Speaking of Paul's goofy sensibilities, at one point during the drive back from Canada, my buddy and I were listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller and came upon "The Girl Is Mine," which Paul co-wrote with MJ. Truth be told, it's not among the album's top entries. Especially for a lead single (off what would become the best-selling LP of all time, no less), it's something of a non-starter, pleasant and serviceable but lacking in substance. If nothing else, it's very silly, which shouldn't be unexpected coming from a Macca-MJ collaboration. The pair are supposed to be dueling over a girl but they can't muster much beyond chummy gamesmanship (MJ: "Paul, I think I told you, I'm a lover not a fighter"). Anyway, one of the standout details from the lyric is on the chorus: "The girl is mine/The doggone girl is mine." Yeah, doggone. Now I'm not sure what lines Paul contributed, but the inclusion of "doggone" strongly comes off as the product of his mind. It evokes an innocence and zaniness that, again, he usually projected. To a certain extent, the same is true of MJ, especially as regards his youthful Motown days. And it's likely that he wrote the "doggone" part; Wikipedia describes him as the track's primary writer. Either way, the main point is that Paul's quirky character meshes perfectly with a smirking tune like "The Girl Is Mine." And it also captures the same lovable-but-kinda-lame dynamic that applies to a fair number of his songs.
"The Girl Is Mine:"
(If the video is removed, go here.)
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