Pipes of Peace (song)

"Pipes of Peace"
Single by Paul McCartney
from the album Pipes of Peace
B-side"So Bad"
Released5 December 1983 (1983-12-05)
Recorded10 September 1982[1]
StudioAIR, London
GenrePop
Length3:56 (album version)
3:24 (7" version)
LabelParlophone
SongwriterPaul McCartney
ProducerGeorge Martin
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"Say Say Say"
(1983)		 "Pipes of Peace"
(1983)		 "No More Lonely Nights"
(1984)
Music video
”Pipes of Peace” on YouTube

"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]

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

References

  1. ↑ "Pipes of Peace (song)". The Paul McCartney Project.
  2. ↑ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Paul McCartney– So Bad / Pipes Of Peace (Vinyl) at Discogs". discogs.com. 1983. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "Pipes of Peace > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". allmusic. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  6. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 18, 1984" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "RPM Top 50 AC - March 17, 1984" (PDF).
  8. ↑ Pipes of Peace Archive Edition, 2015
  9. ↑ Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013), 2013, L.I.L.Y. Publishing, p.232.
  10. ↑ "When peace broke out". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2014
  11. ↑ Daphne Lee (12 July 2009). "Monsters in our minds". Malaysia Star. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  12. ↑ Claudio Dirani (5 December 2005). "The Stunning Percussion On Pipes Of Peace". Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "Homenaje: recordando a Sergio Denis a través de su música". Con La Gente Noticias (in Spanish). 15 May 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  14. ↑ "The 50 Best Paul McCartney Covers Ever". Cover Me. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (22 September 2017). "Jimmy Fallon & Paul McCartney Cover 'Wonderful Christmastime' on 'Holiday's Rule Vol. 2' Album Featuring Norah Jones, Roseanne Cash, MUNA & Others". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  16. ↑ "Pipes of Peace | IRMA". Irish Singles Chart.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 8/1/1984 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
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