Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 2087 Date: 10/13/1984
Debut: 48
Peak: 6
Weeks: 18
Genre: Pop, Soundtrack
Pop Bits: After recording his album Pipes of Peace, McCartney decided he wanted to return to the world of acting and set out on a film project. His ideas for the film were handed over to a couple of writers, but neither one seemed to capture what McCartney wanted. So, he decided to write the script himself. The movie, titled Give My Regards to Broad Street, had McCartney and others basically playing fictionalized versions of themselves. It was set up as a kind of day-in-the-life type film with a side story about some master tapes being stolen. For the soundtrack, McCartney decided to revisit and record new versions of songs from his Beatles and Wings days. A few new original tunes rounded out the set including this first single from the soundtrack. The song would reach the Pop Top 10 while getting to #2 at AC and #16 Rock. Although the song was a solid hit, sales of the album were lackluster. This may have had to do with the failure of the movie to capture an audience. Critics panned it and the box office returns were minimal. The soundtrack album would peak at a low #21, which was McCartney's worst showing to-date from his post-Beatles career. The album would be certified gold, but that was a far cry from his previous platinum successes. In the UK the story was a bit different with this song reaching #2 and the album hitting #1. This song would be the only single released from the soundtrack. Although it would grab a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song, it would fail to secure an Oscar nod.
ReduxReview: I remember seeing this film when it came out. It was awful. I don't know if I'd call it the worst movie I'd ever seen, but it would be listed in the dregs of film slop. It was painfully slight, dull, didn't make sense sometimes, and horribly "acted." I had a college friend who was a massive McCartney fan and even she had a hard time defending the film. I really think McCartney was going for something a little wild and crazy like the Beatles' films, but this did not work at all. Personally, I didn't like the soundtrack either. Why remake your own classic songs? None of them were going to supplant the originals and none of them were really interesting. The new tunes McCartney wrote for the film, like this tune, were a shade better, but they still wouldn't come close to McCartney's greatest hits. I wasn't a big fan of this song when it came out, but I don't mind it so much now. It seems to fit in with some of his 70s hits with Wings. If it comes up in a McCartney playlist, I'll give it a listen. But I won't be seeing the movie again...
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Triple Shot! 1) Although this is a ballad, an upbeat version of the song, known as the "Playout Version," was also recorded. It was used over the end credits of the film. This version spawned two other variations - a dance mix and an extended mix. The extended mix was issued as a 12" single, but it didn't catch on in the clubs, therefore it failed to hit the US Dance chart. Both mixes would later be included on a reissue CD of the soundtrack. 2) Singer/comedy actress Tracey Ullman was featured in the film. Unlike McCartney and a few others who played versions of themselves, she actually played a character. She was working on the film around the same time she was shooting a video for her soon-to-be hit song "They Don't Know" (#8). It then worked out that McCartney would make a guest appearance in the song's video. 3) With too much music to fill a single LP and not enough to fill a double-LP, the label had to whittle the songs down in order to get them on a single disc. Two songs were completely cut while others were edited to shorter running times. However, the length restrictions were not a problem for cassettes or the newer CD format. Both of those formats would contain all the songs in their full-length versions. Due to the unusual move to cut/edit songs, there was a notice on the cover of the vinyl LP that mentioned the edits and said that the full-length versions could be found on the cassette or CD versions.
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