Ebony and Ivory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Ebony and Ivory"
"Ebony and Ivory" cover
Single by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
from the album Tug of War
B-side(s) "Rainclouds"
Released May 26, 1982
Format 7"
Recorded 1981
Genre Soft rock
Label Parlophone/EMI
Writer(s) Paul McCartney
Producer(s) Paul McCartney
Chart positions
Paul McCartney chronology
"Temporary Secretary"
(1980)
"Ebony and Ivory"
(1982)
"Take It Away"
(1982)

"Ebony and Ivory" is a 1982 number-one single by Paul McCartney, performed with Stevie Wonder. It was released on March 29th of that year. At its most simple level, the song is about the ebony and ivory keys on a piano, but also deals with integration and racial harmony on a deeper level. The song is featured on Paul McCartney's album Tug of War as well as several Stevie Wonder Greatest Hits albums.

Though a vocal duet,the song was entirely written and almost entirely performed by McCartney (see the demos available on bootleg,and the album credits for detail). Following the song's massive chart success, it was derided as "saccharine" and was later named as the tenth worst song of all time by Blender magazine.[1]

  • In the videogame series Devil May Cry, the protagonist Dante wields two guns named Ebony and Ivory.
  • The song was covered by a hardcore band Murphy's Law for their The Best of Times album.
  • On Friends, the song was sung (off-screen) by Chandler Bing and his co-worker Shelly at a Karaoke in the Season One episode, The One with the Ick Factor. In the Season 10 episode, The One with Ross's Tan, Ross gets confused by the spray-on tan machine he was using, resulting in him being extremely dark on the front and light on the back. Upon seeing him, Chandler observes that he could sing a duet of Ebony and Ivory by himself.
  • In an episode of MTV's Rob and Big, Rob Dyrdek and Big Black sing karaoke to the song while wearing wigs.
  • In a penny arcade comic, Gabe starts singing this song.


Preceded by
"Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis
Billboard Hot 100 number one single
May 15, 1982
Succeeded by
"Don't You Want Me" by Human League
Preceded by
"My Camera Never Lies" by Bucks Fizz
UK number one single
April 18, 1982
Succeeded by
"A Little Peace" by Nicole
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