Ebony and Ivory the name of Nelson Mandela." Ebony and Ivory "Ebony and Ivory" is a 1982 number-one single by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. It was released on March 29 of that year. The song is featured on McCartney's album "Tug of War". A self-empowerment hit that tackles issues of racial equality, the song reached number one on both the UK and the US charts. It reappears on McCartney's "All the Best!" hits compilation (1987), and also on the UK two-disc version of Wonder's "The Definitive Collection" greatest hits compilation (2002). In 2013, Billboard Magazine ranked the song as the 69th biggest
Ebony and Ivory was performed live in the studio by both McCartney and Wonder, though due to conflicting work schedules, both recorded their parts for the song's music video separately (as explained by McCartney in his commentary for "The McCartney Years" 3-DVD boxed set). A video for the solo version was also made, which showed McCartney playing piano with a bright spotlight, and African-American males in prison, including one of them being uplifted by the song, dancing and listening to it in prison as well as in the studio. This version was directed by Barry Myers on 11 February 1982. That same day,