1976 to 1982

In June 1976, Michael and his brothers performed on a weekly television show on the CBS network titled «The Jacksons Variety Show» (Variety Show The Jacksons). Michael later said: ”Performing that show was a foolish thing. I hated every single moment of it.“ The show was designed based on the successful cabaret-style performances of the Jackson 5 in Las Vegas.
[ which Michael, unlike this new show, had enjoyed.] Michael: ”I think that doing a television series is the worst thing an artist who works in music recording can do. I will never do it again. I am not a comedian. I am not a television host. I am a musician.
The show was welcomed by the public for certain reasons. CBS was really trying to keep us going. But I knew that performing this show was a mistake.“ The album «The Jacksons», the first album they prepared for Epic Records, included number-one hits such as «Enjoy Yourself» and «Show You The Way To Go». Their second album was «Going Places», which differed from their first album. There weren’t many dance tracks on it, and most of the songs carried messages. In September 1977, Motown obtained the rights to produce a film of the Wiz (Wiz), a new version of the extraordinary film The Wizard of Oz, featuring Black actors.
Michael: ”Motown bought this show for a reason. As far as I know, the presence of Diana Ross in it was the best possible reason.“ Diana Ross, who played Dorothy, suggested that Michael try out a piece of the role of one of the characters in the show. Michael chose the role of the Scarecrow. Because he thought this character matched him more than the other characters. Michael: ”When the director of the show, Sidney Lumet, called me to play this role, I felt proud and, at the same time, a little afraid.“

[The film Wiz] It took five hours to make up Michael and turn him into a Scarecrow. And this was repeated for six days a week. Michael had enjoyed acting in this film. Michael: ”Wiz gave me fresh inspirations and new power. The script was written skillfully. My role [as a Scarecrow] in this film was that I would pull out newspaper clippings hidden in my burlap outfit and read them. But I didn’t know what to do with them. In my costume, I had all the answers, but I didn’t know the questions.  That day we were performing the scene of the crows. The other actors were in crow costumes and even their faces weren’t visible.  It seemed they knew the lines before and after their specific part. I had read my part too, but I hadn’t repeated it out loud more than once or twice. The director called me to pull the newspaper clipping out of my costume and read it. It was a quote. The author’s name, Socrates (Sakratiz), was written at the bottom of the text. I had read that name before, but I had never pronounced it. So I pronounced it Sakris, because I always thought it was pronounced that way. For a moment everything went silent, and then I heard someone’s voice whisper: Sakratiz.

I looked toward that man. I couldn’t place him exactly, but I felt like I knew him. He wasn’t one of the actors, but he seemed to be part of the show’s crew. I remember thinking about his kind face and high self-confidence at the time. I felt a little embarrassed that I had pronounced the name wrong. I smiled and thanked him for his help. His face was familiar, and suddenly I was sure I had seen him before. He confirmed my doubt by extending his hand toward me: ”Quincy Jones, I make the show’s music.“

In fact, Michael had first seen Quincy Jones when he was twelve years old, in Los Angeles.

Michael: ”I was little back then, but I remember that Simi Davis introduced me to Quincy Jones.“  Michael’s friendship with Quincy Jones began on the set of the film Wiz and turned into a relationship of ”father and son”. 

After Wiz, Michael called Quincy and said: ”Look, I’m planning to make a music album. Do you think you can suggest a few producers to me?“

Michael: ”I said it without any intention. My question was simple, but honest. We talked about music for a while. Then Quincy mentioned a few names, and after a bit of min-mining, he said: ”Why don’t you let me do this?“

Michael: ”I hadn’t really thought about it. So I stuttered.... ”Of course, it’s a very good idea. I’ve never thought of that.“.... Quincy still teases me about this story.“

With this phone call, the best and most successful team of the late 80s—Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson— began.

