ABC (The Jackson 5 song)
"ABC" | ||||
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![]() Solid centre variant of the UK single | ||||
Single by The Jackson 5 | ||||
from the album ABC | ||||
B-side | "The Young Folks" | |||
Released | February 24, 1970 (U.S) | |||
Recorded | December 1969[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Motown M 1163 | |||
Songwriter(s) | The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell and Deke Richards)[3] | |||
Producer(s) | The Corporation | |||
The Jackson 5 singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"ABC" by the Jackson 5 on YouTube |
"ABC" is a song by the Jackson 5. It was released as a single in 1970. The song replaced the Beatles' "Let It Be" on the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and was No. 1 on the soul singles chart for four weeks. It is the title track to the group's second album and sold 2 million copies within the first week of its release in the US and over 4 million copies worldwide.[4][5][6]
Cash Box said "Having whetted the world’s appetite with "I Want You Back” the Jackson 5 makes it back with another dynamite side cast in the image of its million seller. Searing vocals and the familiar drive of the Motown supporting cast assure another giant here."[7] Billboard said "This pulsating swinger has all the sales and chart potential of the initial entry ['I Want You Back']."[8] Record World said the song proved that "the Jackson 5 are Motown's newest supergroup."[9]
"ABC" was performed on television on American Bandstand (February 21, 1970), The Ed Sullivan Show (May 10, 1970), and The Flip Wilson Show (November 4, 1971), among many other broadcasts.[10] The upbeat lyrics compare learning to love to learning the alphabet.
It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1971. 50 Cent told NME that the song was the first he remembered hearing: "I've always loved MJ, so I guess it was probably a good place to start music: right here, with the ABCs."[11] On November 7, 2016, the Grammy Hall of Fame announced its induction, along with that of another 24 songs.[12]
Personnel
[edit]Musicians on the song's session were uncredited, per Motown policy. Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases until 1971. The musicians who performed on "ABC" are believed to be as follows.[13]
- David T. Walker – guitar
- Louis Shelton – guitar
- Don Peake – guitar
- Wilton Felder – bass guitar
- Gene Pello – drums
- Freddie Perren – keyboards
- Sandra Crouch – tambourine
- Joe Clayton – bongos
Charts
[edit]Chart (1970–71) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[14] | 24 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 8 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Chart (2009) | Peak position |
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Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 43 |
Irish Singles Chart | 38 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 50 |
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ)[15] | Gold | 100,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
[edit]- ^ Allard, François; Lecocq, Richard (2018-10-04). Michael Jackson: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Octopus. ISBN 9781788401234. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- ^ "The Jackson 5 | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "ASCAP ACE - Search". Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
- ^ The Phoenix. The Phoenix. 1 Jun 1970.
- ^ Toledo Blade. Toledo Blade. 18 Jul 1971.
I Want You Back sold 1 million copies in the first nine days and ABC sold 2 million in the first two weeks.
- ^ "Jackson 5 Discography Singles - Issued by Motown Records as of 1995". 2006-10-21. Archived from the original on 2006-10-21. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 7, 1970. p. 28. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 7, 1970. p. 72. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 7, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 272.
- ^ Haynes, Gavin (October 1, 2015). "Soundtrack of my life". NME. p. 48.
- ^ "Nirvana, Bowie, R.E.M. Songs Among Grammy Hall of Fame's 2017 Inductees". rollingstone.com. 29 November 2016.
- ^ Lecocq, Richard; Allard, Francois (2018). Michael Jackson All The Songs. London: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
- ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011.
- ^ "Japanese digital single certifications – Jackson 5 – ABC" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 25, 2020. Select 2016年1月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "British single certifications – Jackson 5 – ABC". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Overview of The Jackson 5 - "ABC" single. All the picture sleeves, song and remixes to listen at www.jackson5abc.com {non working link}
- The Jackson 5 - "ABC" song review by Bill Janovitz at AllMusic
- The Jackson 5 - "ABC" (1970) song as listed on the Rock Band song library.
- LBJ and MLK
- Jon Batiste Sings Classic Valentine's Day Black History Month Love Songs