Why There’s No Song Like ‘Ben’ on Michael Jackson’s ‘Off the Wall’

Michael Jackson‘s Off the Wall came after his solo breakthrough single “Ben.” After Jackson’s death, Quincy Jones explained why he didn’t want Off the Wall to include a song like “Ben.” His reasoning is impeccable. Interestingly, Off the Wall produced four hit singles and a forgotten track written by Paul McCartney.

Michael Jackson’s ‘Off the Wall’ is part of the King of Pop’s Holy Trinity

Jackson and Jones were one of the most important musical duos ever. Together, they created the Holy Trinity of King of Pop albums: Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. While Thriller and Bad produced more hit singles than Off the Wall, some fans and critics consider Off the Wall to be Jackson’s best album. It might be the best disco album of all time.

In a 2009 article he wrote for the Los Angeles Times, Jones discussed what he was thinking when he produced Jackson’s Off the Wall. “I also tried to steer him to songs with more depth, some of them about real relationships — we weren’t going to make it with ballads to rodents (i.e. ‘Ben’),” he said.

“And Seth Riggs, a leading vocal coach, gave him vigorous exercises to expand his top and bottom range by at least a fourth, which I desperately needed to get the vocal drama going. We approached that record like we were going into battle. Off the Wall would sell 10 million copies.”

Michael Jackson’s ‘Ben’ gets more embarrassing with each passing year

“Ben” was a hit when it came out, but it’s only become more of an embarrassment over the years. The fact that the King of Pop sang a ballad about his friendship with a killer rat is a great fun fact. However, who on earth wants to listen to this song? It’s one of a million drippy, awful ballads that came out in the 1970s before disco took over. If it weren’t for the bizarre subject matter, “Ben” would have been forgotten. After all, Jackson has far better material in his catalog. 

Jones discussed his feelings about Off the Wall. “Anyone who tells you that they knew a record was going to be a big hit is a flat-out liar,” he said. “We had no idea Off the Wall was going to be as successful as it was, but we were thrilled. Michael had moved from the realm of bubble-gum pop and planted his flag square in the heart of the musical pulse of the ’80s.”

‘Off the Wall’ produced so many hits

Off the Wall reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 193 weeks. Besides Thriller, Off the Wall was Jackson’s longest-charting album in the United States. The first two singles from the album, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock with You,” became No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Two less remembered tunes from the record, “Off the Wall” and “She’s Out of My Life,” hit the top 10 as well. The fifth single from the album, the Paul McCartney composition “Girlfriend,” didn’t chart and is rarely mentioned today even though it has a lot of star power.

Off the Wall is a blast precisely because it doesn’t include any terrible ballads about killer rats.