Adrienne Lake is an LA music biz refugee often described as a "fiery redhead" who has found solace among the tumbleweeds and dive bars in the dusty burg of Tucson. Come fly with her as the monkey on her back becomes rabid, surly and overfed.

Just say "OOH!" Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall' = gateway drug

01/09/2007 09:35 PM
Adrienne Lake

Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall is a musical gateway drug.

At least it was for me. It was love at first listen when I first heard the Jackson-penned “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” on the radio as a child. I was so in love that I gathered quarters from the couch cushions and scraped together enough cash to buy the record at my local vinyl shop.

Miraculously, that beloved dog-eared disc still blasts red hot disco dance beats and soul-baring ballads out of my also-worn stereo speakers and only skips in a couple of spots. Regardless, interruptions are unacceptable when it comes to one of the finest records ever created, so another unblemished vinyl copy keeps the original company along with the compact disk for burning this disco out in the car.

The discovery of this musical gem turned me into a raving fan at a young age. So much that I proudly donned homemade Michael Jackson T-shirts, misspellings and all, and eagerly snatched up any Teen Beat with my beloved Michael’s image on the cover. And learning that music could be this alluring, exciting and fulfilling led me and many others down a never-ending path of music and musical-idol worship, from Elvis to ELO. Post-Michael there were shrines to Duran Duran, Prince, U2, Bauhaus, The Cure, etc. But Michael got the fires burning.

While we all have our musical skeletons in our closet, Off the Wall is a first love record that one can always be unashamed of worshiping. Despite the fact that Jackson was riding the tail end of the disco wave, each song is packed with enough flava and honest emotion to keep it on any music lover’s permanent top 20.

So many of the elements were right:

• The flawless production courtesy of Quincy Jones.
• The perfect layering of lead and backup vocals (all courtesy of Michael, of course).
• A rhythm section so undeniably strong that they can overcome the cheesiest of lyrics and admittedly, the album does contain plenty of those, but hey, it was disco!
• The multitude of musical details and layering that makes each song feel so full and multi-dimensional without coming across as overwhelming.

And there was the great songwriting. Besides the songs that Jackson wrote or co-wrote, Rod Temperton (of funky disco band Heatwave), who co-wrote “Boogie Nights” and also contributed to the legendary Thriller album, wrote three songs and was very involved in the album’s planning. Jackson himself wrote three songs and co-wrote one with Temperton. Additionally, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (with the help of Susaye Green-Brown) contributed “Girlfriend” and “I Can’t Help It” respectively.

On top of the musical elements that made the album a success, Jackson had not yet become a nip/tuck and gouge junkie and was a damn nice looking 21-year-old. The album cover featured a grinning, Afroed young man in a tux, standing in the spotlight with a brick wall for a backdrop. His name and album title were scrawled in graffiti-like lettering to his right. The album folded out to show a full body shot, which featured Jackson’s glowing white socks. This was not a freak or a weirdo. This was young Mr. All-American – a kid who was clean cut but who wanted to show had more than enough street cred to rock the house.

My young taste for the album was not unique. The album went platinum over seven times and had four hit singles. This was quite a feat, considering that Jackson’s career was predicted to fail as a result of leaving the ever-powerful Motown Records for Epic. Yet Jackson was somehow still disappointed in how his album performed, especially at the Grammys where Off the Wall only earned one award. But he ended up showing them all with the success for his next album, but I digress.

One element that Off the Wall is most well known for is the single “She’s Out of My Life,” a tragic-sounding, lovelorn lament written by Tom Bahler. As the song reaches its emotional climax, Jackson breaks down in tears, an event that Jones made no effort to conceal on the album and it works. When Jackson wails, “Damn indecision and cursed pride,” his emotions seem to have been almost physically wrung out of him and the tears running down the microphone are the result. Now Jackson was probably never in what would be considered a normal relationship in his life, but anyone who knows the Jackson basics knows that the pain coming through in the song is real. Jackson has had more than his share of agony in life.

But though those ballads are essential to the album, the up-tempo songs are the ones that jump to mind when the words “Off the Wall” come up. With a few exceptions, this is a party album that dares you to stay in your seat. No wonder so many kids like me were quickly converted to hopeless music addicts.

In fact, Off the Wall was a gateway album for Michael Jackson’s impending reign as the King of Pop, as he was determined to outdo himself with the next record. It’s also safe to say that in a way, the album was a gateway drug for the popularization and success of black music in mainstream America (thanks again, Thriller and your armload of Grammys).

Jackson was the first black artist to appear on MTV in 1981 and 26 years later things sure have changed. But back then Jackson was the first artist that closeted bigots at MTV felt was strong enough to break through racial barriers. And once the gates were down, mainstream America began to wake up to a world of music that many of them had previously been deprived of.

To this day, the album remains a crowd-pleasing favorite of dance party DJs around the world, so much that songs have been even sliced and diced into rave fodder by electronic DJs. The power and feeling that the album oozes makes it timeless and not a relic from the era of shallow decadence.

