The Motown show that Michael Jackson said was just shy of perfect: “It didn’t work”
As a by-product of commanding the pop charts for the best part of the 1960s, Motown Records launched a plethora of iconic artists into the mainstream eye – the likes of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye being just a few of the most prominent examples. Undoubtedly, though, Motown’s biggest success story was one Michael Jackson.
In the grand scheme of things, Motown’s glory days were already slipping away when The Jackson Five signed up to the roster in 1968. Holland-Dozier-Holland’s songwriting talents had departed the label shortly before, and the shifting sands of the music industry risked committing Motown to mid-1960s obscurity. It was The Jackson Five, in fact, who helped to change that narrative, ushering in a new era of the label’s success with smash-hit singles like ‘I Want You Back’ or ‘ABC’.
Arguably, the band of brothers became one of Motown’s flagship acts around the turn of the 1970s; certainly, their most commercially successful, pound for pound. As far back as their inaugural Motown single, ‘I Want You Back, though, it was abundantly clear to most listeners that ‘the skinniest Jackson’, Michael Jackson, was the real star of the show. With his distinctive, gifted vocal tones and clear performing prowess, it was only a matter of time before Jackson went out on his own.
It was at Motown where Jackson made that leap, but despite a few notable highlights in that early solo discography, like ‘Ben’ or ‘Rockin’ Robin’, it was his move to Epic in 1979 that officially commenced his journey to being the ‘king of pop’.
By that time, Motown was a shadow of its former self, but the newfound popstar always maintained an appreciation for Berry Gordy’s label, culminating in a career-defining performance at Motown’s 25th anniversary celebrations in 1983.
The Jackson Five were, of course, scheduled to perform on that fateful night, but it was Michael’s subsequent solo performance which became the highlight of the night. “After my brothers and I finished performing,” Jackson once recalled, “I walked over to the side of the stage and said, ‘You’re beautiful! I’d like to say those were the good old days; those were magic moments with all my brothers, including Jermaine. But what I really like are the newer songs.’”
During that impassioned speech to the audience, Nelson Hayes had handed Jackson a hat, and the performer geared up to launch the version of himself that defined his career forevermore. He launched into ‘Billie Jean’, making him the only performer at that event to perform a non-Motown track, and he invariably brought the house down. Yet, behind the scenes, he was rather critical of his own performance.
“I knew I had done my best and felt good, so good,” he shared, “But at the same time I felt disappointed in myself. I had planned to do one really long spin and to stop on my toes, suspended for a moment, but I didn’t stay on my toes as long as I wanted.”
Explaining the intricacies of his dance routines, Jackson concluded, “I did the spin and I landed on one toe. I wanted to just stay there, just freeze there, but it didn’t work quite as I’d planned.”
Regardless of his own disappointment on his dance moves, the audience at Motown 25 didn’t seem to notice, as they were far too busy gazing in astonishment at what was clearly an entirely new era for pop music itself, let alone for their former Motown comrade Michael Jackson, who had come a long way from the days when dance routines were little more than synchronised swaying.
