The Jackson 5’s ‘ABC’ Holds a Chart Record Because of Its Title
Before Michael Jackson was a pop star in his own right, millions of Americans knew him as the lead vocalist on The Jackson 5’s “ABC.” The tune made history because of its title. Jackson released two other songs that made history for the exact same reason.
The Jackson 5’s ‘ABC’ is tied for the No. 1 single with the shortest title
Many companies measure the success of popular songs but Billboard is the most famous. When people say a song is “a No. 1 hit,” they are likely saying that the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. With The Jackson 5 and as a solo artist, Jackson was no stranger to success on the Billboard Hot 100.
Several songs are tied for having the shortest title on the Billboard Hot 100. They all have three characters in their names. Those songs include The Jackson 5’s “ABC,” Frankie Avalon’s “Why,” Edwin Starr’s “War,” Rihanna’s “SOS,” Flo Rida’s “Low,” Usher’s “OMG,” Rihanna’s “S&M,” and Cardi B’s “WAP.”
Michael Jackson made history the same way twice without The Jackson 5
Jackson made two other songs with three-character titles that topped the Billboard Hot 100: “Ben” and “Bad.” Aside from their names, “ABC,” “Ben,” and “Bad” have very little in common. They sound completely different. “ABC” is a bubblegum song, “Ben” is a baroque ballad, and “Bad” is a harder funk song.
Each of those songs came at a different epoch in Jackson’s career. When “ABC” came out, Jackson was famous as a group of brothers. When “Ben” came out, Jackson just started proving his prowess as a solo star. By the time the epic music video for “Bad” premiered on television, Jackson was undoubtedly the biggest superstar on the planet.
What the writer of ‘ABC’ thought of Michael Jackson
“ABC” was co-written and produced by Motown founder Berry Gordy. During a 2017 interview with Billboard, Gordy discussed his early career. “When I started out, all I wanted to do was write some songs, make some money and get some girls — not necessarily in that order, which was not unlike the majority of the guys in my neighborhood,” he said. “Most of my early songs were written on some kind of truth of my own situation. For example, when I was broke, I needed money, so I wrote a song called ‘Money (That’s What I Want).'”
Gordy had a high opinion of the future King of Pop. “I called him ‘The Sponge,'” he said. “When The Jackson 5 came to Motown, I was fascinated at Michael’s ability to study my every move. He learned everything I knew and everybody else he was interested in, too.” Jackson definitely learned a lot from the musicians around him and applied that knowledge to his solo career.
Gordy also founded a songwriting group called The Corporation that helped The Jackson 5 become huge. “‘I Want You Back,’ ‘ABC,’ ‘The Love You Save’ and ‘I’ll Be There’ — with those songs, The Jackson 5 became the first group in history to have their first four singles go straight to No. 1 on the Billboard [Hot 100],” Gordy said. “ABC” made history in two ways!
It might be simple and childish, but “ABC” remains one of the catchiest bubblegum pop songs ever.