 Despite recording " Say Say Say " and " The Man " a year prior , " The Girl Is Mine " was the first song to gain a release from the duo and the first single from the Thriller album . " The Girl Is Mine " was released as a single on October 18 , 1982 . The single 's cover photograph was taken by McCartney 's wife , Linda . Listeners were not impressed by " The Girl Is Mine " , and thought that Jackson 's Thriller would also be a disappointment . The public felt that Jackson and the producer , Quincy Jones , had created a song for the white pop audience . Despite some of the public 's concerns , " The Girl Is Mine " achieved success in the music charts . Topping the R & B singles chart , the single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 ( behind " Maneater " by Hall & Oates and " Down Under " by Men at Work ) and the Norwegian Singles Chart . " The Girl Is Mine " reached number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart . The song charted at number eight in the UK , peaking within the New Zealand Top 20 . By 1985 , the single had sold 1 @.@ 3 million copies . The single was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America , for shipments of at least one million units . 
