Lost in the ’80s: Paul McCartney, “So Bad”

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Lost in the ’80s: Paul McCartney, “So Bad”

lit80s

Oh, some things just write themselves, don’t they?

I kid, I kid. “So Bad” is an overlooked little gem from the Paul catalog, released in the States as the follow-up to “Say Say Say,” his megahit duet with Michael Jackson. (Sorry to put that one in your head. Let’s get back to today’s subject, shall we?)

“So Bad” (download) was taken from Paul’s Pipes of Peace LP (1983), which was mostly made up of leftover tracks from his previous effort, Tug of War (1982). As a result, it shares many traits with Tug, such as producer George Martin and some studio drummer named Ringo, of all things. Oh yeah, and Linda’s on it. Surprise!

Okay, sorry again. That’s two cheap shots in one post about a song I actually quite like. I must be grumpy. The video for “So Bad” is sort of melancholy in light of Linda’s passing. She did the photography for all the posed shots surrounding the band, and that little freeze-frame of Mrs. McCartney winking and smiling near the end of the clip is heartbreaking.

Step off, Heather Mills. You never stood (ha!) a chance. “So Bad” is a cute, if lightweight, ballad (from Paul? Ya don’t say!) that put McCartney’s falsetto to good use. Unfortunately, despite its decent charting, it always seems to get the short shrift when it comes time to package those greatest-hits compilations or retrospectives. Heck, it didn’t even make it onto Wingspan (2001), for Linda’s sake — an unfair snub for a legitimate McCartney hit. You never seem to hear this one on AC or ’80s radio stations either, but boy, you’ll certainly hear “Say Say Say.” Ugh. Which was worse — “Say Say Say” or “The Girl Is Mine”? It’s a Sophie’s Choice of crap!

God, I am grumpy.

“So Bad” peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.

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Tags: Arts and Entertainment, Billboard Hot 100, Divorce, George Martin, Greatest hits, Heather Mill, John C. Hughes, Linda McCartney, Lost in the '80s, nepotism, Paul McCartney, South America, Wings

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 11:30 am and is filed under Lost in the '80s, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

skrumble

I can only assume it was a management or record company push that led Macca into trying to evoke the Beatles at every turn (complete with Ringo as accessory) without actually being forthright about it ... peaking--but not ending--with Give My Regards to Broad Street. In hindsight, I think that's why the fan base liked Flaming Pie ... it was the first time in about 15 years that he wasn't burdened by all of that.

JonCummings

I don't understand this comment. The conventional wisdom/history is that Paul turned to George Martin, Ringo et al for Tug of War/Pipes of Peace in response to John Lennon's murder...as well as a perceived need to rebound from the death of Wings, from the Japanese arrest, and even perhaps from Paul's callous-sounding initial public response to Lennon's death ("it's a drag, man"). Additionally, Paul's record company (Columbia, after the move from Capitol) was in no position to say "Boo" to a guy who was still, during the ToW/PoP era, one of the biggest-selling artists in the world.

Also, there was nothing not-forthright about the Beatles references on Tug of War, particularly "Here Today."

As with all things McCartney, he rode the artistic success of Tug of War far too long, into a sequel album (Pipes of Peace) and then a film whose remakes of the Tug of War songs were just as atrocious and practically as ill-advised as the Beatles remakes.

Finally, the comment about Flaming Pie didn't make sense to me, either. The liner notes (not to mention the music, particularly on things like "Young Boy" and "Beautiful Night") included Beatles references, and seemed a key part (along with the contemporaneous semi-autobiography, "Many Years from Now") of Paul's effort to extricate himself from John's intellectual shadow. That's not to say Flaming Pie isn't a great album--it is probably the Macca solo album I listen to most often--but to say that FP has fewer Beatles references than his earlier work is unsupported by the evidence. (Ringo's even on it!!!!)

Rob

I quite like the song too, although "Pipes of Pace" pales in comparison to "Tug of War"

One note of interest: Most of the chorus says "girl, I want you so bad." Which is how it was originally going to be But Paul inserted the "boy" line because his then-young son James felt left out.