[Dream team: Quincy and Michael]

In December 1978, the Jacksons returned with a very successful album titled «Destiny». This album was their most successful work. On the album «Destiny», for the first time, control of everything was in the hands of the group itself. 
Except for the song «Bale It On The Boogie», the rest of the tracks were written by the group. This album was considered their biggest success.

[Boogie is a blues music style with a fast rhythm played on the piano.]

The Jacksons also established their own production company called Peacock Productions. 

In 1979, Michael turned twenty-one and gradually took control of his work. 

Michael: ”The personal contract my father made with me to control me ended. And although it was a difficult decision, that contract wasn’t renewed. Did this decision change my relationship with my father? I don’t know what was going on in his heart, but it definitely didn’t change my feelings. I only wanted to have control over my own life.“

Michael moved to New York, where, away from his father’s reach, he could experience an independent life.

Michael: ”I wanted my first solo album [for Epic] to be the best thing it could possibly be.“

  For the album «Off The Wall», Michael worked with a new producer—the legendary Quincy Jones—

Michael: ”I was very happy about the fact that a friend arranged my plans with a music company to record them. And that same person happened to be the best choice for producing as well.“

At first, the name of this album was going to be «Girl Friend». Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, even before they met Michael, had written a song with that title so that later they could perform it together with Michael.

Michael: ”Paul McCartney always tells people this story that I called him and said that we should, with each other’s help, write a few top songs. But the way we met wasn’t exactly like that.

Paul McCartney and I met for the first time at a party held at Harold Lloyd’s villa. He said: ”You know, I wrote a song for you.“... I was very surprised, and I thanked him. And at that same party, he sang the song «Girl Friend» for me.“

They promised each other that they would meet again soon. But different projects and life’s busyness prevented them, and for a few years they didn’t manage to talk about this song. Finally, Paul, contrary to the plan he had for this song, put it on his own album «London Town».

Michael: ”The strangest thing happened while making the album «Off The Wall». One day Quincy came to me and said: ”Michael, I have a song that’s exactly right for you.“ ... He played me the song «Girl Friend». Of course, he didn’t know that Paul McCartney had originally written this song for me. When I told him that, he was very astonished and felt pleased. After that, we quickly recorded the song and put it on the album. It was an unbelievable coincidence.“

Bruce Swedien, the engineer who worked with Quincy, completed the songs and their mixes. To this day, Bruce still works with Michael, and they are very good friends to each other.

[Bruce — Quincy — Michael]

The song «Don't Stop Till You Get Enough» is very important to Michael, because it was the first song that Michael wrote on his own.

Michael: ”This was my first opportunity. And it went straight to number one. With this song, I received my first-ever solo Grammy award.

Two of their most successful songs were «Off The Wall» and «Rock With You». These songs gave anyone who heard them a sense of calm.

The next song was titled «She Is Out Of My Life».

Michael: ”Sometimes it was hard for me to look into the eyes of the girls I was dating, even if I knew them well. The dates and friendly relationships I had with girls never brought the happy ending I expected. There was always a problem. I couldn’t love them more than my fans.“

”I was very involved with the song «She Is Out Of My Life». The story of this song is true. At the end of one of the recording sessions for this song, the words affected me so deeply that I started crying. During all that time, I had been holding in many of my sorrows and worries. I was twenty-one. I had many different experiences, while I had only experienced a few enjoyable moments. Sometimes I imagine my life as a picture on one of the funhouse mirrors in a circus. Some parts of that image are big, and other parts shrink until they’re almost gone. I was worried that this very issue might be revealed in the song «She Is Out Of My Life». But this song stirred up a sense of empathy in people, and knowing that made me feel less alone.“

”At school, I wasn’t friends with any girl. There were girls who seemed attractive to me, but for me it was very difficult to start a conversation with them. I was very shy—I don’t know why—it was really foolish.“

