 1982, and remained there for the first two weeks of 1983—four weeks in total. So… should the 1984 series just be a repeat of this post? I'm joking, obviously. The 1983 series began with three songs (because I forgot to start it on time…), so the first part for 1984’s series will talk about the second Number One song of that year (that’ll be clearer when that post appears).

In the meantime, it’s at least possible that before this year ends, I might tack a post or two onto this series (time permitting) to talk about more of the “also-rans” of 1983, songs that didn’t make it to Number One but that were important to me personally for one reason or another. This IS a personal blog, after all.

However, speaking only about the Number One songs of 1983, that’s a wrap for this series. To end it, I’d like to say say say something interesting, witty, or profound, but that’s not going to happen—and it doesn’t need to. I think the songs speak for themselves.

Thanks for joining me at the turntable for this series! See you for the new series beginning January 21, 1984—which is also a rather significant day for me personally. Nice.

Previously in the “Weekend Diversion – 1983” series:

Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 1
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 2
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 3
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 4
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 5
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 6
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 7
Weekend Diversion: 1983 – And also
Weekend Diversion: 1983 – And also more
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 8
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 9
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 10
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 11
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 12
Weekend Diversion: 1983, Part 13