We All Stand Together
"We All Stand Together" | ||||
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Single by Paul McCartney | ||||
B-side | "We All Stand Together (Humming Version)" | |||
Released | 12 November 1984 | |||
Recorded | October–November 1980 | |||
Genre | Children's music | |||
Length | 4:25 | |||
Label | Parlophone | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul McCartney | |||
Producer(s) | George Martin | |||
Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
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Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
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"We All Stand Together" (sometimes referred to as the Frog Song or the Frog Chorus) is a song by Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus.
History[]
"We All Stand Together" is from the animated film Rupert and the Frog Song and reached number three in the UK Singles Chart in 1984.[1] The "Frog Chorus" backing on the song was provided by The King's Singers and the choir of St Paul's Cathedral.[2] The "flute-playing frog" was Elena Durán. The B-side of the single contains a "Humming Version" of the song performed by the Finchley Frogettes.
The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 1985, one of three hits to do so that had originally charted in December 1984. ("Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid and "Last Christmas" by Wham! were the other two.)
Although intended purely as a children's song in the mould of the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine", "We All Stand Together" is often derided as an example of McCartney's inconsequential songwriting.[3] In a satirical cartoon by Stephen Collins of The Guardian in 2012, McCartney is shown recalling his creative partnership with John Lennon in the 1960s, before concluding: "It was a great time, y'know ... And then I went on to do The Frog Song."[4]
Personnel[]
- Paul McCartney – Composer, lead and backing vocals, arranger
- The King's Singers and the choir of St Paul's Cathedral – backing vocals
- George Martin – arranger
- Elena Durán – flute
- Kenneth Sillito – orchestral arrangement
- Geoff Emerick – engineer
Release[]
Two shaped picture discs were issued on the 12 November 1984[5] and 1985, the only difference being a plain clear sleeve on the later version. In 1987, the song was included on the UK/Canada version of McCartney's compilation album All the Best! It also appears on the deluxe edition of his 2016 compilation album Pure McCartney. In October 2020, for the 100th anniversary of the Rupert character, the single was remastered for streaming and a vinyl re-release of the picture disc, alongside a 4K restoration of the accompanying short.[6]
Charts[]
Chart (1984-2020) | Peak position |
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Belgium[7] | 12 |
France[8] | 132 |
Germany[9] | 30 |
Ireland[10] | 3 |
Netherlands[11] | 7 |
UK Singles Chart[12] | 3 |
Choirs with Purpose version[]
"We All Stand Together" | ||||
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Single by Choirs with Purpose featuring Michelle McManus | ||||
Released | 22 November 2017 | |||
Recorded | November 2017 | |||
Genre | Christmas music | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul McCartney | |||
Michelle McManus singles chronology | ||||
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In 2017, Choirs with Purpose, a collection of a dozen charity choirs, assembled for a remake of "We All Stand Together". Their recording features Scottish singer Michelle McManus in a bid to top the UK Singles Chart Christmas chart and win the coveted British Christmas number one for 2017.[13] As it happens, it failed to make the top 100.[14] Profits from the single were split equally between the participating choirs in aid of their own charity work.
The choirs that took part in the recording with McManus include:
- Anstee Bridge Choir
- Cystic Fibrosis Virtual Choir
- Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation Choir
- Games Maker Choir
- Homelink Carers Choir
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir
- Lucy Lintott / MND Scotland Choir
- Maggies Cancer Centre (West London) Choir
- Missing People Choir
- Parrs Wood High School Harmony Group
- Pop Up Purpose Choir
- UK Hospices Choir
References[]
- ^ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ^ "Rupert The Bear And The Frog Song". Retrieved 2009-08-30.
- ^ Sounes, Howard (2010). Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney. London: HarperCollins. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-00-723705-0.
- ^ Collins, Stephen (18 August 2012). "The Stephen Collins cartoon: The hidden genius of Paul and John". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Paul McCartney - We All Stand Together". Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- ^ "Paul to celebrate Rupert The Bear's 100th birthday with remastered releases". PaulMcCartney.com. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
- ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be.
- ^ "Paul Mccartney - We All Stand Together (single)". www.chartsinfrance.net.
- ^ "Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved Dec 7, 2020.
- ^ "irishcharts.com - Irish charts portal". irish-charts.com.
- ^ "Discografie Paul McCartney - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl.
- ^ "Paul McCartney | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved Dec 7, 2020.
- ^ "Official Christmas Number 1 2017: The contenders". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- 1984 songs
- Paul McCartney songs
- Songs written by Paul McCartney
- Rupert Bear
- Music published by MPL Music Publishing
- English children's songs
- Songs written for films
- Songs about comics
- Song recordings produced by George Martin