Ebony and Ivory by Paul McCartney – Piano Improvisation by Charles Manning

Paul McCartney wrote “Ebony and Ivory” at his farm in Scotland. The song is about the ebony (black) and ivory (white) keys of a piano with the connecting theme of racial harmony. McCartney’s inspiration for the title came after he heard Spike Milligan say, “Black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!” This figure of speech, circa the 1840s, was popularized in the 1920s, and inspired the title of the Pan-African journal “The Keys,” published in 1935.

“Ebony and Ivory,” featuring Stevie Wonder, was released in 1982 as the lead single on Paul McCartney’s album “Tug of War.” The single represented the first time in McCartney’s solo career that he had sung a duet with another major artist. In 1982, the song hit the top at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Cash Box Top 100 charts, and also reached the top of the charts in Canada, Europe, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Norway, Spain, UK, and Zimbabwe. In the US, the single’s run at the top was the longest for McCartney (post-Beatles). It was also the longest-running chart-topper for Wonder, the first to achieve a No. 1 single in the US over three consecutive decades. In this improvisation of the hit song “Ebony and Ivory,” pianist Charles Manning tickles the ebony and ivory keys on his Steinway grand.