Hello all, and welcome to the twelth installment of my Golden Nuggets series, where I take a look back, 50 years back in fact, to listen to the top song on the Billboard charts from the time. This go around, we're taking a look at 'I Want You Back'by the world famous and iconic Jackson Five. If you need to reacquaint yourself with the song, or just dug yourself out from under that rock, you can listen to the track here. With that out of the way, let's dive in.
Let's get one thing crystal clear up front: I've never been a huge fan of Michael Jackson's work. It had nothing to do with his legal problems, or even his eccentric mannerisms; I just never found his brand of pop all that engaging. I was born in the early 90s, after his career had peaked, and the industry definitely wasn't pushing his music like they used to. Plus, no matter how old he was, I couldn't get into his vocal delivery. As a kid, his voice was preccious and grating, but as an adult , it was even worse, bordereing on incomprehensible. With all that being said, this song still slaps.
That late '60s/ early '70s soul sound is pretty irresistible, and the bass line and guitar licks are classic. Lyrically, its more of the same boilerplate stuff, but that doesn't get too grating, unlike the pap another family band would churn out in the near future (I'll be taking a look at the Jackson's Mormon knockoff, The Osmonds, before too long. I'll save most of my bile for when that moment comes around).
I can definitely see why this took off with the American public. It was bright bubblegum pop with a fat groove, and every housewife ever loves a child singer, and while that sound bugs me, a child Michael Jackson is far more tolerable than a child Donny Osmond. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that the Jacksons did all right for themselves, pumping out hit after hit, and even becoming a bit of a pop dynasty for a minute. All in all, a pretty good track, and the beginnings of a musical juggernaut.
Check back in soon for the next post in the series, where I look at the song 'Venus' by the band, Shocking Blue.
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