And though I have outgrown giant posters and shrines, I can thank Michael Jackson for a lifetime of record-buying, radio-listening, concert-going, music-writing and all the rest. There is no Betty Ford Center for music addicts and this addiction is for life.

Damn you, Michael Jackson and your awe-inspiring jams. Damn you.

Back

1. Good article. True….very true.
   Whatever anyone thinks of him now, you can’t deny he’s a musical genius.
   — jon    01/10/2007 03:31 AM    #
2. I would prefer you didnt discuss my personal issues. I love all my fans dearly.
   
   love your king of pop MJ. x
   — Michael Jackson    01/10/2007 06:59 AM    #
3. WOW …. what a BRILLIANT article … thankyou!!!
   
   How privilaged we are to be able to enjoy the GENIUS of this remarkable man.
   
   Much Love & Respect to Michael Jackson !!!
   — angel2    01/10/2007 08:24 AM    #
4. Brilliant. I love ‘Off The Wall’, one of the best. It is just so upbeat, it always makes me want to move. And the slower songs, the ‘ballad types’ if you will, are just beautiful. I am still a huge Michael Jackson fan, and I will remain one. Can’t wait for his new album.
   — Christine    01/10/2007 08:59 AM    #
5. 25 years later and Off The Wall album is still constantly being played on radio stations and dance clubs. Brilliant, brilliant album.
   — Noel    01/10/2007 11:25 AM    #
6. Michael is a molester, no two ways about it. He has made four known payoffs to little boys and their families to circumvent criminal charges. This “man” is a criminal and should be behind bars.
   — Jordy    01/10/2007 12:23 PM    #
7. What the fuck??? Jordy you know what?
   shut up…you dont know anything!!!
   Racist idiot ….
   — Akdeniz    01/10/2007 02:54 PM    #
8. I agree dont stop till you get enough is an amazing song id say it would have to be my favourite.
   I love you Michael xox
   ~Breanna
   
   Dam i just read those pathetic comments.. it was provin to you that Michael is innocent biatch.
   — Breanna    01/10/2007 07:42 PM    #
9. Well, I don’t think that Jordy’s comments make him a racist and a lot of people share his/her sentiments. Criminal or not- he was (I say was because I think everything post Thriller blew) a massive talent and a musical genius. And that was the point of the story. I wanted to leave the legal drama out of it since that is a different story and irrelevant to the point of the article.
   
   Ike Turner and James Brown are also great examples of great talents that have had exhibited criminal behavior- unfortunately that often goes along with what makes a musician a musician. Passionate people commit crimes of passion. In Michael’s case, an abusive father turned him into what he is today, so Joe Jackson should share any blame… dammit I wasn’t gonna talk about this stuff. Dang.
   — adrienne    01/10/2007 08:27 PM    #
10. Hmm….I agree with you on 2 points Adrienne. This article was about his music and we should just stick to that aspect of things. Also, Jordy’s comments don’t make him a racist.
    
    BUT, Jordy’s comments are not accurate. So he may not be racist, but he is ignorant to a certain extent. As well as kinda silly to make comments without knowing the facts.
    MJ didn’t “pay off” 4 children to keep things quiet. He reached an out of court settlement with 1 in 1993. I don’t want to get into further details as they are not relevant here.
    The other thing is, I don’t think it’s right to blame parents on everything that happens in someone’s life. People can have wonderful parents and still end up criminals. And vice versa.
    
    My point is, that MJ is not a criminal. He was found not guilty. And apart from these allegations, u really can’t fault any other part of his character. So to call someone a criminal, when he is not…is unfair, to say the least.
    — jon    01/11/2007 08:33 AM    #
11. Akdeniz, when Wacko paid off Jordy Chandler, he admitted—IN LEGAL DOCUMENTS—to sexual misbehavior with a minor. The documents are online. Look them up for yourself.
    
    What more proof do you need?
    
