How Michael Jackson’s Pursuit of Perfection Began With ‘I Want You Back’
Michael Jackson‘s stardom began with the release of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” It took a lot to record that song and Jackson learned from the experience. The song also became the first of four No. 1 singles by The Jackson 5.
What the producer of The Jackson 5’s ‘I Want You Back’ said to Michael Jackson
Berry Gordy was the founder of Motown. He also served as one of the producers of The Jackson 5’s first (and perhaps most popular) single: “I Want You Back. In his 2011 book You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother’s Eyes, The Jackson 5’s Jermaine Jackson discussed what Gordy did during the recording of “I Want You Back.”
“If he felt the drums needed something extra, he added it; if the bass was too busy or not busy enough, he changed it,” Jermaine wrote. “If the keyboards needed less impact, he softened them; if the strings wailed too much, he’d pare them down. He put a song under a microscope and peeled away every element.”
Jermaine felt that Gordy had the correct approach to “I Want You Back.” “And his painstaking attention to detail was worthwhile because when we heard the finished product of ‘I Want You Back,’ it sounded incredible; the difference between a song sounding ‘sensational’ or like it contained everything but the kitchen sink,” he said. “‘Less is more, boys … less is more.’ He winked.” Notably, “I Want You Back” is one of the most intriguingly minimalist bubblegum pop songs of all time and perhaps the best tune ever from a boy band.
Michael Jackson became fussy
Jermaine felt the recording of “I Want You Back” influenced the King of Pop. “Musicians who would work with Michael in the future would see this stringent perfectionism mirrored in his song production, too,” Jermaine wrote. “‘I’ll make musicians do something several hundred to a thousand times till it is what I want it to be,’ he once said. As taught at Motown.”
Gordy’s perfectionism had a huge influence on Jackson. According to Rolling Stone, he became very fussy and wanted the production of his music to be pristine. Since Jackson’s death, two albums of his unreleased material have come out: Michael and Xscape. Those records are controversial among the King of Pop’s fans because they are composed of songs he didn’t want to release to the public. On the other hand, some listeners want as much of his music as possible available to the public.
‘I Want You Back’ started a wave of hits from the band
The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits says “I Want You Back” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. It became the first of the group’s four other chart-toppers. The others were “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.” Aside from “The Love You Save,” all of these singles are still popular today. “I’ll Be There” became a No. 1 single again when Mariah Carey covered it for MTV Unplugged. The Jackson 5 remain one of the few boy bands that remains popular and beloved across generations.
“I Want You Back” took a lot of work and Jackson learned a lot from Gordy’s ethos.
