Is there anyone who has not heard about the Jackson 5? Even our younger readers must surely be familiar with this tremendously popular American pop band. In fact, there is hardly anyone in the U.S. who has not grown up listening to hits like the “ABC” song.
Today we are going to tell you more about the Jackson 5, later known as The Jacksons, and one of their most famous hits. Yes, you guessed that right: We are going to talk about the “ABC” song along with the history of one of the most successful American bands. So, keep reading and learn what every fan should know.
The Jackson 5: Who Are They?
Ladies and gents, we are going to spill the tea right away: The Jackson 5 are one of the greatest bands the U.S. and the rest of the world have ever witnessed! Founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, these music artists were some of the first African-American performers who gained a crossover following.
The group consisted of members of the famous Jackson family; yes, that’s right – these were Michael Jackson’s siblings! Throughout most of its existence, the Jackson 5 consisted of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and the King of Pop himself. Their manager was their father, Joe Jackson.
At some point, the band decided to simplify its name and turned into The Jacksons. However, we’ll get to that later on.
Stars are Born: How it all began
It is no news to anyone that the Jackson children had a strong knack for music. Their father, Joe, was shrewd enough to discover their talent early and help them become successful musicians. The story of the Jackson 5 began one beautiful day in Indiana when Joe heard his son Tito toying with his dad’s guitar, which had a broken string. The father knew right away his kid had some serious talent, so he bought him his own guitar. The rest is history, but let us just briefly recap.
Tito and his brothers Jermaine and Jackie started their own band, where Michael joined playing congas. The King of Pop was only five years old back then. Two childhood friends also joined, and in August 1965 the group named themselves the Jackson Five Singing Group.
Success did not take long to follow. In 1966, the band won a talent show at Theodore Roosevelt High School in their hometown of Gary, Indiana. During the competition, Jermaine performed the song “My Girl” by the Temptations. On his part, Michael delivered a stunning performance of “Barefootin” by Robert Parker.
To make a long story short, during the following couple of years, some of the band‘s members changed. The group continued to perform at talent showcases in Gary until in August 1967, they finally got booked into significant venues like the Regal Theater in Chicago and Apollo Theater in Harlem. They even ended up winning the Apollo talent showcase this year.
Singing their way to success
Witnessing his boys’ massive talent, Joe Jackson was quick enough to sign them into the label Steeltown Records in November 1967. This is where the brothers recorded their first hits “Big Boy” and “We Don’t Have to Be Over 21 (To Fall in Love).” A Motown contract soon followed as well as many more hits and successes.
The “ABC” Song
As we mentioned earlier in this article, we would like to pay special homage to the group’s ABC song. The music piece was born precisely during the Jackson 5’s early years with Motown. The single came out in 1970 to become a tremendous success. The single stayed at No.1 on the soul single charts for four weeks. It even managed to knock off the iconic “Let It Be” by the Beatles. Even Record World was smitten by the group’s triumph. The magazine wrote, “The Jackson 5 are Motown’s newest supergroup.”
The ABC single appeared in 1970 and became the title track to Jackson 5’s second album. Its performances became immensely televised. First, it was broadcast on American Bandstand in February 1970. Then it appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in May of the same year and The Flip Wilson Show in November. Meanwhile, there were numerous other performances. Here is a video of the song:
The ABC song accolades
The huge popularity of the ABC song resulted in various accolades. The most significant one came in 1971 when the track was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Dup or Group with Vocals. It also won tremendously positive recognition among critics.
Why is Jackson 5’s ABC song so popular?
This question has a very simple answer. The ABC song is fun, light, and upbeat. That is why it appeals to a broad variety of audiences.
The song compares learning to love with learning the alphabet. In the first verse, the performers refer to amusing activities everyone enjoys, such as drinking soda pop, riding the bus, and jive-talkin’.
However, later on, the lyrics also build a stronger emotional connection with the listener. The singer asks his love interest to let him love her “just a little bit.” This brings a sense of intimacy and a desire for acceptance and empathy.
Also, the line about “high top” is considered to represent issues specific to adolescents. These might include the challenges of growing up and finding your spot in the world.
That said, the song is overall very optimistic. It stresses the simplicity of loving somebody and practicing affection. The chorus, which is the highlight of Jackson 5’s ABC, is really fun with its memorable repetition of “A-B-C, 1-2-3.” It also refers to the idea that love should be stress-free and uncomplicated, just like the alphabet.
Curious fact about the ABC Song: The Jackson 5 were worried it would not be a success
Despite the ABC song becoming so popular right upon its release, the future ahead of this single did not always look so bright, or so the Jackson 5 thought initially. This is what Tito Jackson revealed in one of his interviews for the renowned British newspaper The Guardian. In the musician’s words, the group was told that getting a second hit song would be harder than the first one. That is why the band was unsure about how ABC would perform across the charts following the massive success of “I’ll Be There.”
Tito said the moment of the song’s release was “nail-biting” Another Jackson 5 member, Marlon, also confirmed that the group was shocked by how ABC took off. Regardless of the initial concerns, the song became one of the greatest hits of its time in both the U.S. and the UK.
The ABC song: legacy and significance
A song as popular as the Jackson 5’s ABC is bound to leave a long-lasting legacy in the hearts of both music fans and creators. To begin with, it has a positive, universal message about love. It refers to the intrinsic longing for being accepted, cared for, and understood.
Besides, the melody and rhythm are catchy, uncomplicated, and fun. That is why the ABC song is today one of the American classics we hear all the time.
Besides, the song has numerous covers. Some of them include renditions by iconic artists, such as Justin Timberlake and the Spice Girls. Rapper 50 Cent has also paid homage to the track. In his words, this was the first song ever he remembers hearing as a child.
ABC has also appeared in many movies and TV shows. The song became so popular that it even inspired a series of educational materials.
Other Popular Songs by the Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 were among the top musicians of their time and remain an enormous influence in music. Besides the ABC song, which we discussed at length above, they have a multitude of other hits. Some of these include:
- “I Want You Back”
- “Never Can Say Goodbye”
- “Sugar Daddy”
- “I’ll Be There”
- “Maybe Tomorrow”
- “The Love You Save”
- “Who’s Lovin’ You”
- “Mama’s Pearl”
- “Goin’ Back to Indiana”
- “I Found That Girl”
The list goes on to include many more amazing songs. Also, let us not forget that during their solo careers, the talented musicians from the Jackson 5 also released magnificent hits. Michael even went on to become known as the King of Pop and turned into a legend.
The Jackson 5: A Phenomenon in Modern Music
As you can conclude for yourself from the success of a single song and the long list of other hits, the Jackson 5 is one of the most significant bands in American music history. The group was among the first performers to give African-American music a mass appeal.
Further, the brothers Michael, Marlon, Jackie, Jermaine, and Tito were of an average age of 12 when they became professional performers. Today, we are used to having child stars in the entertainment industry. However, this was not the case back in the day, so their accomplishments were pretty impressive at the time.
The boys gathered a massive fandom. Fans would throng wherever the band went, and often police had to escort the performers. The phenomenon gained the name of Jacksonmania and became so prevalent that even Rolling Stone magazine featured the band on its cover even though it did not put child performers on its covers back then.
The Forum concert
One of the most notable performances in the Jackson 5 career was their concert at the Forum in Inglewood, California in 1970. The event gathered 19,000 fans, and the venue had to turn down thousands of more people because of capacity limitations. The concert grossed over $105,000, which was an absolute record for its time.
The band’s tours significantly evolved afterward. The Jackson 5 toured the entire U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa to spread the message of their music around the globe and inspire people of different nationalities.