Released 18 November 1985 Recorded September 1985 Length 4:48 | Format 7" single
12" Genre Pop
rock | |
B-side "My Carnival"
(Paul McCartney & Wings) | ||
"Spies Like Us" is the title song to the 1985 Warner Bros. motion picture of the same name, starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, and Donna Dixon. It was written and performed by Paul McCartney, and was a top ten hit in the United States in early 1986, reaching No. 7 on the singles chart. It also reached #13 in the UK.
Contents
Recording and release
Multiple releases were issued in the UK: a regular 7" single, a 7" shaped picture disc, a regular 12" single featuring extended mixes and the B-side "My Carnival" (a Wings track from the Venus and Mars sessions) and a 12" picture disc.
The minute-long outro is uptempo while the title is being sung repeatedly. When the movie Spies Like Us hit the theaters, producers opted to play the outro first in the closing credits before playing the entire song.
"Spies Like Us" was released on CD in 1993, as part of the release of The Paul McCartney Collection, as a bonus track on the album Press to Play. The B-side, "My Carnival", was released as a bonus track on Venus and Mars, and the 12" single was an exclusive to iTunes.
Music video
The video for the song, directed by John Landis (who also directed the film), was not aired by the BBC because Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase appeared in it playing instruments. British labour rules at the time prohibited non-musicians from performing in videos, and Aykroyd and Chase did not actually play on the record, though both have worked as professional musicians. The video ends with McCartney, Chase, and Aykroyd walking across Abbey Road, parodying the famous album cover.
McCartney, the song, and its associated film were all referenced in the Self song "Out With a Bang".
Track listings
- "Spies Like Us" - 4:40
- "My Carnival" - 3:56
- Performed by Paul McCartney & Wings
- "Spies Like Us" (Party Mix) - 7:10
- Remix by John Potoker
- "Spies Like Us" (Alternative Mix - Known To His Friends As "Tom") - 3:56
- Remix by Art of Noise
- "Spies Like Us" (DJ Version) - 3:46
- "My Carnival (Party Mix)" - 6:00
- Remix by Gary Langan