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"Girlfriend" is a song written by Paul McCartney. McCartney thought of the song as one that Michael Jackson might like to record, and mentioned this to Jackson at a party in Hollywood. However, McCartney ended up recording it himself with his band Wings, and it was issued in 1978 on the album London Town. Subsequently, it was suggested by Quincy Jones as a possible track for Jackson to record for his 1979 album Off the Wall. Jones was unaware that the song had been written for Jackson in the first place. Jackson's recording omitted the middle eight heard in McCartney's version. It was issued as a single in 1980, in the UK only, as the fifth and final single from the Off the Wall album. It performed rather poorly, just managing to enter the top 50 at #41 and falling out of the top 100 completely after five weeks.
McCartney and Jackson subsequently worked together on "The Girl Is Mine" from Thriller and two tracks from McCartney's Pipes of Peace album, "Say Say Say" and "The Man". The musical partnership would end in the 1980s after Jackson purchased the ATV Music catalog, which held the rights to numerous Beatles tracks, which McCartney contested.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] UK single
- "Girlfriend" – 3:04
- "Bless His Soul" (with The Jacksons)
[edit] Credits
- Written and composed by Paul McCartney
- Produced by Quincy Jones
- Lead and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Bass: Louis Johnson
- Drums: John Robinson
- Electric piano: Greg Phillinganes
- Synthesizer: David Foster
- Synthesizer programming: George Duke
- Guitar: Wah Wah Watson and Marlo Henderson
- Horns arranged by Jerry Hey and performed by The Seawind Horns:
- Trumpet and flugelhorn: Jerry Hey
- Tenor, alto saxophones and flute: Larry Williams
- Baritone, tenor saxophones and flute: Kim Hutchcroft
- Trombone: William Reichenbach
- Trumpet: Gary Grant
- Rhythm arrangement by Quincy Jones, Tom Bahler and Greg Phillinganes
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
