Take It Away (Paul McCartney song)
"Take It Away" | ||||
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Single by Paul McCartney | ||||
from the album Tug of War | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 26 April 1982 (1982-04-26) (Tug of War album) 21 June 1982 (1982-06-21) (7") 5 July 1982 (1982-07-05) (12") | |||
Recorded | 16–18 February 1981[1] | |||
Studio | AIR Studios, Montserrat | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 4:13 (album version) 3:59 (single/video version) | |||
Label | Parlophone/EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul McCartney | |||
Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Take It Away" on YouTube | ||||
"Take It Away" is a single by the English musician Paul McCartney from his third solo studio album Tug of War (1982). The single spent sixteen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, reaching #10 and spending five consecutive weeks at that position.[2][3] It reached #15 in the UK.[4] The music video, directed by John Mackenzie, features former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and long-time producer George Martin, both of whom played on the track, as well as actor John Hurt, Linda McCartney and Barbara Bach.[5]
Although there is a segue from "Tug of War" into this song on the album, the single version instead starts cleanly but fades out earlier at the end.
Track listings
7" single
- "Take It Away" – 3:59
- "I'll Give You a Ring" – 3:05
12" single (black vinyl everywhere else; clear yellow vinyl in Japan)[6]
- "Take It Away" – 3:59
- "I'll Give You a Ring" – 3:05
- "Dress Me Up as a Robber" – 2:40
Personnel
"Take It Away"
- Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, piano
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals
- Eric Stewart – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Ringo Starr – drums
- Steve Gadd – drums
- George Martin – electric piano
"I'll Give You a Ring"
- Paul McCartney – vocals, electric guitar, bass, piano, drums
- Tony Coe – clarinet
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals
- Eric Stewart – backing vocals
"Dress Me Up As A Robber"
- Paul McCartney – vocals, bass, guitars
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals
- Denny Laine – electric guitar, synthesizer
- George Martin – electric piano
- Dave Mattacks – drums, percussion
Critical reception
Billboard called it "a superior single that fuses a driving rhythm with a sleek, polished production" and said it was McCartney's "most assured, seamless, irresistible" single since the mid-1970s.[7] Cash Box said that it's a "dense, multi-layered pop confection" that "keeps the listener on his/her toes throughout the song, going from a lazy tropical-type rhythm to a galloping brass section."[8] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as the best song on Tug of War, stating that it starts "with an off-kilter rhythm courtesy of Ringo Starr and all of the tasteful hallmarks of a George Martin production" and becomes "one of McCartney's patented pop confections, featuring a feverish horn counterpoint, deceptively intricate bass, and an utterly indecipherable narrative."[9] DeRiso also praised Eric Stewart's backing vocals.[9]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
References
- ^ "Take It Away (song)". The Paul McCartney Project.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ a b c d "Allmusic: Paul McCartney: Charts & Awards". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Paul McCartney > Artists > Official Charts". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ Fly TIA: Behind The Scenes on 'Take It Away'. 2015.
- ^ Paul McCartney – Take It Away at Discogs
- ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. July 3, 1982. p. 60. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 3, 1982. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ^ a b DeRiso, Nick (10 January 2019). "The Best Song From Every Paul McCartney Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "ultratop.be Paul McCartney – "Take It Away"" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Top Singles - Volume 37, No. 5". RPM. 18 September 1982. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary - Volume 37, No. 8". RPM. 9 October 1982. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl Paul McCartney – "Take It Away"" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Search the Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original (enter "Paul Mc Cartney" into the "Search by Artist" box, then select "Search") on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ Radio Luxembourg Singles, 29 June 1982
- ^ "charts.nz Paul McCartney – "Take It Away"" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com Paul McCartney – "Take It Away"" (ASP). VG-lista. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 4, 1982". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "Single Search: Paul McCartney – "Take It Away"" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Talent in Action 1982". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 December 1982. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982". Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
External links
- "Take It Away" at Discogs (list of releases)
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