Such a sentimentalist, Paulie boy.

JonCummings

I can't bear this song--I would rather listen to "Say Say Say" a dozen times in a row than "So Bad" once. To me, the single release of "So Bad" is another instance of McCartney & his record labels not trusting the American audience with a good song. While "So Bad" was middling its way halfway up the Top 40, over in England the song "Pipes of Peace" was becoming Paul's second-biggest solo hit...after "Mull of Kintyre," another song Macca didn't release as an A-side in the US.

DavidMedsker

I totally forgot about this song. Sweet little tune, isn't it?

Malchus

I love this song and agree with you, John, it got shafted for not being included on "Wingspan."

Someday there will be a complete McCartney collection, just as soon as hell freezes over and a complete Kinks collection comes out.

DwDunphy

It has some lovely harmonies on it, but I must say that when I used to hear this song daily on Muzak, I was under the impression it was Atlantic Starr with a female lead.

jbacardi

Good on you for spotlighting this beautiful track. I've always thought it was one of Paulie's better solo ballads. Same for "Only Love Remains".

Pete

I had completely forgotten about this song and video! Great post.

As for the mention of "Mull of Kintyre", I can fully understand why that was never released as a single here. Blech.

Eric S.

This song either never reached me, or was quickly forgotten. After listening to it, I can see why. I like a lot of early-McCartney as well as much of the Wing's output. That's not to say there wasn't some bland stuff, but at least it had something that hooked you. This is just plain bland with no redeeming qualities.

autodidact

Since readers here are so knowledgeable, I have a McCartney question. I finally saw the Concert For George (Harrison tribute concert) DVD the other night, and McCartney looked to me as if he didn't really want to be there. His demeanor was very unlike Ringo's, to say the least. Has Paul said anything about this? Was it sadness, or some other reason. Or was I imagining things? I thought he gave a good performance of All Things Must Pass. But he's a professional's professional. He still looked like he'd rather be a thousand miles away, to me.

So Bad -- I don't care for this one. After Tug Of War, there's little McCartney did that I can spare the time for. With Jon's recommendation, I will check out Flaming Pie, though. I haven't heard that one.

breadalbane

Can't say for sure what the issue was, but I remember Paul saying some time in the late 1990s (post-Anthology), that he'd be keen to work with George on some sort of project...but (in a separate interview) George was politely but *firmly* unreceptive to the idea.

Actually, if you go back through the years, George and Paul didn't really collaborate on much post-Beatles material. Paul contributed to "All Those Years Ago", and there was the Anthology project...and that's about it over a 30-year span. And even towards the end of the Beatles, George felt like he was merely a session musician on some of Paul's stuff -- for instance, Paul shot down his idea of an answering guitar figure in "Hey Jude".

So I suspect the two had a sometimes awkward relationship. And that Paul felt a little weird at being at the George Harrison tribute show simply beacuse, while everyone else on stage had been a close personal friend of George for ages, Paul and George hadn't been close (civil, perhaps, but not close) for more than 3 deacdes.

side3

I bought the McCartney video collection that came out a couple of years ago on DVD. One thing that really jumped out to me was how the bass sounded like it was right in the room with me...great tone.

I like the tune...but I remember how bitterly disappointed I was when "Pipes of Peace" came out. It was a huge letdown after "Tug of War"...at the time I thought ToW was as good of an album as Macca had ever made. Now I think it is a middle of the pack effort...there are many albums better including his last three (with "Electric Arguments" as one of those three).

Den

Yep, Chaos & Creation and Memory Almost Full are two of his greatest ever works for sure, but they'll be bound to be overlooked due to his lack of any chart or radio presence these days, as well as the convenience of deriding his later output. But he's one of the few artists really making top-quality work, and keeping their muse truly alive, in their fifties - sixties (Paul Simon, Lindsey Buckingham, Nick Lowe, Van Morrison, Rod Argent & Colin Blunstone, etc etc), so nothing but respect for the Mac man!