1982 No. 1 Hit Ranked Among Billboard's Greatest Songs Ever Became Both Artists' Biggest Hit 44 Years Ago Today

Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder teamed up for one of the biggest hits of the 1980s when "Ebony and Ivory" climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 15, 1982.

The song ultimately spent seven consecutive weeks atop the chart, becoming the biggest hit of McCartney's post-Beatles career and the longest-running No. 1 hit of Wonder's career. The duet, which appeared on McCartney's Tug of War album, also reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom and became one of the bestselling singles of 1982.

Built around the metaphor of black and white piano keys living together in harmony, "Ebony and Ivory" tackled racial unity in an unusually direct way for mainstream pop radio at the time. According to producer George Martin's book "Making Music," McCartney got the idea after hearing comedian Spike Milligan say, "Black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony."

McCartney had specifically envisioned recording the song with a Black artist and immediately hoped Wonder would join him. The pair recorded the track in Montserrat in 1981 during the Tug of War sessions produced by Martin.

"I wanted a black feller and me as the white feller - I thought that was the way it ought to be done," McCartney later recalled in the Wings fanclub magazine Club Sandwich. "If I could have anyone it would be Stevie Wonder."

While the song became a massive commercial success, critics were often divided over its simplistic message. Some reviewers dismissed it as overly sentimental, while others praised its hopeful tone and memorable melody.

McCartney, however, consistently defended the song over the years.

"They didn't like ‘Ebony and Ivory,' the critics," he said in the book "Conversations with McCartney." "But for Christ's sake it was No. 1, you know? It did something."

He also pointed to the personal responses he received from listeners as proof the song connected with people in a meaningful way.

"I've just got to do those songs, whether they're too simple or not," McCartney said in a 1983 interview with Club Sandwich. "Some people need you to say black and white should live together, brother."

Despite the backlash from some critics, "Ebony and Ivory" has remained one of the defining pop collaborations of the early MTV era. In 2008, Billboard named it one of the greatest Hot 100 songs of all time, noting that although critics "savaged" the song as sappy, it still became one of the biggest hits either artist ever recorded.

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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 11:58 AM.