Pipes of Peace (song)
1983 song by Paul McCartney
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"Pipes of Peace" is a song written by the English musician Paul McCartney and the title track on his 1983 studio album of the same name. It was released in December 1983 as a single and reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart for two weeks and No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1984.[2][3]
| "Pipes of Peace" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Paul McCartney | ||||
| from the album Pipes of Peace | ||||
| B-side | "So Bad" | |||
| Released | 5 December 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 10 September 1982[1] | |||
| Studio | AIR, London | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:56 (album version) 3:24 (7" version) | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter | Paul McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| ”Pipes of Peace” on YouTube | ||||
In the United States, "Pipes of Peace" was issued as the B-side as its British B-side, "So Bad", was the A-side.[4] "So Bad" reached number 23 at the US Billboard Hot 100[5] and reached number 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. "So Bad" peaked at 18 on the Canadian RPM Chart (and two weeks at No. 2 AC).[6][7]
The song was included on the UK and Canada version of the 1987 compilation All the Best!, the 2001 compilation Wingspan: Hits and History and the 2016 compilation Pure McCartney.
Recording
The basic track was recorded on 10 September 1982 at AIR Studios,[8] with orchestral overdubs added later. McCartney plays piano, bass and knee-percussion, while tabla was added by James Kippen, who tried "something like 20–30 takes" before McCartney was satisfied.[9] A special session was organised to have the Pestalozzi Children Choir adding their voices.
Music video
At Chobham Common, Surrey, a video was shot for "Pipes of Peace", depicting the famous 1914 Christmas truce between British and German troops.[10] It portrays a British and a German soldier, both played by McCartney, who meet up in No Man's Land and exchange photos of their loved ones while other soldiers fraternise and play football. When a shell blast forces the two armies to retreat to their own trenches both men realise that they still have each other's pictures.[11] The video was produced by Hugh Symonds, featured more than 100 extras and, for added realism, McCartney had his hair cut short especially for the shoot.
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – vocals, bass, piano, synthesizer, knee-percussion, drums, orchestra arrangements
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals
- Eric Stewart – backing vocals
- Adrian Brett – pan flute
- David Bone - Keys
- James Kippen – tabla[12]
- Pestalozzi Children Choir – choir
Cover versions
Argentine singer-songwriter Sergio Denis recorded a Spanish version of the song re-titled Pipas de la paz on his album La Humanidad (1984).[13]
In 2017, the American indie pop band Muna covered the song for Capitol Music Group’s compilation Holidays Rule Vol. 2.[14][15]
See also
Charts
| Chart (1983–1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[16] | 1 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts)[17] | 1 |