Off the Wall (Michael Jackson song)

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"Off the Wall"
File:Off the Wall by Michael Jackson A-side US vinyl single.jpg
Side-A label of U.S. vinyl single
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Off the Wall
B-side
Released February 2, 1980
Recorded December 1978 – April 1979
Genre
Length 4:05 (album version)
3:46 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s) Rod Temperton
Producer(s) Quincy Jones
Script error: The function "ucfirst" does not exist. singles chronology
"Rock with You"
(1979)		 "Off the Wall"
(1980)		 "She's Out of My Life"
(1980)

"Off the Wall" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, from his fifth album of the same name (1979). It was written by English songwriter Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones, and released as the album's third single on February 2, 1980, by Epic Records.[1] The song was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down.[2] Lyrically, the song is about getting over troubles. It was well received by music critics, and became Jackson's third top 10 single from Off the Wall, which eventually spawned four top 10 singles; Jackson was the first person to accomplish this. It was performed by Jackson in five of his concert tours.

Reception

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted the song on its studio album.[3] Robert Christgau wrote acclaim: "the title tune suggests that maybe what makes Stevie Wonder (who contributes a good ballad) such an oddball isn't his genius or even his blindness so much as the fact that since childhood his main contact with the real world has been on stage and in bed."[4]

The song became Jackson's third top 10 single from Off the Wall. It peaked at number ten on the Pop Singles Chart and at number five on the Billboard Soul Singles Chart.

Live performances

Jackson performed the song on The Jacksons' Destiny Tour's (1979) second leg, as well as the Triumph Tour (1981) and the Victory Tour (1984). He performed the song only on the first leg of his Bad Tour (1987), his first solo tour. During the HIStory World Tour (1996), the song was included on the Off the Wall medley (also featuring the songs "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough") on some concert playlists. A live performance of the song can be seen in One Night in Japan, a bootleg live album and DVD release of Jackson's 1987 concert in Yokohama, Japan, during the Bad tour.

Sample

Mariah Carey sampled "Off the Wall" on her song "I'm That Chick", which is included in her 2008 album E=MC².[5]

Vaporwave producer Saint Pepsi sampled "Off The Wall" in the song "Enjoy Yourself," a line featured in the original song's chorus. The music video featured scenes from a McDonald's commercial with the character Mac Tonight.[6]

Track listing

European 7" single (EPC 8045)[7][8][9]
No. Title Length
1. "Off the Wall (Remix) - No version description listed on the actual single."   4:01
2. "Workin' Day and Night"   5:10
Total length:
 9:10
U.S. 7" single (9-50838)[10]
No. Title Length
1. "Off the Wall (7" Remix) – No version description listed on the actual single"   3:47
2. "Get on the Floor"   4:38
Total length:
 8:26

Official versions

  1. Album Version – 4:05
  2. Remix – 4:01
  3. 7" Remix – 3:47
  4. Edit – 3:46 – Featured on the Essential Collection is an early fade of the album version.
  5. Junior Vasquez Mix – 5:13 – Featured on the Stranger in Moscow single.
  6. Live – 4:00 – Featured on The Jacksons Live!.

US and Japanese singles feature the remix running 3:47, while the UK and the rest of the world got the other remix running 4:01.

Chart performance

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[30] Platinum 1,000,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Billboard.com - Search Results - Off the Wall (Singles chart). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-15.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1979-12-15" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0173a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Off the Wall". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Jackson – Off the Wall" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 3, 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  17. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Michael Jackson – Off the Wall". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Off the Wall". VG-lista. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Michael Jackson – Off the Wall". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.. Cash Box magazine.
  24. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Michael Jackson – Off the Wall". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  25. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2009-07-11" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0272." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.. Cash Box magazine.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

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