Happy 50th Anniversary to Michael Jackson’s second studio album Ben, originally released August 4, 1972.
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A 13-year-old Michael Jackson was spreading his wings in 1972 as a solo artist, while he was still signed to Motown as a member of the Jackson 5. In late January 1972, Jackson released his debut album Got To Be There and less than seven months later, he released its follow-up, Ben. Both albums were simultaneously recorded the previous year in 1971.
It was a transitional period for Jackson. Ben would be the last album on which we would hear the young Jackson’s voice before it began to deepen. The album was produced by six different collaborators and of course executive produced by Motown head honcho Berry Gordy, while an array of different songwriters including Jackson’s legendary labelmate Smokey Robinson curated the compositions.
The title track is arguably responsible for Ben yielding more commercial success than its precursor. Being the theme song for the rodent-themed film of the same name released that year helped Jackson win a Golden Globe and receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Prior to Ben, Jackson had already become the youngest artist ever to record a #1 single with the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” in 1970. "Ben" would make him the third-youngest solo artist of all-time, at 14 years of age, to score a #1 hit single. In fact, only Stevie Wonder ("Fingertips") and Donny Osmond ("Go Away Little Girl") hit #1 as a solo artist at a younger age.
“Ben” has been remade countless times since Jackson released it in 1972, but nobody has ever matched his emotion on the song. To this day, hearing Jackson sing, "They don't see you as I do / I wish they would try to" still brings tears to my eyes.
"What Goes Around Comes Around" is essentially a Jackson 5 song, as you can clearly hear Jackson’s brothers’ harmonies in the background. Not to mention that it has glaring similarities to his older brother Jackie's hit rendition of The Delfonics’ "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time).” If any song on this album showcases the maturity in Jackson’s voice and delivery, it’s this one, as evidenced in lines like “What my love did for you, yeah / Ooh baby, what goes around, comes around / I knew he'd soon be gone / Yeah baby, he put you down, now you're the clown / And you want me to come back home / Yeah, yeah, yeah / I've had no love affairs / For three long years / Remember how I used to care.” Incredibly written and produced, “What Goes Around Comes Around” envisaged the imminent transformation of the young Jackson we all knew and loved.
On the surface, Ben plays as an album comprised of Jackson remaking previously recorded hits. But he does them all justice, perhaps most notably on his rendition of The Stylistics’ 1972 hit single "People Make the World Go Round.” Personally, I prefer Jackson’s version to the original and once again, it reminds me of the Jackson 5 with its familiar sound that could have easily been featured on the group’s 1972 album Lookin’ Through the Windows.
Obviously, nobody will ever come close to touching David Ruffin’s soul on The Temptations’ classic Smokey Robinson penned hit single “My Girl,” which endures as one of the greatest songs ever made, deservedly selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant.” It’s another song that has been remade countless times, but hear me out…Jackson killed his version as well. It may not be up to par with Ruffin’s performance, but nevertheless Jackson surely held his own and provided an exquisite version of the song. Let’s face it, ever since The Jacksons won the talent show at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana back in 1966 with Michael’s performance of “My Girl,” the world had been waiting for him to record his official rendition.
Additional album standouts include Jackson’s covers of Lionel Hampton's 1950 hit “Everybody's Somebody's Fool,” Brenda Holloway's 1965 single "You Can Cry on My Shoulder,” and Stevie Wonder's 1968 single "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day,” a particularly pleasant surprise.
Aided by the chart success of its title track which eventually peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Ben proved to be more commercially successful than Got To Be There. The album peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200, marking the first of seven Jackson albums that would reach the chart’s top 10.
With Ben’s commercial and critical acclaim cemented, the world craved much more from Jackson and the young teenager was primed to deliver more musical magic in the years following his second studio LP’s arrival.
Enjoyed this article? Read more about Michael Jackson here:
Off The Wall (1979) | Dangerous (1991) | Invincible (2001)
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