Michael Jackson 60s Songs: I'll Be There & Ben

As he is laid to rest on his 51st birthday, two of Michael Jackson's 60s songs come to mind. They are I'll Be There and Ben, best remembered by many Singapore's pop music lovers.

Ben is a number one hit song recorded by Michael Jackson for the Motown label in 1972. Originally written for Donny Osmond, Ben was offered to Jackson as Osmond was unavailable for recording. It spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop chart, eight weeks at the Australian pop and was number seven on the British pop chart. It was the first of 19 number-one pop hits for Jackson in the US and won a Golden Globe for Best Song and an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1973.

I'll Be There (image) is a U.S. number one hit single soul song recorded in 1970 by The Jackson 5. It is notable as the most successful single released by Motown during its Detroit Era, from 1959 to 1972. It is also the fifth in the group's string of five consecutive number one pop hits, making them the first black male group to achieve this.

I'll Be There remains one of the most popular of the Jackson 5s hits and sold 4.2 million copies in the United States, and 6.1 million copies worldwide. The song has been covered by other artistes.

"I'll reach out my hand to you/I'll have faith in all you do/Just call my name and I'll be there..." Goodbye Michael Jackson, may you finally rest in peace.

Reference: Wikipedia. Image: Classic Urban Harmony Archives, USA. Vinyl/M1171/1970 Motown.