The Intro
By 1981, Off the Wall turned Michael Jackson into a bona fide solo star. And he became so popular that One Day In Your Life, a song that dated back to 1975, earned him the first of his seven UK number 1s. Here’s how one of the biggest celebrities of all time started on the path from precocious childhood talent to deeply troubled ‘King of Pop’.
Before
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on 29 August 1958. He was the eighth of 10 children raised by musical parents – Katherine had wanted to be a country and western performer, and Joe played guitar in a rhythm and blues band.
In 1964, aged only six, Jackson and elder brother Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers, which was Joe’s first attempt at grooming his children for stardom. Jackie, Tito and Jermaine were already there when Jackson took up the congas.
Joe was a tough taskmaster, and Jackson suffered particularly. His father would ridicule his ‘fat nose’ and he was more sensitive than his brothers when it came to disciplinary whippings. However, Joe could see Jackson had great potential, and in 1965 he teamed up with Jermaine as a vocalist in the newly christened Jackson 5. The group started winning talent shows, and performed on the Chitlin’ Circuit, opening for great acts including Sam & Dave, Gladys Knight and Etta James.
As covered in my review of The Jacksons’ sole number 1, Show You the Way to Go, the Jackson 5 released their first recording in 1968 and the same year, singer Bobby Taylor was so impressed by Jackson, he got the group an audition with Motown Records. The Jackson 5 became sensations, releasing four US number 1s, but it was child prodigy Jackson that really captured the public’s imagination. He became their lead singer.
In 1972, aged 14, Jackson released his first two solo albums – Got to Be There and Ben. The title track of his first LP was his first solo single, reaching five in the UK, and Rockin’ Robin followed closely after, peaking at three. A cover of Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine was a number eight hit.
The title track to Jackson’s second album was the title track to a film of the same name, and perhaps the first example of Jackson’s weirdness, as it was a love song for a rat. Nonetheless, it was his first solo number 1 in the US, and reached seven on these shores.
The Jackson 5 continued to perform and record in this time, but the initial success had dampened somewhat, and Jackson’s solo career soon followed suit. He had no artistic control, and his albums mostly contained a mix of run-of-the-mill Motown production line tunes and average covers. To make matters worse, Jackson could see labelmates Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye doing extremely well since they had wrestled control from Berry Gordy Jr, but his father wouldn’t help. Not a single release from third LP Music & Me charted.
Jackson’s fourth album, Forever, Michael, was to be his last on Motown and was released in 1975. A year previous, the Jackson 5 had made a comeback of sorts with the disco smash Dancing Machine in the US. But Forever, Michael consisted of the usual average soul and light funk material. One Day in Your Life was track three.
Review
It’s fair to say that had One Day in Your Life been released as a single back in 1975, it wouldn’t have become Jackson’s first number 1. It’s a pretty unremarkable Philly soul-style track, apart for one element – Jackson’s soaring vocal. Here was a unique talent, waiting to be set free by his label and allowed to work with the best songwriters and producers. It took just that to make demand for his material so high, this track would top the charts while fans waited for one of the biggest albums of all time.
One question remains – what with this and previous number 1 Being With You, why was there such an appetite for tepid soul in the summer of 1981?
After
In 1975, the Jackson 5 (bar Jermaine, who was replaced by Randy) left Motown behind and signed with Epic Records as The Jacksons. They released their eponymous album a year later, which showcased a more sophisticated sound, courtesy in part to Philly hitmakers Gamble and Huff. Seven years since storming the UK charts, The Jacksons finally scored a number 1 with the charming Show You the Way to Go.
Jackson starred in 1977 musical fantasy The Wiz as the Scarecrow, and although it bombed, he did at least work with Quincy Jones, who would be instrumental in his imminent success. Now 21, Jackson frequented hip nightclub Studio 54, immersing himself in the latest disco, funk, and even early hip-hop.
In 1978, the third Jacksons’ LP, Destiny, was a smash, featuring two of their best tracks, Blame It on the Boogie (number eight) and Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)(number four). Jackson grew increasingly unhappy with his looks, and had a nose job.
1979 was the year Jackson broke new ground. As The Jacksons, he sang on the epic number six single Can You Feel It. But eclipsing that was his first solo album with Epic. The award-winning Off the Wall, produced by Jones, was massive, eventually selling more than 20 million. Two of the greatest disco singles of all time – Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough and Rock with You – both deservedly made it to the top of the Billboard chart in the US, but peaked at three and seven respectively in the UK. The title track also reached seven here, and She’s Out of My Life climbed to three. And yet, Jackson felt Off the Wall could have done better, and was determined to prove this with his next LP.
The Outro
In the meantime, Motown decided on a cash grab, plundering the back catalogues of the Jackson 5 and their lead singer. One Day in Your Life concentrated on their later years, and the title track whetted the appetites of Jackson’s ever-growing army of fans. It would be a while longer yet, but was certainly worth the wait.
The Info
Written by
Sam Brown III & Renée Armand
Producer
Sam Brown
Weeks at number 1
2 (27 June-10 July)
Trivia
Births
27 June: Actor Sam Hoare
28 June: Field hockey midfielder Joanne Ellis
30 June: Actor Tom Burke
Deaths
27 June: Author Paul Brunton/Publisher Gordon Fraser/Businessman Charles Jewson
4 July: Cricketer Herbert Blagrave
6 July: Guide leader Alix Liddell
9 July: Golfer Leonard Crawley
Meanwhile…
2 July: Four members of an Asian Muslim family (three of which were children) are killed by arson at home in Walthamstow, London. The attack is suspected to have been racially motivated.
3 July: Hundreds of Asians and skinheads riot in Southhall, London. This follows disturbances at the Hamborough Tavern public house, which is severely damaged by fire.
5 July: When the Toxteth riots break out in Liverpool, CS gas is used for the first time by British police. Riots also occur in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, Wolverhampton city centre, parts of Coventry, Leicester, Derby and High Wycombe.
7 July: 43 people are charged with theft and violent disorder following rioting in Wood Green, North London.
8 July: Yet more rioting, as more than 1,000 people besiege Moss Side, Manchester police station.
Also on this day, Joe McDonnell becomes the fifth IRA hunger striker to die, and British Leyland ends production of the Austin Maxi.
10 July: Widespread riots break out in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester, Ellesmere Port, Luton, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Preston, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Derby, Southampton, Nottingham, High Wycombe, Bedford, Edinburgh, Wolverhampton, Stockport, Blackburn, Huddersfield, Reading, Chester and Aldershot. The two-day rioting in Moss Side ends.