When I was a kid, there were definitely people that cast aspersions on Michael Jackson’s sexuality. In the late ‘70s and ‘80s, the “Michael is gay” rumors were prevalent, to the point that a rumor floated (and was published) that MJ had actually undergone a sex change operation. Allegedly, the sex change was so that… Read More “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson (1982)
“Heartbreak Hotel” is not one of the better known Jacksons songs, but it’s one of the songs that points the clearest path to places Michael would go during his solo career. It was the first Jacksons song that was composed by MJ alone, it kicks off his love affair with gothic imagery, and it was… Read More “Heartbreak Hotel” by The Jacksons (1980)
“Got To Be There” announced the arrival of Michael Jackson, solo artist. While it certainly set a precedent, MJ and J5 records would remain virtually interchangeable for another eight years. So there’s nothing here that portended Michael’s mastery of pop music with one big exception: that voice. Michael hadn’t hit puberty yet, so “Got To… Read More “Got To Be There” by Michael Jackson (1971)
“Give It To Me Baby” is a monster, a classic Rick James party jam. It starts off with a thunderous bass before launching into a whomping funk groove. The King of Punk Funk is in full “I’m Rick James, bitch!” mode here, bellowing “I’ll make you holler you’ve had enough!” However, considering the preceding lyrics… Read More “Give It To Me Baby” by Rick James (1981)
So, there are a lot of disco songs that begin with the word “get”, clearly. “Get On The Floor” closes out side 1 of Off The Wall. After a 1-2-3 punch of “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough”, “Rock With You” and “Working Day And Night”, one might think Michael would put the non-stop boogieing… Read More “Get On The Floor” by Michael Jackson (1979)
Here’s a fun fact I learned recently; every single Motown released by The Jackson Five between 1969’s “I Want You Back” and 1975’s “Forever Came Today” hit the top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot Soul singles chart. Six years of solid hits with no misses. It’s a helluva streak, and it’s a feat that goes overlooked… Read More “Get It Together” by The Jackson Five (1973)
The three albums on which Grace Jones teamed up with the Sly & Robbie-led Compass Point All-Stars are uniformly excellent. Those albums-Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Living My Life-take reggae, disco, pop, new wave, punk and hard rock and stick them in a blender together, resulting in something that’s as good as it is hard to… Read More “Feel Up” by Grace Jones (1981)
Three different songs; celebrating community in sort of different ways. The Jacksons’ “Everybody” is buried at the end of side one on Triumph, their first album since Michael exploded with Off The Wall. It’s the song that sounds most like a Michael solo track, specifically Off The Wall’s “Get On The Floor” (which closes side… Read More “Everybody” by The Jacksons (1980)/”Everybody” by Madonna (1982)/”Everybody” by Anthony Hamilton (2005)
“Enjoy Yourself” was the first song the Jackson brothers released following their departure from Motown, the label that vaulted them to success. Motown-known for its punitive rtists who left them-was not fucking around. Not only did the brothers eventually have to pay Berry Gordy a few coins for the privilege of leaving; Motown took the… Read More “Enjoy Yourself” by The Jacksons (1976)
Two very different songs from two generations (although the latter song reaches back to the sounds of the generation that made the former song a hit) with one thing in common: if you play them loudly, your ass will start wiggling. You may think Yarbrough & Peoples were a one-hit wonder, but they had a… Read More “Don’t Stop The Music” (Yarbrough & Peoples, 1980)/”Don’t Stop The Music” (Rihanna, 2007)
Five Star Jamz 