Welcome back to a new appointment with Musical Disclosure: in the next three articles, we will retrace the career of a timeless icon, the King of Pop Michael Jackson.

 

The eighth of ten children, Michael Jackson was born in 1958 in Gary, Indiana, into a working-class family with a strong passion for music. At the age of six, he joined the band composed of his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon, the Jackson Brothers, led by their father Joe, determined to push them towards success. In 1965, the renamed Jackson 5 won a talent show and began a tour that took them to perform in various clubs and venues in the Midwest. After recording some tracks through a local label in Gary, the five brothers landed at Motown in 1968. The following year they made their first television appearance, where Michael already stood out with all his vocal and performance talent. The famous single "I Want You Back" was the group's first song to reach the top of the American chart, where it remained for four weeks. Until 1975, the Jackson 5 continued to produce records for Motown, but faced with declining sales and the label's refusal to allow creative freedom on productions, the group parted ways to move to Epic Records. It was through this label that Michael Jackson released "Off the Wall" (1979), the first album where he could finally unleash his artistic personality. The production featured the legendary Quincy Jones, with whom Jackson had already come into contact for the musical "The Wiz." The two created an album that drew from various genres: disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock, and Broadway-style ballads. Additionally, the writing of the songs involved illustrious names such as Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Rod Temperton, Tom Bahler, and David Foster. Five singles were released from the album, including "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You," which represent the most unabashedly disco-funk portion of the album, with memorable arrangements of strings and horns and Michael's velvety voice. But in "Off the Wall," there is also room for ballads like "She's Out of My Life," where the artist's voice manifests in all its sweet fragility. The album reached the number one position on the American Billboard Top Lps & Tapes chart and, along with the subsequent "Thriller," ranks among the best-selling albums of all time (over 20 million copies sold worldwide). Critics were immediately enthusiastic about Jackson's change of direction compared to his previous work with Motown, and reviews included comparisons to artists of the caliber of Stevie Wonder. Furthermore, for "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough," Jackson won the award for best R&B performance at the 1980 Grammy Awards, proving he had all the credentials to become the pop star of a generation.

Today we invite you to let yourself be carried away by the irresistible rhythm of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." Enjoy listening!