    And, please clarify: if someone hates his own color so much he makes himself white, isn’t HE a racist?
    — lily    01/11/2007 09:23 AM    #
12. Lot’s of folks who have done criminal acts are NOT in jail and/or have been found not guilty due to lack of evidence. Molestation is a one-on-one crime and is rarely committed where there are independent eye witnesses that can testify for the molested child. Use your head. If someone keeps paying off people (MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, no less!) to shut up and go away, that person has something to hide. Wacko loves little boys in a very sick, very criminal way. His career is over. He’ll never make a comeback. Move on, f’loons.
    — lily    01/11/2007 09:23 AM    #
13. jon boi…, learn how to use google. What about the $2 million wacko the molester paid to Jason Francia? That’s two right there. Then the scuzzbag poop singer got caught with another payoff during the Shaffel trial. That’s three. This perverted creep has been buying his way out of criminal charges spanning three decades. Don’t you think it’s time he was stopped?
    — deggie    01/11/2007 12:39 PM    #
14. pretty interesting article. read it already b4 those comments were made. now i’m just wondering why people who dislike mj read articles like this and inform themselves about him or at least pretend to have done that.. in a way they act kind of similar to the real fans > just searching for any possibility to make this man look “bad”. obviously michael jackson will always be worth it to get paid attention to.
    — fir    01/11/2007 04:15 PM    #
15. Well sure he could have paid those people off(I don’t think he molested anyone)but it makes you think about what is wrong with the parents if someone molests your child you should take the millions and try to put them behind bars right? You wouldn’t want them doing it to others…
    — Kayla    01/11/2007 08:00 PM    #
16. First of all to all you MJ haters out there, do you personally know Michael Jackson? Were you in the room with him and the boys? Did you see what was going on? I highly doubt it, you all just look at him and see that he looks weird and doesn’t try to fit everyones definition of normal and decide oh he must be a child molester. If MJ looked like Brad Pitt would you still be saying that stuff about him? Probably not. If you have noticed most of the people who actually know Michael Jackson, like other famous singers for example believe he is completely INNOCENT! I just find it funny that the people who don’t know him think he’s guilty and the people who do know him don’t. Oh and for you information lily, Michael Jackson has a skin condition that destroy’s the pigmintation of his skin. That is a FACT proven by doctors! And another FACT Michael JAckson NEVER admitted to sexual mis behavior I don’t know what you’ve been reading (probably tabloids) but that is not correct. Now I’m not saying I was there either and know exactly what happened but the man was proven NOT guilty! So all I am doing is stating FACTS here. I just wish people would learn not to judge a book by its cover. Anyway back to the article, no matter what you think of him personally you can not deny he is a musical genius!
    — alaina    01/11/2007 09:16 PM    #
17. If you PAY to make criminal charges go away, it doesn’t change a thing in the eyes of public perception. All it means if you got lucky and bought your way free of criminal prosecution. It does not mean you didn’t do what you were accused of.
    
    Michael Jackson the molester has bought his way free multiple times and that makes him a serial molester. Deal with it.
    — deggie    01/12/2007 02:42 PM    #
18. michael….. I LUV U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    i am 11 and i’ve loved you since i was 5!!!!! (please write back!!)
    — emily    01/13/2007 03:23 AM    #
19. I couldn’t disagree more with one of the comments that “everything post Thriller blew”, have you not listened to “Will You Be There”, “Black or White”, “They don’t really care about us”, “Unbreakable” etc…(I could go on all day here). Too many people listen to the negatives in the media. You don’t stop being a good musician over night. And if he really WAS guilty, do you honestly think he would be a free man? I just feel for the people who deliberately ignore him when his music is still soooo good. His last album Invincible has been played nearly every day since I got it!! People who haven’t given it a chance say it was a flop, but it sold 4 times as many copies than Justin Timberlakes latest album…hmmm…Seriously can’t wait for his next album! The guys a living legend.
    — Greg    01/13/2007 05:39 AM    #
20. I really don’t like anything he did after Thriller. His music changed changed and got cheesy in a bad way, like it was too self-conscious. Too poppy, not enough soul. But that’s just my opinion.
    
    And you may not become a bad MUSICIAN overnight, but there a million examples of people who were once great songwriters that just got terrible- seemingly overnight. The Stones haven’t done anything decent in quite awhile, for example, but they wrote deservingly legendary albums. Fame does it, age does it. With Michael it seemed to me like the weirder he got, the more forced his music seemed. This doesn’t happen to all artists, but it happens all the time. Being a good musician and a good songwriter or performer are very different things though.
    
    And though I have no idea if Michael really did do it, guilty people are let off all the time. Especially if they have money/fame. In this country money talks more loudly than justice often. Cough cough (OJ!) cough!
    — adrienne    01/13/2007 11:10 PM    #
21. Michael Jackson is guilty of numerous sexual abuse incidents involving little boys. I have no interest in justice, I just want my cut of the money. Civil settlements pay better.
    — Johnny Cochran    01/14/2007 02:06 AM    #
22. Tina hit Ike as much as Ike hit Tina.
    How come everyone always rushes to indict the male of the species but will look the other way when a bitch is whooping upside the head of her man?
    — Mark Beef    01/16/2007 10:01 PM    #
23. Micheal Jackson is not a molesor. I am a big fan of Micheal. You you haters don’t no noting about him. I love Micheal Jackson. Micheal loves little children. I don’t care what you haters say. Micheal loves people that loves him. So you htera shut up and leave him lone.
    — Nikki    01/19/2007 12:14 PM    #
24. Micheal I love you more than anything. You are the number one singer in my life. No other famous person can relace Micheal in my heart. Micheal toched my heat ever since I was a small clid. Micheal still toches my heart. Micheal stay strong. I belive’n you allwaya’s. I love you now until forever I do. Allways your biggest fan nikki. I wish the best life for you and you family, and your childrem. I love you more.
    — Nikki    01/19/2007 12:26 PM    #
25. I can’t wait until Micheal Jacksons new album just can’t wait.I love you Micheal forever. You are a true ledgond. The true King of Pop. Micheal will allwa’ys be the king of pop in my heart. I will allway’s love you Micheal more than anything.
    — Nikki    01/19/2007 12:37 PM    #

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