"So Bad" by Paul McCartney

Song#:  1741
Date:  12/24/1983
Debut:  49
Peak:  23
Weeks:  14
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  As McCartney and Michael Jackson were occupying the #1 spot on the Pop chart with their duet "Say Say Say," this second single from McCartney's Pipes of Peace album was issued. The ballad did well at AC getting to #3, but Pop was less interested and the song stalled short of the Top 20.

ReduxReview:  Snooze. I think this is a lovely song with a light and effective vocal from McCartney that makes for a nice album track, but not a single. I kind of understand wanting to release something that would be totally different from "Say Say Say," but this was completely opposite of that hi-energy track. However, there was also very little on Pipes of Peace that was single-worthy, so this song may have been the best shot. AC loved it, but I think it was just way too quiet and subtle for Pop.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Quite often, songs selected from an album to be released as singles could vary from country to country. A tune that is a big hit in one area may never even get released in another. This song and its b-side are examples of this. In the US, "So Bad" served as the a-side while "Pipes of Peace" was the b-side. The results were tepid, as outlined above. In the UK, the sides were flipped and McCartney had much better luck there. "Pipes of Peace" would reach #1 and stay there for two weeks. Oddly, it was McCartney's first and only solo song to top the UK chart. His other #1 credits came from his bands The Beatles and Wings, a duet with Stevie Wonder, and three charity group singles. Excluding his hits with The Beatles, in the US McCartney has appeared on nine #1's, but none of them were pure solo efforts.

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