The song that drove John Lennon out of retirement...
"Coming Up" is a song written and performed by Paul McCartney. It is the opening track on his 1980 solo album McCartney II. Like other songs on the album, the song has a minimalist synthesised sound, featuring sped-up vocals created by using a vari-speed tape machine. McCartney played all instruments and shared vocal harmonies with wife Linda McCartney.
The single was a major chart hit in Britain, peaking at ?No.?2 on the singles chart. In the United States and Canada, the live version of the song performed by Paul McCartney and Wings the year prior (released as the B-side to the single) saw greater success.
Background
In a Rolling Stone interview, McCartney explained how the song came about:
I originally cut it on my farm in Scotland. I went into the studio each day and just started with a drum track. Then I built it up bit by bit without any idea of how the song was going to turn out. After laying down the drum track, I added guitars and bass, building up the backing track.
Then I thought, 'Well, OK, what am I going to do for the voice?' I was working with a vari-speed machine with which you can speed up your voice, or take it down a little bit. That's how the voice sound came about.
—?Paul McCartney
John Lennon described "Coming Up" as "a good piece of work" and, according to McCartney, it prompted Lennon to return to recording in 1980.
The video premiered on SNL in 1980 - that's where I first saw it. IIRC, Paul was being interviewed outside his London home by Father Guido Sarducci.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I was listening to George's solo stuff and this "came up" 
- I'd forgotten what a cool video it was. Kinda high-tech for 1980.
The SNL appearance was memorable because it was shortly after Paul's Japan bust. Father Guido asked Paul, if he could be any animal, what would it be. Paul answered "Koala bear". Father Guido shot back, "Because you'd eat eucalyptus leaves and be stoned all the time." 
The first video ever on MTV!
And Buggles Live at the Prince's Trust, circa 2004:
Fucking GREAT!
...but the video of the studio version is just so awesome in a hundred ways (including his impersonation of Ron Mael of Sparks ).
But whatever possessed Paul to mess with the vari-speed on his vocals on the studio version I will never understand ... and when you listen to his positively AWESOME untreated vocals on the live version, it becomes even more unfathomable