”Tatum O’Neal was the first girl I dated. We met at the club «On The Rox» located in «Sunset Strip». We exchanged phone numbers and we often called each other. I talked with her for hours—about the street, about the studio, about home. On the first day of our date, we went to a party at the Playboy Mansion and had a great time there. That night at the club «On The Rox», she held my hand for the first time. When we met each other, I was sitting behind a table, and suddenly I felt a gentle hand holding mine. It was Tatum’s hand. Maybe it didn’t matter to others, but it mattered to me. She had touched me. That’s the feeling I have about it. 
In the past, when we were involved in a tour, many girls had touched me. They would hang on to me behind a wall of security personnel and scream. But this time was different. It was a two-person relationship. And that’s always the best.“

[Tatum — Michael]

Tatum O’Neal [in an interview in 1995]: ”Once, we put together a home concert. Michael was playing the drums, and my brother played the guitar. There was someone else who played another instrument. I had the recording tape, but I lost it somewhere.“

Michael: ”Our relationship became really close. I fell in love with her (and she fell in love with me). For a long time, we were very close. In the end, we became good friends. Even now, we talk with each other every once in a while. I think you should say that she was my first love after Diana Ross.“

Later, Tatum O’Neal said in an interview that she thinks the song «She Is Out Of My Life» describes their friendship at that time.

Michael: ”When I heard the news about Diana Ross’s marriage, I was happy for her because I knew that this marriage would make her happy. However, it was difficult for me. Because I had to pretend that I was hurt by Diana’s marriage to a man I had never met. I wanted Diana to be happy. But I have to accept that I took a hit—I felt jealous—because I had always loved Diana, and I always will.“

”Diana always tells me her most private secrets. We have a relationship like that.“

[Michael — Diana]

”One of the other girls I was in love with was Brooke Shields. For a while, we were seriously in love with each other.“

[Brooke Shields — Michael]

Finally, in August 1979, the album «Off The Wall» was released and achieved a huge success. Michael Jackson was the first singer whose four songs from his album [Off The Wall] made it among the top ten best-selling songs of the year in America. Two of these songs reached number one. 

That same year in the United Kingdom, for the first time in music history, five of the best songs were released on a single record in the market. «Girl Friend» was one of them. 

The album «Off The Wall» exceeded the expectations for it and achieved remarkable successes in both the pop and rock charts. With the release of this album, people around the world watched a new Michael Jackson. 

«Off The Wall» turned Michael into the Prince of Pop.

At the 1979 Grammy ceremony, Michael was nominated for Best «R&B» vocalist (a fusion of jazz and blues with a fast rhythm – Rhythm and Blues) and, of course, he also received this award.

Michael: ”Although «Off The Wall» was one of the most popular albums of the year, I was only nominated in one category. I remember where I was when I heard this news. I felt like I had been ignored by my peers, and it hurt me. People later told me that this issue had even surprised the people involved in the music industry. I told myself: ”Wait until next time. They can’t ignore the next album.“... I watched the ceremony on television. And I felt good even about winning in that one category. But I still felt sad and upset because I knew, from what happened, that my peers had rejected me. And all my thoughts were focused on the next album.“

”I can be very realistic about the works I create. And if something doesn’t turn out right, I can feel it. But when I start working on an album from scratch, you can be sure that I put every bit of my energy and God-given talent into it. My fans had received «Off The Wall» very well, and I think that’s why my not being nominated for other Grammy awards hurt me. This experience lit a fire inside me. Everything I thought about was the next album and the work I had to do with it. I wanted it to be truly amazing.“

Yes, at the next Grammy ceremony, the world would see something it hadn’t seen before.

Right after the work on «Off The Wall» was finished, Michael and his brothers began working on the album «Triumph». This album was released in September 1980. And for twenty-nine weeks, it ranked first and tenth on the best-selling album charts for Black people and pop, respectively.

