Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1980


Coming Up (song)

Buy Coming Up (song) now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Coming Up

| cover = McCartneyComingUp.jpg

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Paul McCartney

| album = McCartney II

| B-side =

| released = 11 April 1980[http://www.45cat.com/record/r6035 Paul McCartney - Coming Up] - 45cat.com, Retrieved 12 December 2020

| recorded = JulyAugust 1979

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Funk rock

| length = 3:49 (album/single edit)
5:35 (full length version)
4:10 ("Live at Glasgow" version)

| label = Parlophone (UK)
Columbia (US)

| writer = Paul McCartney

| producer = Paul McCartney

| prev_title = Wonderful Christmastime

| prev_year = 1979

| next_title = Waterfalls

| next_year = 1980

| misc =

}}

"'Coming Up'" is a song written and performed by English musician Paul McCartney, released as the opening track on his 1980 solo album 'McCartney II'. Like other songs on the album, the song has a synthesised sound, featuring sped-up vocals created by using a vari-speed tape machine. McCartney played all instruments.

The single was a hit in Britain, peaking at on the singles chart. In the United States and Canada, the live version of the song performed by Paul McCartney and Wings in Glasgow the year prior (released as the B-side to the single) saw greater success.

Background



In a 'Rolling Stone' interview, McCartney explained how the song came about:

John Lennon described "Coming Up" as "a good piece of work" and it prompted him to return to recording in 1980. After hearing it on the radio for the first time, Lennon reportedly stated Fuck a pig! Its Paul! Lennon later stated his preference for the studio version over the live version that was released as a single: "I thought that Coming Up was great and I like the freak version that he made in his barn better than that live Glasgow one. If I'd have been with him I would've said 'that's the one' too. And I thought that the record company had a nerve changing it round on him, and I know what they mean, they want to hear the real guy singing, but I like the freaky one."

'Cash Box' called it an "unusually produced but cute track".

Live version



A live version of the song was recorded in Glasgow, Scotland, on 17 December 1979 by Wings during their tour of the UK. An edited version from the performance was included as one of two songs on the B-side; the other song on the B-side was "Lunchbox/Odd Sox", a Wings song that dated back to 'Venus and Mars'. Both songs were credited to Paul McCartney and Wings.

Columbia Records wanted to put the live version on 'McCartney II' but McCartney resisted the change, wanting to keep it a solo album. Instead, a one-sided 7" white-label promotional copy of the Wings version was included with the album in North America.

"Coming Up (Live at Glasgow)" has since appeared on the US versions of the McCartney compilations 'All the Best!' (1987) and 'Wingspan: Hits and History' (2001), while the solo studio version is included on UK and international releases.

The full length version of the song with an additional verse from the 1979 Glasgow show was finally released as bonus track on the 'Paul McCartney Archive Collection' reissue of 'McCartney II' in 2011.

A different live Wings recording of "Coming Up" appears on the album 'Concerts for the People of Kampuchea', also recorded in 1979.

Music video



The music video for "Coming Up", directed by Keith McMillan, features Paul McCartney playing ten roles (himself, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a keyboard player, and four saxophone players) and Linda McCartney playing two (one female backing singer and one male backing singer). The "band" identified as "The Plastic Macs" on the drum kit (a homage to Lennon's conceptual Plastic Ono Band), features Paul and Linda's imitations of various rock musician stereotypes, as well as a few identifiable musicians.

In his audio commentary on the 2007 video collection 'The McCartney Years', McCartney identified characters that were impersonations of specific artists: Hank Marvin (guitarist from the Shadows), Ron Mael of Sparks (keyboards), a 'Beatlemania-era' version of himself (bass), and a drummer vaguely inspired by John Bonham from Led Zeppelin.'The McCartney Years' DVD, Warner Music, Rhino Entertainment, 2007, MPL Others, such as authors Fred Bronson and Kenneth Womack, have suggested that there are other identifiable impersonations in the video, such as Andy Mackay, Frank Zappa and Buddy Holly;Bronson, Fred. [https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&pg=PT535&lpg=PT535&dq=coming+up+mccartney+video+characters+andy+mackay&source=web&ots=cGFh3la6dG&sig=PGQWzw30zaykasIGEZdDM4pCKQo 'The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits'], Billboard Books, 2003, p. 526. McCartney said the other roles were simply comic relief.'Saturday Night Live' [http://snltranscripts.jt.org/79/79sguido2.phtml transcript], 17 May 1980 interview by "Father Guido Sarducci" with Paul and Linda McCartney. Retrieved 9 April 2008.

The video premiered in the UK on 'The Kenny Everett Video Show' on 14 April 1980 and in the US on 'Saturday Night Live' on 17 May 1980.

Chart performance



In the UK, the single was an immediate hit, reaching in its third week on the chart.

In the US, Columbia Records promoted the live version, which subsequently received more airplay than the studio version. McCartney was unaware of Columbia's move; otherwise, he might have pushed for the A-side, which he thought was the stronger version. An executive from Columbia Records explained the switch by stating "Americans like the sound of Paul McCartney's real voice." The live version reached on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. Although the live version received more airplay and was considered to be the "hit", 'Billboard' listed the A-side on the Hot 100 for the first 12 weeks on the chart, including three weeks at , before switching to the more popular B-side for the remaining nine weeks on the chart.[https://books.google.com/books?id=kSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT91&dq=%22into+the+night%22&hl=en&ei=l8XmTMvmHIKCsQPL3t2wCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22into%20the%20night%22&f=false Billboard Hot 100] 'Billboard' 12 July 1980: 60

Weekly charts



Year-end charts



All-time charts



Certifications



Track listing



;7" single (R 6035)

# "Coming Up" 3:49

# "Coming Up" (Live at Glasgow) 3:51

#* Performed by Paul McCartney & Wings

# "Lunch Box/Odd Sox" 3:54

#* Performed by Paul McCartney & Wings

Personnel



Studio version

* Paul McCartney lead vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums

Live version

*Paul McCartney lead vocals, bass

*Linda McCartney keyboards, vocals

*Denny Laine guitar, vocals

*Laurence Juber guitar

*Steve Holley drums

*Tony Dorsey trombone

*Thaddeus Richard saxophone

*Howie Casey saxophone

*Steve Howard trumpet

"Lunch Box / Odd Sox"

*Paul McCartney piano

*Linda McCartney moog synthesizer

*Denny Laine guitar

*Geoff Britton drums

*Tony Dorsey bass

See also



* List of 'Billboard' Hot 100 number-one singles of 1980

References



Category:1980 songs

Category:1980 singles

Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:Music published by MPL Music Publishing

Category:Parlophone singles

Category:Paul McCartney songs

Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Paul McCartney

Category:Songs written by Paul McCartney

Category:Paul McCartney and Wings songs

Buy Coming Up (song) now from Amazon

<-- Return to songs from 1980



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1107497907.