♫ Ebony and Ivory ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under music, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I might have skipped my music post today, for I am behind on almost everything and not feeling quite up to snuff, but yesterday afternoon my friend Jerry texted me and said he had a music suggestion for me.  With some trepidation, for Jerry and I rarely like the same music, I read on and much to my surprise he was recommending this song … one of my all-time favourites, which … on further thought, Jerry should know … hmmmmm … maybe he sensed I needed some of my man, Stevie Wonder at the moment, eh?  Sneaky, Jerry … very sneaky!  Anyway, yes it’s a redux, but it’s still a damn fine song, and I haven’t played it since 2020!

piano-keysPaul McCartney wrote this song, saying that the message was “that people of all types could live together.”  He liked the piano analogy, since you can play using just the white keys or just the black keys, but to make great music, you have to combine them.  So true.

McCartney started recording this as a solo effort, but then got the idea to do it as a duet with Stevie Wonder. A demo made its way to Wonder, and he agreed to record it, standing wholeheartedly behind the message in the song. It was issued as a single and appeared on McCartney’s 1982 album Tug Of War.

This was Stevie Wonder’s first #1 single in the UK. His only other was I Just Called To Say I Love You in 1984.

Listen to the words, feel the camaraderie between these two men, feel the love … share the love, spread the love.  Love knows no colour boundaries, and neither should we.

Ebony & Ivory
Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder

Ebony and ivory
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my piano keyboard
Oh Lord, why don’t we?

We all know
That people are the same wherever you go
There is good and bad in everyone
When we learn to live, we learn to give each other
What we need to survive
Together alive

Ebony and ivory
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my piano keyboard
Oh Lord, why don’t we?

We all know
That people are the same wherever you go
There is good and bad, mmm, in everyone
We learn to live when we learn to give each other
What we need to survive
Together alive

Ebony and ivory
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my piano keyboard
Oh Lord, why don’t we?

Side by side on my piano keyboard
Oh Lord, why don’t we?

Songwriters: Mccartney Paul James
Ebony & Ivory lyrics © MPL COMMUNICATIONS INC

25 thoughts on “♫ Ebony and Ivory ♫ (Redux)”

  2. Pingback: EBONY AND IVORY ( REDUX ). |jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  5. oh gosh – do you know that I’ve never ever realised the deeper meaning of the ebony&ivory analogy?! Unbelievable; but of course when that song came out we had no knowledge of YTube, internet, streaming and we, in Switzerland, with our school English, weren’t that clever to catch the meaning – so many heartfelt thanks for this gem. Love this presentation of the two giants of music and an unforgettable time. This clip made me smile widely 🙂

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  7. Loved everything about this, Jill. A gem! Such a simple and profound message. I was thinking about Obama’s inauguration recently: we must remind ourselves amid today’s horrors that that was America’s story too. It can, and must, be the one that endures.

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