Paul McCartney has inspired multiple generations of songwriters, but even he has occasionally been impressed by those who came after him.
Aside from being the creative force behind what many would consider the greatest rock band of all time, the veteran musician was also a proficient pop hitmaker.
Even after The Beatles split, he continued churning out blockbusters and remained on the charts through his solo work as well as several collaborations with some of the biggest names in the industry, but the one that stands tall above the rest is his partnership with Michael Jackson during the early 1980s.
News of the pair recording together instantly set off a wave of excitement, and so their 1982 debut single, ‘The Girl Is Mine’, was destined to shoot straight to the top rank on all the major charts, except it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983, with ‘Down Under’ by Men at Work being one of the two songs (the other being ‘Maneater’ by Hall & Oates) that prevented it from cinching gold.
Both tracks belong to separate worlds, but their different positions on the tally are a reflection of the time. While Men at Work are sometimes written off as an unserious group, their songwriters were still highly accomplished craftsmen with a heightened sense of what would resonate with the public; hence, it comes as no surprise that Colin Hay, who co-wrote ‘Down Under’ with Ron Strykert, earned McCartney’s respect despite their chart battle.
While best known for his work with Men at Work, Hay has also released 16 studio albums as a solo artist beginning in 1987, of which the title track of his 2001 album Going Somewhere caught McCartney’s attention as a recording of only Hay singing over an acoustic guitar strumming. This meant that his songwriting was what impressed his peer to the point where the Liverpudlian included it on 2004’s compilation CD of his favourite tunes for Uncut magazine, titled Paul McCartney’s Glastonbury Groove, where it positioned Hay beside all-time greats such as George Harrison, Nat King Cole, Brian Wilson and many more.
During a concert last year, Hay took a moment to reflect on the personal relationship they developed due to their mutual admiration for one another as musicians, telling his audience that McCartney began attending his concerts, and that he even invited himself over to Hay’s home for dinner one evening. When the day finally arrived, he admitted how surreal the moment was as he thought to himself, “Paul McCartney is walking down my driveway”.
He remained in this hilarious frame of mind for the rest of the night, recalling how he was in disbelief upon seeing his friend go into the kitchen and start rinsing his own dishes in the sink.
“He picked up all the plates, took the plates into the kitchen, started running all the plates under the tap,” he told the crowd, “I had another private moment to myself right there. I just looked in the kitchen and thought, ‘Fuckin’ Paul McCartney is doing my dishes!’” While appreciating each other’s musical talents is one thing, to have one of the preeminent songsmiths rinsing dishes in your kitchen must make for a moment of a lifetime.
