1976 to 1982
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.