Michael Jackson Fans Falsely Believed This Song Was About Karen Carpenter

Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters had connections to multiple Michael Jackson songs. For example, she turned down two of the hits from Jackson’s album Off the Wall. In addition, another song from the album was rumored to be about her. During an interview, the song’s writer said the song was about someone else.

The Carpenters’ Karen Carpenter turned down these hit songs from ‘Off the Wall’

According to the book Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter, Carpenter liked working with Jackson’s future songwriter Rod Temperton. Carpenter loved the harmonies she created with Temperton. Temperton offered her two songs Jackson later recorded: “Off the Wall” and “Rock with You.” When Temperton introduced Carpenter to the songs, they were rough demos.

Carpenter rejected both because they were too funky for her taste. Ultimately, Temperton pitched the songs to Jackson and they became hits for him. “Off the Wall” peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 17 weeks. “Rock with You” was even more popular, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and staying on the chart for 24 weeks.

Someone who wrote a Michael Jackson song dated Karen Carpenter

That wasn’t Carpenters only connection to Off the Wall. Rumor had it that one of the other songs from Off the Wall was about her. The song in question was the somber ballad “She’s Out of My Life.” Notably, Carpenter dated the song’s writer, Tom Bähler, for a brief time in 1978. Bähler named the actual subject of the song.

“Some believe that I had written that as a result of mine and Karen’s breakup,” Bähler said. “The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera, who later married my friend John Davidson. Rhonda and I had been together for two years, and it was after we broke up that I started dating Karen.”

The way the world reacted to Michael Jackson’s ‘She’s Out of My Life’

Regardless of who “She’s Out of My Life” was about, the song became a massive hit. The track reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. Its parent album, Off the Wall, became a hit as well. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for 193 weeks.

“She’s Out of My Life” charted even higher in the United Kingdom. The Official Charts Company reports the track reached No. 3 in the U.K., lasting on the chart for 11 weeks. Meanwhile, Off the Wall peaked at No. 3 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 225 weeks. “She’s Out of My Life” isn’t as ubiquitous as Jackson’s other hits these days, but it definitely showcases his voice. “She’s Out of My Life” remains one of Jackson’s classic songs — even if a false rumor surrounded it.