ABC (song)
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| "ABC" | |||||
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| Single by The Jackson 5 from the album ABC |
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| B-side | "The Young Folks" | ||||
| Released | February 24, 1970 (U.S.) | ||||
| Format | Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM) | ||||
| Recorded | Hitsville West, Los Angeles; 1969 - 1970 | ||||
| Genre | Bubblegum pop/Soul | ||||
| Length | 2:55 | ||||
| Label | Motown M 1163 |
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| Writer | The Corporation™ | ||||
| Producer | The Corporation™ | ||||
| The Jackson 5 singles chronology | |||||
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"ABC" is a 1970 number-one hit single recorded by The Jackson 5 for the Motown label. It held the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for two weeks, from April 18 to May 2, 1970. According to Motown publicity, the single sold two million copies in its first two and a half weeks of release. It is the second of four Jackson 5 number-ones released in a row (the others are "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There").
Perhaps the most famous of the Jackson 5's songs, "ABC" features Michael and Jermaine Jackson breaking down the game of love so that it's as easy as learning the alphabet ("A-B-C/it's easy as 1-2-3/ah, simple as do-re-mi/A-B-C/1-2-3/that's how easy love can be"). "ABC" was written with the same design as "I Want You Back", and was first heard on American Bandstand in February of 1970. The song also knocked The Beatles song "Let It Be" out of the number one spot that same year.
Like most of the other early Jackson 5 hits, "ABC" was written and produced by The Corporation™, a team composed of Motown chief Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, and Deke Richards and recorded in Los Angeles, California, away from the old Motown studio at Hitsville USA in Detroit, Michigan.
"ABC" was the first single from the second Jackson 5 album, ABC, issued with a cover of Diana Ross & the Supremes' "The Young Folks" as the B-side. It is today one of the Jackson 5's signature songs.
The song has also been sampled by Naughty by Nature for their 1991 single "O.P.P."
Contents |
- Written and produced by The Corporation™: Berry Gordy, Jr., Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, and Deke Richards
- Lead vocals by Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, and Jackie Jackson
- Background vocals by Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson, and Marlon Jackson
- Keyboards by Freddie Perren
- Guitar by David T. Walker, Louis Shelton and Don Peake
- Bass guitar by Wilton Felder
- Drums by Gene Pello
- A cover version of "ABC" appears as the song for the second bonus level in Elite Beat Agents for the Nintendo DS.
- "ABC" also appears as a playable song in Boogie for the Wii.
| Preceded by "Let It Be" by The Beatles |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 25, 1970 |
Succeeded by "American Woman" / "No Sugar Tonight" by The Guess Who |
- Overview of ABC All the picture sleeves, Song and remixes to listen
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| Jackie Jackson · Jermaine Jackson · Marlon Jackson · Michael Jackson · Randy Jackson · Tito Jackson | |
| Motown albums (The Jackson 5) |
Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 · ABC · Third Album · The Jackson 5 Christmas Album · Maybe Tomorrow · Goin' Back to Indiana · Lookin' Through the Windows · Skywriter · G.I.T.: Get It Together · Dancing Machine · Moving Violation |
| CBS albums (The Jacksons) |
The Jacksons · Goin' Places · Destiny · Triumph · Victory · 2300 Jackson Street |
| Tours | Destiny Tour · Triumph Tour · Victory Tour |
| Related articles | Discography · Joseph Jackson · Katherine Jackson · Janet Jackson · La Toya Jackson · Rebbie Jackson |