Michael: ”In the song «Heart Break Hotel» there was a kind of revenge feeling. The concept of revenge is interesting to me because I can’t understand it. Taking revenge on someone because of something they did to you—or something you think they did—is completely foreign to me.... If the songs «Heart Break Hotel» and «Billie Jean» (which was released later) present an inappropriate image of women, that doesn’t mean that this is my personal opinion about women. Needless to say, I love relationships between women and men. It’s a natural part of life, and I love women. I just think that when sexuality is used as a tool for blackmail or for applying force, it’s a nauseating use of a God-given gift.“

The «Triumph» tour was becoming a massive project. In their concerts, they also used special effects performed by the great magician Doug Henning.

At the same time as the release of the album «Off The Wall» in August 1979, Michael also turned twenty-one and took control of his work. And this was definitely one of the standout events of Michael’s life. This mattered a great deal to Michael because, with the final success of the album, the doubt that the former child star would become the attractive artist of today was surely transformed.

For the next album, titled «Thriller», which was initially going to be called «Star Light», Michael once again got to work with Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and many of the musicians who had collaborated with him on the album «Off The Wall».

Michael: ”I remember one time, when we were working on «Thriller», Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton were in the studio. I was playing pinball. 

One of them asked me: ”If this album doesn’t turn out as good as «Off The Wall», will you be disappointed?“

I remember getting upset. I was upset that this question was even asked. 
I told them: ”«Thriller» has to be better than «Off The Wall».“ I said that I wanted this album to become the best-selling album of all time. And they started laughing. Apparently, this wish seemed unrealistic to them.“

Michael joined Paul McCartney again. The two songs «Say Say Say» and «The Girl Is Mine» were the result of their collaboration.

In the end, Quincy Jones and Michael chose «The Girl Is Mine» as the first confirmed track of the album «Thriller».

«Not My Lover» was the title they used for «Billie Jean», because Quincy disagreed with the name «Billie Jean» that Michael had chosen from the beginning for this song. Quincy felt that people might immediately think of Billie Jean King, the female tennis player.

Michael: ”Many people have asked me about this song. And the answer is very simple. This song is about a girl who claims that I am the father of her child, and I defend my innocence because this baby isn’t my son.

This has happened to some of my brothers, and I’ve always been very astonished by it. I couldn’t understand how those girls could say they were carrying someone’s child in their womb while such a thing wasn’t true. I can’t even think about telling such a lie.“

Eddie Van Halen agreed to collaborate on playing the song «Beat It». He played the guitar brilliantly on his own. And also Steve Porcaro [Toto], Steve Lukather, Greg Phillinganes, Louis Johnson, and Vincent Price were among the people who collaborated with Michael on this album.

In the end, Michael and Quincy were put under heavy pressure by the recording company to finish the album as soon as possible.

Michael: ”When the company pressures you to finish the work as quickly as possible, you really feel pressured. And they had also put us under heavy pressure for the album «Thriller». They said this album had to be finished on a specific date. Do it or die.

So we found ourselves in a situation where we were basically killing ourselves to finish the work correctly within the scheduled time. We compromised a lot on the mixes of the songs, and also on which songs should be included on the album. We cut and trimmed the songs so much that finally the whole album became something without any loose ends.

[Spielberg — Michael — Quincy]

When we finally listened to the songs we were supposed to deliver; «Thriller» looked so awful to me that I started crying. We were under intense pressure because at the same time we were trying to finish «Thriller», we were also working on «The E.T Story Book» and had to finish that too by the set deadline. It was like all the people in the studio were fighting with each other, and we came to this bitter realization that the mixes of the «Thriller» songs weren’t good enough.

Right there in the studio—Westlake Studio in Hollywood—we listened to all the songs on the album. I was devastated with sadness. I let out all the feelings I had been holding in all at once. I got angry and left the room. I told my people: ”We are not going to release this album. Call CBS and tell them they can’t get this album. We’re not giving this album to them. That’s it.“

In the end, I realized that we had to remix the entire album from the beginning. When that was done.... Boom!... «Thriller» sounded like a bomb and knocked all the competitors out in America. CBS could also tell the difference between them. «Thriller» was a very demanding project.“