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ABC (The Jackson 5 song)

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"ABC"
side-A label
Solid centre variant of the UK single
Single by The Jackson 5
from the album ABC
B-side"The Young Folks"
ReleasedFebruary 24, 1970 (U.S)
RecordedDecember 1969[1]
Genre
Length
  • 3:11 (single version)
  • 2:54 (album version)
  • 2:57 (radio edit)
LabelMotown
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
"I Want You Back"
(1969) 		"ABC"
(1970) 		"The Love You Save"
(1970)
Audio
"ABC" by the Jackson 5 on YouTube

"ABC" is a song by American pop band 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 number one 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 more than 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.

"ABC" 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 the song's induction, along with that of another 24 songs.[12]

Personnel

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Musicians on the song's session were uncredited, in line with 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]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[19] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Platinum 600,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Allard, François; Lecocq, Richard (October 4, 2018). Michael Jackson: All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Octopus. ISBN 9781788401234. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Jackson 5 | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "ASCAP ACE - Search". Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  4. ^ Proffitt, Nicholas C. (June 1, 1970). "Jackson boys, from 10 to 18 years, fashioning hit records". The Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon. p. 10.
  5. ^ Toledo Blade. Toledo Blade. July 18, 1971. I Want You Back sold 1 million copies in the first nine days and ABC sold 2 million in the first two weeks.
  6. ^ "Jackson 5 Discography Singles - Issued by Motown Records as of 1995". October 21, 2006. Archived from the original on October 21, 2006. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  7. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 7, 1970. p. 28. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  8. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 7, 1970. p. 72. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 7, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 272.
  11. ^ Haynes, Gavin (October 1, 2015). "Soundtrack of my life". NME. p. 48.
  12. ^ Kreps, Daniel (November 29, 2016). "Nirvana, Bowie, R.E.M. Songs Among Grammy Hall of Fame's 2017 Inductees". rollingstone.com.
  13. ^ Lecocq, Richard; Allard, Francois (2018). Michael Jackson All The Songs. London: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
  14. ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011.
  15. ^ "RPM 100". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "April 25, 1970". Billboard Hot 100. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. July 17, 2013.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "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
  20. ^ "British single certifications – Jackson 5 – ABC". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
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