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THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

Posted by: In: Other 04 Aug 2022 Comments: 0

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.


137-The Jackson 5-I Want You Back.


1969-Number 2 single.


Best Bit-At 0.02. For most artists to have recorded their best song (obviously a matter of opinion) by the age of 11, it should have been the career highlight, but Michael went onto even greater things…as I’m sure your aware.


The Jackson 5 were formed in Gary, Indiana, United States, in 1964, and would remain active until 1989. They reformed to tour in 2001, and again in 2012, and at the time of writing they remain active with the four band members being Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson, and Jermaine Jackson (see also best songs 570.) The discography of The Jackson 5 on Motown Records consists of 10 studio Albums issued between 1969-1975, and 22 singles released in the same time period, for the discography of The Jacksons after Motown (see best songs 249.) The Jackson 5 achieved 16 top 40 hit singles on Billboard in America, of which their first four Motown releases all made the Number 1 spot. In the UK they charted on 11 occasions, with this song being the most successful when peaking at Number 2 in 1970. Both Michael Jackson, (1958-2009) (see also best songs 812-511 and 191) and Jermaine Jackson had solo careers with Motown running concurrently at the same time that they were also performing with The Jackson 5.


‘I Want You Back’ was the debut single on Motown by The Jackson 5, but prior to signing with Motown they had recorded a single called ‘Big Boy,’ on ‘Steeltown Records,’ in their hometown of Gary, Indiana, that had been distributed only locally. The Jackson 5 signing with Motown coincided with Diana Ross (see also best songs 900-519-365 and 28) leaving the Supremes to start her solo career. In order to promote both acts Motown supremo Berry Gordy came up with the brilliant idea of telling the world that Diana Ross had discovered The Jacksons, and called The Jacksons debut Album ‘Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5,’ this misleading promotion was believed by many for decades. The truth was that it had been Bobby Taylor (1934-2017) who was employed at Motown at the time who informed Gladys Knight (see also best songs 667 and 214) of his discovery of the brothers, and it was Knight who told Gordy.


‘I Want You Back’ was produced by Bobby Taylor, and written by ‘The Corporation,’ a group of musicians and record producers assembled in 1969 by Berry Gordy to create hits, as the replacements for the recently departed ‘Holland-Dozier-Holland.’ The four writers of this song were Berry Gordy, Fonce Mizell, (1943-2011) Freddie Perren, (1943-2004) and Deke Richards (1944-2013.) Perren would go on to write the 1979 Disco classic ‘I Will Survive’ for Gloria Gaynor, while Richards had previously been a member of another Motown songwriting team called ‘The Clan’ (see also best songs 365.) ‘The Corporation’ were also responsible for writing two other of The Jackson 5’s Billboard Number 1 songs,’ ABC,’ and ‘The Love You Save,’ both in 1970.


‘When I had you to myself, I didn’t want you around, those pretty faces always make you stand out in a crowd, but someone picked you from the bunch, one glance is all it took, now it’s much too late for me to take a second look.’