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TL;DR:

  • The Beatles’ “Let It Be” competed against one of The Jackson 5’s songs for chart domination.
  • The Jackson 5’s song was co-written by a former schoolteacher.
  • The teacher said the track was very similar to another song by The Jackson 5.
The Beatles Paul McCartney and The Jackson 5's Michael Jackson wearing sweaters
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson | Afro Newspaper/Gado / Contributor

The Beatles‘ “Let It Be” was one of the group’s final No. 1 songs. Notably, one of The Jackson 5’s songs knocked it off of the top of the chart. Subsequently, Michael Jackson revealed what he thought about The Jackson 5’s track.

The Jackson 5’s song that replaced The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ at No. 1 was supposed to sound like ‘I Want You Back’

Freddie Perren was a teacher-turned-songwriter. According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, he discussed both professions. “I still do teach in a sense, when I work with groups like The Jackson 5,” he said. “To produce the way I produce, there is an element of teaching. Because you have to teach them the song the way you want it sung, so they know it before they begin to express it themselves.”

Perren discussed The Jackson 5’s “ABC,” which he co-wrote. “The music of ‘ABC’ is the chorus of ‘I Want You Back,'” he said. “All we did was take that music and keep playing it, adding a couple of steps to it. We cut the track for ‘ABC’ before ‘I Want You Back’ was really a big hit.”

What Michael Jackson thought of The Jackson 5’s ‘ABC’

In his 1988 book Moonwalk, Michael Jackson discussed his feelings about The Jackson 5’s songs. “My three favorite songs from those days are ‘Never Can Say Goodbye,’ ‘I’ll Be There,’ and ‘ABC,'” he revealed. 

Jackson discussed hearing “ABC.” “I’ll never forget the first time I heard ‘ABC,'” he recalled. “I thought it was so good. I remember feeling this eagerness to sing that song, to get in the studio and really make it work for us.”

Related

Did The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ Inspire The Rolling Stones’ ‘Let It Bleed?’

How The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ and The Jackson 5’s ‘ABC’ performed on the pop charts in the United States

According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, “Let It Be” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. The track was the group’s 19th and penultimate No. 1 single. A double A-side of “The Long and Winding Road” and “For You Blue” subsequently reached No. 1 as well.

“ABC” knocked “Let It Be” off the top of the chart. “ABC” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. The Jackson 5 would have two more No. 1 singles: “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.”

“ABC” is one of The Jackson 5’s most famous songs — and it has an interesting connection to one of The Beatles’ most famous songs.

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