Peak
1
Weeks
21
Score
4,902
Chart Year
1980
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.[9] 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;[10][11] McCartney said the other roles were simply comic relief.[12] 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 198
Paul McCartney entered the '80s with "Coming Up," the first single from his album McCartney II, which like its forebear McCartney (1970), found him playing every instrument himself and handling all the lead vocals, with his wife Linda adding backgrounds. On "Coming Up" he played bass, synthesizer, guitar, drums and piano. The song finds him telling a special someone to stick around because he's coming up - like a flower. It's not his most lyrically intricate song, but it has a memorable chorus and is masterfully crafted. It peaked at #2 in the UK on May 3, 1980 (held back by "Geno" from Dexys Midnight Runners, but went to #1 in America on June 28, staying for three weeks. McCartney was winding down his group Wings when he recorded this song at his Scotland farm in 1979. After putting out the festive "Wonderful Christmastime" at the end of 1979, he put out "Coming Up" in March 1980, and although he recorded it solo, he performed it with Wings before it was released. One of those performances - in Glasgow on December 17, 1979 - was issued as a single in America (listed as "Coming Up (Live At Glasgow)") and became the hit version. The live version is more energetic with a horn section. The studio version has an effect on McCartney's voice to change the pitch, so when he sings the "coming up" part, it rises accordingly. He did this using a vari-speed machine in his studio. Paul and Linda McCartney are the only people in the video, playing all the band members. This preceded other "one person plays the whole band" videos such as Phil Collins's "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Two Hearts" and Outkast's "Hey Ya." The video is an early example of electronic trickery, and was no easy task. Compositing was quite a technical challenge in 1980, so it took McCartney and director Keith McMillan two days to shoot and many more to edit. The characters McCartney portrays in the video are based on real people, including Frank Zappa, Hank Marvin of The Shadows, Ron Mael of Sparks, and Andy Mackay of Roxy Music. The "band," in a nod to Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band" is identified on the drum kit as "The Plastic Macs." John Lennon started recording his last album, Double Fantasy, soon after "Coming Up" hit #1 in America. It was likely a factor in spurring him out of retirement.
You want a love to last forever One that will never fade away I want to help you with your problem Stick around, I say Coming up, ooh, coming up, yeah Coming up like a flower Coming up, I say, ooh You want a friend you can rely on One who will never fade away And if you're searching for an answer Stick around, I say Coming up, ooh, coming up Coming up like a flower Coming up, yeah You want some peace and understanding So everybody can be free I know that we can get together We can make it, stick with me It's coming up, ooh, coming up Coming up like a flower (Coming up) coming up for you and me Coming up, coming up Coming up, coming up, I say Coming up like a flower Coming up I feel it in my bones Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah You want a better kind of future One that everyone can share You're not alone, we all could use it Stick around, we're nearly there It's coming up, ooh, it's coming up everywhere Coming up like a flower Coming up, for all to share Coming up, yeah Coming up, anyway Coming up like a flower Coming up
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 26, 1980 | 73 | 53 |
| 2 | May 3, 1980 | 53 | 73 |
| 3 | May 10, 1980 | 27 | 99 |
| 4 | May 17, 1980 | 19 | 107 |
| 5 | May 24, 1980 | 14 | 112 |
| 6 | May 31, 1980 | 3 | 123 |
| 7 | Jun 7, 1980 | 2 | 124 |
| 8 | Jun 14, 1980 | 2 | 124 |
| 9 | Jun 21, 1980 | 2 | 124 |
| 10 | Jun 28, 1980 | 1 | 125 |
| 11 | Jul 5, 1980 | 1 | 125 |
| 12 | Jul 12, 1980 | 1 | 125 |
| 13 | Jul 19, 1980 | 2 | 124 |
| 14 | Jul 26, 1980 | 6 | 120 |
| 15 | Aug 2, 1980 | 7 | 119 |
| 16 | Aug 9, 1980 | 9 | 117 |
| 17 | Aug 16, 1980 | 12 | 114 |
| 18 | Aug 23, 1980 | 34 | 92 |
| 19 | Aug 30, 1980 | 47 | 79 |
| 20 | Sep 6, 1980 | 82 | 44 |