ABC by The Jackson 5

Just imagine the power of the Motown label at the start of the '70s: Not only were established stars like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder all doing great, but fresh blood was arriving in the form of five kids from Gary, Indiana. The Jackson 5’s first single “I Want You Back” topped the charts in December 1969, making overnight stars out of the five brothers and a sensation out of 11-year-old frontman Michael.

When the time came for a followup, the producers decided not to give them another grown-up lyric like “I Want You Back” - instead they figured that a lot of the Jacksons’ fans were still in grade school, so why not write something the kids could relate to? Motown president Berry Gordy wanted to change the chorus and call the song “1-2-3,” but the songwriters held out and it went out as originally written.

“ABC” sold 500,000 copies the first week of release, and was one of four consecutive Number Ones (with “I Want You Back,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There”) that the Jackson 5 had at the a start of their career. Their fifth single, “Mama’s Pearl” was a relative letdown - it only went to Number Two.

Lots of great writers got songs on the early Jackson 5 albums. The “ABC” album included a tune by George Clinton, who’d later make history as the leader of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Okay, you’re singing as the young Michael Jackson, and you knew that wasn’t going to be easy. Not only that, but you get to sing the other Jackson's parts as well, so expect a workout that jumps all over the vocal range. It’s tough no matter how well you know the song, so bring the thunder!

The Jacksons stayed together as a group until the mid-‘80s, after which Michael became the King of Pop full-time.