35 years of MJ’s Off The Wall

Michael Jackson started work on his album Off The Wall with Quincy Jones as producer when he was only 19 years old. They met when he starred in the movie The Wiz to which Quincy provided the music and they agreed that the famous Q would produce his next solo album. It was to be a most important one.

What came to be called Off The Wall was Michael’s fifth outing away from his brothers, the famous Jackson Five. He did four solo albums in his old Motown contract which produced the hits I’ll Be There, Ben, Rockin’ Robin, One Day In Your Life and others. This one was his first solo album under a new recording deal with Columbia’s Epic label. He would remain with Columbia, which later became Sony, up to the time of his death 30 years later.

Michael and Q finished Off The Wall early in 1979 and the album was released on Aug. 10, 1979. Michael turned 21 a few weeks later on Aug. 29. He celebrated not only his birthday but also a most successful solo debut that would change the sound and the look of popular music forever.  Everything would come into full bloom three years later with Thriller, but Off The Wall was the seed out of which a worldwide phenomenon for the ages would grow.

To this day, I still believe that Off The Wall is superior to Thriller in terms of content. And Michael was so natural with the music. He was young, sexy and happy and it showed. Take a look at that bright-eyed guy on the album cover in a tux with his cute socks. There is not one hint in him about how complicated everything about him would become only a few years later. 

Admittedly, there were already hints of his growing insecurities in Off The Wall. Listen to the first cut and first single release, Don’t You Get Enough. He sings in the opener: “ You know, I was…I was wondering, you know, if you could keep on… keep on with The Force, don’t stop ‘til you get enough…” Those words, so full of fear, doubt and uncertainty, were to get Jackson on the road to undreamed of stardom.

 For those who remember and also for those who still have to experience this great album, here is Off The Wall once again, song by wonderful song.

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough: This is old disco with a funk spin but it still packs quite a charge when heard. And have you ever heard anybody sing falsetto the way that Jackson did? It was almost other-worldly. The first No. 1 single.

Rock With You: This is so nice and easy but still the sexiest song in the album. I still recall watching Michael sing this with that teasing smile on his face and his smooth hip thrusts. 

Working Day And Night: This was never released as a single but Michael so probably believed in the song that he kept performing it live. Nowadays, it is not unusual to find this song in the Bad, Dangerous and other tours live recordings. This was also sampled in the Jackson/Justin Timberlake single Love Never Felt So Good from the posthumus album Xscape. This is the second No. 1 hit of the album.

Get On The Floor: This is the album’s ultimate dance track. No way you will not get on the floor when you hear this one with Michael’s frenzied grunts.

Off The Wall: Another Top 10 single and the third hit tune from the album. MJ shows more confidence in this one and his vocal style shows a foretaste of what Thriller would be like.

Girlfriend: Just a sweet little ballad but it was written expressly for Michael by the most successful songwriter of all time, Paul McCartney.

She’s Out of My Life:  I do not know how it happened that so emotional a ballad got into the album but I am so very glad it did because it turned out to be another hit single and one of Michael’s best recordings. That tearful gasp of his towards the end is now part of pop music lore. Also part of legend is the rumor that this song was composed by Tom Bahler for the departed Karen Carpenter.

I Can’t Help It: Another nice up-tempo ballad that was composed for Michael by Motown cohort Stevie Wonder.

It’s The Falling In Love: A romantic duet with Patti Austin and they sing a song composed by Carol Bayer Sayer and David Foster, who plays the piano.

Burn This Disco Out: And it ends with more dancing in the same vein as Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough and Off The Wall with the then playful and innocent Michael ready to keep the boogie going and party nonstop.